Convergence Analysis of Inclusive Green Growth in China Based on the Spatial Correlation Network

Abstract

The purpose of the research is based on the spatial network correlation to explore the convergence path of inclusive green growth. Inclusive green growth is a sustainable development model that emphasizes the integration of economic, social, and ecological systems. Based on the three subsystems of economic growth, social inclusion, and green sustainability, this study structures the indicator system of China’s inclusive green growth and reveals the characteristics of China’s inclusive green growth network using the social network analysis (SNA) method. Then, from the perspective of system deconstruction, this work tests whether and how China’s inclusive green growth converges by constructing a spatial econometric model with different subsystems of spatial correlation networks as spatial weights. The results show that: (1) China’s inclusive green growth level is on the rise in general, showing a spatial distribution pattern of “high in East and West, low in the Central”. (2) China’s inclusive green growth network relationship is significant, and the network system is stable, but there is still room for improvement in network relevance. The spatial correlation of economic growth is relatively closer than other subsystems. (3) China’s inclusive green growth has a remarkable convergence trend in the spatial correlation scenario, and the spatial correlation of social inclusion has the most significant promoting effect on the convergence of the national inclusive green growth; there is a trend of club convergence in the East, Central, and West regions, and the speed of convergence is the fastest in the central region. The spatial correlation of economic growth has a strong promoting effect on the convergence of inclusive green growth in all regions.