Is the green technological progress bias of mariculture suitable for its factor endowment? ——Empirical results from 10 coastal provinces and cities in China

Abstract

Choosing green technological progress bias which is suitable for factor endowment is conducive to improving total factor productivity of mariculture, and better playing the role of seafood in alleviating food supply pressure and ensuring food security. Therefore, under the guidance of suitability technology progress theory, this paper establishes green-biased technological progress index of multiple factors including capital, labour and resources, further builds relative coefficient of factor endowment to evaluate the suitability between green technological progress bias and factor endowment in China’s mariculture. The results indicated that green-biased technological progress was widespread in China’s mariculture, and the effect of green-biased technological progress to China’s mariculture productivity was positive. However, this promotion effect was gradually decreasing. The factor bias of green technological progress was to save labour first, followed by mariculture area and capital. Specifically, it was biased towards saving mariculture area between mariculture area and capital, saving labour between mariculture area and labour, and saving labour between capital and labour. Nearly half of the provinces have chosen a direction of green technological progress that is not consistent with their factor endowments, and there is no significant improvement in the matches between green technological progress bias and factor endowment, which reduces the input efficiency of production factors and directly causes the loss of total factor productivity in mariculture. The main reasons for the above-mentioned unsuitability are distortions of factor price and insufficient technology promotion. Finally, this paper puts forward the corresponding policy recommendations.