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•Probing heterogeneity of CE in mega-urban clusters via new economic geography.•Construction of vector Kaya expansion model based on urban–rural dual structure.•Unifying analysis of ...production-side and domestic-side carbon emissions.•Framework for stepwise low-carbon policy in mega-urban agglomerations.
Identifying the causes of heterogeneity in carbon emission (CE) performance among different units of a mega-urban agglomeration is crucial for its low-carbon development. This study examines the impacts of regional industrial transformation, living consumption, and spatial expansion on CE using an extended Kaya identity model, focusing on 26 Yangtze River Delta (YRD) cities from 2006 to 2019. Our study reveals that: (1) The development disparities across YRD cities result in distinct CE reduction trajectories, with advanced urban centers showcasing more effective emission control strategies. (2) Living consumption is the primary driver of CE increases, contributing significantly to the rise with a proportion of 137.2%. This is moderated by industrial transformation, which has implemented efficiency improvements and technological innovations to reduce emissions, contributing to a decrease in CE by 48.9%. Spatial expansion also plays a role, accounting for an 11.7% increase in CE. (3) The YRD’s CE reduction efforts are primarily concentrated in core cities, manifesting a pronounced core-periphery structure that includes spillover effects into transitional and peripheral cities. We propose targeted strategies, including incentivizing green technology in high-emission sectors, developing comprehensive low-carbon public transportation, and encouraging sustainable consumer behaviors through education and incentives. These strategies aim for a balanced advancement in industrial practices, urban planning, and public engagement, providing a roadmap for crafting sustainable urban development strategies in similar global contexts.
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•The nature-society-trade basin triadic system model is adopted to address the synergy of water pollution management.•Horizontal and vertical eco-compensation cooperation among two ...levels of players in water transfer projects.•Incorporating multiple dimensional indicators into a transboundary water pollution abatement framework.•Relying on the central government-led eco-compensation can improve the economic state is inhibited.
Controlling transboundary water pollution is particularly crucial for the sustainable development of diversion basins, while eco-compensation is an essential incentive for multistakeholder transboundary water pollution control. Considering the dynamics of the various actors' pollution control behavior in the Heihe River water transfer project and utilizing differential game theory, we construct a baseline strategy, a horizontal eco-compensation strategy, and an incentive coordination strategy under scenarios with and without authority incentives. The corresponding equilibrium solutions are then determined, and comparisons are made between the payoffs of the players in the six different structures, thus defining the optimal scenario for the different programs. In the case of the largest ecological water transfer project of the Heihe River in Northwest China, according to the research findings, (1) when eco-compensation is funded through a single source, incentive coordination scenarios can contribute effectively to water pollution control instituted by the main participants in water diversion projects; when multiple financing sources are available, horizontal ecological compensation scenarios are more compatible with the individual interests of local municipalities to improve the water quality environment. (2) Water-receiving cities voluntarily eco-compensate for water-supplying cities, and this incentive structure for eco-compensation facilitates a significant improvement in the effectiveness of water pollution control and therefore the harmonious promotion of sustainable economic and environmental development in eco-fragile areas. (3) Water transfer projects, for which the two participants are at widely.
different levels of development and the environment is inherently fragile, can facilitate, via an eco-compensation mechanism that combines horizontal and vertical scenarios, sustainable development-oriented policies for eco-compensation systems in which the authority participates as a third-party game player. The research supports the establishment of policies for the governance of the transboundary water diversion project basins to address conflicts in water pollution management.
Based on differential game theory, this paper constructs a centralized game model, a Nash noncooperative game model and a game model with a cost-sharing contract. This paper discusses the interactive ...game strategy between the central government's participation in subsidies and the upstream and downstream sharing of the cost of pollution control, and we obtain and compare the optimal feedback strategies and trajectory of pollution control with time upstream and downstream of a basin. The introduction of the game model for cost-sharing contracts not only maximizes the benefits in the basin but also increases the amount of pollution control, improves the ecological environment of the basin, and enhances its capital attractiveness. In addition, it is found that the central government's subsidies have an impact on the decision-making behavior of local governments, especially in the case of introducing cost-sharing contracts. Central government subsidies can increase the enthusiasm of upstream and downstream local governments for long-term cooperation in pollution control and emission reduction.
Green innovation technology transfer (GITT) has become an essential means to realizing regional sustainable development due to its dual attributes in economy and society. To better understand GITT's ...importance and mechanism in regional sustainable development, we propose new evidence on its significance at the city-regional scale based on green innovation technology patent transfer data from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), involving 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta from 2012 to 2020. We find that the Yangtze River Delta's global GITT network has become increasingly dense, moving from existing only within single cities or among geographically adjacent cities to a jump-type interactive cooperation network structure. The hierarchical network structure is broken, the direct paths connecting cities are increasing, redundant connections are being reduced, and the network is increasingly stable and flat. The core cities have been upgraded from a closed-door in-city state to stronger and more open external connections and internal sources. We also find that the development of staged outreach of green technology is key to the region's sustainable development.
•Proposing GITT policy recommendations based on a network perspective, providing insights for regional integration strategies.•Utilizing social network analysis to map the interconnectedness of cities, highlighting key regions.•Augmentation of theoretical research on GITT, presenting feasible solutions based on empirical insights.
Addressing global uneven urban development and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions (CE), this study presents a new method for calculating urban socioeconomic development indexes using a ...variety of data sources. Using the Yangtze River Delta as an example, we categorize urban areas into core, transitional, and peripheral cities. With the help of extended Kaya-index decomposition models, we evaluate the effects of regional industrial growth, consumer markets, and spatial expansion on urban CE. The research explores differences in CE drivers across and within these city categories. Our findings reveal that in core cities, 31.5 % of CE is due to the industrial structure and 14.9 % due to population density. In transitional cities, CE increases by 60.22 % primarily due to industrial structure and consumer consumption. Peripheral cities, on the other hand, have a complex set of causes for CE, with per capita living, spatial expansion, population size, urbanization, and consumption limitation contributing to 91.97 %, 10.73 %, 14.2 %, 9.34 %, and 24.92 % of CE respectively. Varied factors influence CE intensity differences within each city group. Cleaner production technologies and potential carbon reductions in consumption and industry are identified as key strategies for compensating CE reduction. We propose the adoption of carbon function zoning in urban clusters to leverage the role of carbon function in each area. Territorial spatial planning should ensure a balanced layout of production, living, and ecological functions. Residents' consumption, being the key factor driving CE, must transition toward green, low-carbon consumption, reinforced by societal norms and responsibilities. This research provides valuable theoretical and practical insights into urban classification and CE reduction strategies.
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•Analyzed drivers of CE in YRD megacity clusters•Construction of SEDI index based on multiple carbon sources•Proposed strategies for CE reduction based on city development stages•Advocated for region-specific strategies for comprehensive urban sustainability
•This paper identified the innovation networks and innovation environment as the core components of the regional innovation system.•A two-region, three-sector New Economic Geography model is ...developed by integrating the digital economy, innovation cooperation, R&D elements flow, and innovation output into a unified framework.•Digital economy promotes innovation output through promoting intra-regional and inter-regional cooperation and attracting the flow of R&D elements personnel and capital.•Underdeveloped cities benefit more from digital economy, while large central cities function as conduits and generate spillover effects to interconnected regions.
This paper explored the paradigm shift in spatial innovation dynamics driven by the rapid emergence of the digital economy (DIGE) through the lens of the regional innovation system (RIS). By integrating DIGE, RIS, and innovation output into a unified analytical framework, this study examined the impact and mechanisms of DIGE on innovation output across 330 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2020. Results show that DIGE development significantly contributes to innovation output. This contribution is mediated by DIGE's strengthening of the RIS, primarily through its facilitation of integration into innovation networks and enhancement of the innovation environment. Regional heterogeneities are evident in the innovation-promoting influence of DIGE, with less developed cities, cities with underdeveloped infrastructure, and smaller cities benefiting more significantly. While the direct impact of DIGE on large central cities is subtle, their pivotal positions enable them to radiate and disseminate innovation spillovers to connected cities through extensive cooperative networks. This study underscored the potential of leveraging DIGE, especially in disadvantaged regions, to cultivate robust and synergistic RIS and act as catalysts for augmented innovation output.
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In the face of global economic development and increasing energy demands, the efficient allocation of Research and Development (R&D) resources emerges as a universal concern. This study illuminates ...the complex relationship between R&D factor mismatch, production losses, and changes in regional energy intensity. Utilizing factor mismatch accounting framework and the STIRPAT model, we systematically assess the impact of spatial mismatches in R&D factors on R&D output and regional energy intensity. The analysis unfolds in three steps, first, the estimation of the degree of spatial R&D factor mismatch and the resulting output gap; second, the calculation of R&D output loss as a function of spatial mismatch coefficient and output share per location; and third, the examination of changes in energy intensity induced by R&D factor mismatch in terms of Total Factor Productivity (TFP), factor mismatch, and output structure. Our findings reveal that R&D factor mismatches can hinder energy intensity reduction, and that regional disparities in the process of factor market marketization significantly contribute to variations in regional energy intensity. These insights emphasize the critical role of efficient R&D resource allocation in promoting energy conservation and productivity, providing substantial implications for policy-making in sustainable growth and energy efficiency across diverse economies.
Urbanization is not only a process of population transfer, but also a process of coordination and adaptation among population, space and industries, which can trigger multiple effects on energy ...consumption (EC). This study analyzed EC changes in China using a modified LMDI model. Most literatures indicated the industry production consumes amount of EC, but this paper unpacked the influencing factors in details, found that urbanization has a greater pulling effect on EC of production side over life side. Household consumption drives EC increase in production. The convergence of urban and rural consumption behaviors stimulates EC in daily life. Unreasonable land use intensifies EC, while population agglomeration affects EC fluctuation negatively. Upgrading industries and technology alleviate EC, and the consumption inhibiting effect has an inverted U-shaped effect. Hence, improving residents' consumption habits and optimizing spatial resource allocation are crucial for reducing EC while industrial development faces bottlenecks.
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•Builds transmission mechanism of urbanization on energy consumption from three aspects: population, space and industry.•Expands the Kaya model in vector form, and modifies the traditional LMDI method into the form of polynomial multiplication and summation.•Decomposes multidimensional effects of urbanization on energy consumption from three aspects of population, space, and industry.•Inhibiting effects of technological progress and structure adjustment from industry aspect appear diminishing marginal utility.•More attention should be paid in population and space aspects.
Along with the deep comprehension and accumulated practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR), people are increasingly aware of the positive role of the government in the development of CSR. ...Chinese governments at all levels have issued many policies to guide and regulate CSR behavior in Chinese enterprises. However, there has been little research on the evaluation of CSR policy’s effectiveness. In this paper, we conducted a text analysis of 76 corporate social responsibility policies (CSRPs) and statistics of high-frequency words. Based on the existing policy evaluation index system, combined with the characteristics of CSRPs, we constructed a CSRPs content evaluation index system based on the policy modeling consistency index (PMC-index) model. Additionally, we conducted content analysis and quantitative evaluation of six CSRPs selected from different levels and regions of government agencies. The results show that the evaluation levels of the six policies were all good, which could play a positive role in the CSR development of their policy objectives. However, policies in different regions show obvious differences in the design of implementation suggestions and incentive and constraint measures, and there is a large space for further optimization. This study not only provides specific policy optimization suggestions for the government and enterprises based on case studies but also provides methods for evaluating the content of CSRPs, filling the research gap in this field.
Under the background of the water crisis, there has been much research on corporate water responsibility (CWR), a subfield of corporate environmental responsibility (CER). Studies on CWR and CER are ...mainly focused on isolated factors, such as institutional pressure, corporate features, and managerial perceptions, with a notable lack of consensus. These studies have largely ignored the complex relationship between different contributing factors; thus, the internal mechanism of the multi-level synergistic influence of such factors on CWR or CER remains unclear. Configuration theory forgoes consideration of the correlation between variables and instead analyzes the synergistic effect between variables from the perspective of set theory. Thus, this paper focuses on formal and informal institutional pressure, unabsorbed and absorbed CSR slack, and economic and ethical perceptions, and uses fsQCA to investigate the configurations contributing or unconducive to a high level of CWR from a configuration theory perspective. The results show that three configurations contribute and two configurations are unconducive to a high level of CWR. Managerial perception is foundational for implementing CWR, and ethical perception is a necessary condition for high-level CWR, while a lack of benefit perception contributes to a lower level of CWR.
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