Sustainable development of the mining sector for achieving common prosperity in Chinese rural areas

Abstract

This study investigates the correlation between sustainable mining practices and the well-being of rural communities in China. Utilizing data spanning from 1990 to 2021 and employing the ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) methodology for analysis, our findings indicate that a 1% improvement in mining efficiency corresponds to a short-term rise of 0.23% and a long-term rise of 0.30% in common prosperity. On the other hand, rapid growth in the rural population has a detrimental effect on common prosperity, resulting in a short-term reduction of 0.37% and a long-term reduction of 0.49%. Moreover, investments play a pivotal role in boosting rural prosperity, demonstrating a short-term increase of 0.15% and a long-term increase of 0.24% for every 1% investment growth. To advance rural prosperity through environmentally sustainable mining, policy initiatives should prioritize digitalization, the creation of green jobs, and the promotion of rural green entrepreneurship.