Temporal-Spatial Evolution and Driving Factors of the Green Total Factor Productivity of China’s Central Plains Urban Agglomeration

Abstract

As China’s largest urban agglomeration with rapid growth of economy and population, the development of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration (CPUA) has been severely restricted by environmental problems. Thus, the green development performance of the CPUA is worth studying. This study used the panel data of 29 cities in the CPUA from 2003 to 2018 based on the Slacks-based Measure and Global Malmquist–Luenberger index to measure the green total factor productivity (GTFP) and its decomposition index of each city. A spatial econometric model was developed to explore the factors affecting the GTFP of the CPUA. The results show that the GTFP of the CPUA had an upward trend in 2003–2018, but the productivity level was still low. There were significant spillover effect in the GTFP among different cities of the CPUA. The results of the spatial measurement model show that technological progress, industrial structure and solid waste environmental regulationhave a significant positive spillover effect on the GTFP. The, fiscal expenditure, and informatization level also have positive impacts on the GTFP. In the future, local government should provide technical and financial support for the development of green industries in the CPUA, and accelerate the construction of environmental protection infrastructures.