The driving force behind the growth of China’s green economic efficiency: Provincial efficiency influence analysis for a sustainable future

Abstract

The concept of green economy efficiency has attracted attention over the last decade. Several measurements of green economy efficiency and their various aspects have been proposed, and these have been the main focus in the literature. However, calculating the influence of each province on the country's green economic efficiency is essential to assist in targeted management and institutional design at the provincial level by the government. To perform such analysis, this study extended the data envelopment analysis model. Data from 30 provinces in China from 2010 to 2018 are used in the study. The results show that the provinces in the eastern and southern coastal regions have the greatest influence on the country's green economic efficiency, but the majority of the provinces in the Middle Yellow River region have the least influence on the entire green economy. Interestingly, high-efficiency provinces do not always exert the greatest influence, suggesting that even low-efficiency provinces can contribute significantly to the economy. These findings can serve as a baseline for improving provincial contributions and further promoting China's green economic efficiency.