Industrial co-agglomeration, green technological innovation, and total factor energy efficiency

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Sep;29(41):62475-62494. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-20078-4. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

Abstract

The double-wheel driven of manufacturing and producer services industrial co-agglomeration is of great significance for transforming the economic growth mode driven by a single industry, integrating and extending regional resources, and improving energy efficiency. Based on panel data from 2004 to 2019, this paper uses the spatial Dubin model to analyze the impact of industrial co-agglomeration on total factor energy efficiency (TFEE) and its regional heterogeneity. Moreover, the mediating model is employed to examine the mediating effect of green technological innovation in the industrial co-agglomeration affects TFEE. Last but not least, the threshold panel regression model is conducted to verify the nonlinear relationship between industrial co-agglomeration and TFEE. The results show that there is a U-shaped curve relationship between industrial co-agglomeration and TFEE. Moreover, there are obvious regional heterogeneities in the impact of industrial co-agglomeration on TFEE and its spatial spillover effect. Meanwhile, industrial co-agglomeration has a significant indirect impact on TFEE through green technological innovation. In addition, there is a single threshold effect on the impact of industrial co-agglomeration on TFEE, only when the industrial co-agglomeration degree crosses the threshold value of 0.6329, can it positively promote the improvement of TFEE.

Keywords: Green technological innovation; Industrial co-agglomeration; Mediating effect; Spatial Durbin model; Threshold model; Total factor energy efficiency (TFEE).

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Conservation of Energy Resources*
  • Economic Development
  • Efficiency
  • Industry
  • Inventions*