Economic Development Capacity Research Articles

Impact of Natural Gas Peak Shaving on High-Quality Economic Development

As energy demand continues to grow, the enhancement of natural gas storage and peaking capacity has become an important measure to ensure national energy security and to achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Gas storage and peaking have mature development models in the international arena, and China is making every effort to develop this system. This study reveals the impact and promotion of natural gas storage and peaking technology on high-quality economic growth in different regional economic environments through sample data from 30 provinces in China, from 2006 to 2022. The results show that natural gas storage and peaking directly promote high-quality economic development and have a positive spatial spillover effect on high-quality development in neighboring regions, a finding verified by the robustness test and endogeneity test. A heterogeneity analysis further revealed that there are significant differences among eastern, central, and western regions in terms of natural gas storage and peaking capacity and quality of economic development. The eastern region has a stronger gas storage and peaking capacity, while the central and western regions have a weaker capacity. Mechanism analysis shows that R and D technology (RDT) efficiency and green finance have a positive moderating effect on the benchmark effect. This has significant implications for policymakers and business leaders, suggesting that peak gas storage and peaking can drive improvements in broader regional corporate sustainability practices and increase regional levels of high-quality development.

Cross-Border Tourism Spatial Dynamics of the Greater Bay Area in China

ABSTRACT This research studies the spatial dynamics of tourism development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a cross-border region under a multi-level administrative structure in China. Specifically, it examines tourism spatial spillovers and convergence dynamics across Bay Area cities to assess the extent to which cities’ heterogeneous tourism development trajectories promote or inhibit the deepening of regional tourism cooperation. Results from spatial econometric modeling and nonparametric distribution dynamics reveal positive tourism spatial spillovers and convergence with stratification. Furthermore, certain factors, such as cities’ economic development, basic infrastructure, and tourism capacity, are key drivers of tourism development. Other factors, including cities’ tourism resources and transportation networks, need to be addressed for tourism expansion. These findings on the spatial landscape and determinants of cross-border tourism in the Bay Area provide useful insights into formulating regional policies on collective tourism development.

Strategies for selecting trading partners based on economic complexity of international trade networks: A comparison between Chinese and the US markets

Selecting suitable trading partners in the globalized trade landscape remains critical. Traditional selection processes driven by factors like comparative advantage and trade costs are cumbersome and incomplete. Economic complexity offers a more precise measure of a country’s economic development and product capacity, facilitating future-oriented choices. Leveraging international trade data from 2001 to 2015, this paper employs economic complexity theories to analyze Chinese and the US’ trade networks in the global market. It explores multi-level considerations for exporting countries’ partner selection, revealing varying product diversification challenges and market clustering tendencies. China shows increasing overall product proximity relationships, specifically notable in textile-related products, while the US exhibits decreasing product proximities. Additionally, trading positions and product dependencies vary across markets. Some countries, like Japan and Germany, maintain stable positions, while others fluctuate. Notably, countries like Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Cambodia have higher positions in the Chinese market, suggesting promising long-term trade partnerships. Conversely, countries like Yemen, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, and Sudan have higher positions in the US market, indicating significant disparities. Products that are needed in the Chinese market and occupy higher complexity positions are primarily concentrated in the field of non-ferrous metals, while the US market relies more on raw materials. This highlights distinct market dynamics, particularly pronounced in the US market. Hence, there is a greater likelihood of obtaining better economic benefits by trading these products in their respective markets.

Inclusive and resilient local economies: Building capacity for local economic development in Ghana

ABSTRACT Whereas previous research has acknowledged the significance of capacity building for development, there is little research on the capacity building typologies for local economic development (LED) actors at the local level. Adopting the community capitals framework, this study attempts to fill this gap by examining the LED capacity-building typologies and challenges in Ghana. Data for the study was collected through in-depth interviews with local government officials and LED experts in Ghana. The findings revealed six capacity building typologies and three LED capacity building challenges. This study argued that LED capacity building is an indispensable element in the development of local economies. It is recommended that these LED capacity typologies be used to develop a comprehensive LED capacity building framework.

Research Progress in Reducing Pollution and Sequestration of Carbon by Carbon Neutral Plants

Under the dual constraints of economic development and ecological carrying capacity, it is necessary to explore more technical means to achieve carbon neutrality and peak in China. Plants are important carriers of terrestrial and marine carbon sink systems, whereas phytoremediation is also a scientific method to remedy environmental pollution. However, the current studies mostly focus on the single aspect of plant carbon sequestration (including both the reduction of pollutant concentrations in environmental media and degradation of pollutants) or plant pollution reduction, without considering the dual benefits of plant pollution reduction and carbon sequestration. In order to explore the carbon neutral effect of plants, we focused on the pollution reduction and carbon sequestration effect of carbon neutral plants and its progress and evaluated the pollution reduction and carbon sequestration potential of carbon neutral plants and other organisms (such as animals and soil microorganisms) and environmental functional materials. The mechanisms underlying the synergistic coupling of carbon neutral plants and animals, microorganisms, and environmental functional materials and ecosystems in reducing pollution and carbon sequestration were also explored. Finally, we proposed constructive prospects for future research on the effects of carbon neutral plants on pollution reduction and carbon sink.

The contribution of the National Nutrition Policy in addressing Ghana's social determinants of health and nutrition inequalities

One of the major challenges for developing countries is growing economic prosperous while eradicating poverty and lowering social and health inequalities. The National Nutrition Policy of Ghana (NNP) was launched in July 2016 to ensure optimal nutrition for people living in Ghana, promote child survival, and enhance capacity for economic growth and development. A review of the policy was conducted in 2018 where the effectiveness of the policy in meeting its objectives was ranked as poor, impacting negatively on the social determinants of health. This article analyzes the NNP by using the Kingdon Framework to determine how problems, politics, and the policy itself can act as a tool to address the factors that have a significant influence on an individual’s health and well-being, especially the marginalized in society.

The Impact of Spatial Layout of Emerging Industry Clusters Development on Economic Structural Adjustment

This paper examines the impact of the spatial layout of emerging industry clusters on economic structural adjustment in China. By analyzing the geographical distribution, proximity to research institutions, and infrastructure development of these clusters, the study aims to understand their role in transforming China’s economic structure towards innovation-driven growth. The findings reveal that the spatial organization of industry clusters significantly influences regional economic development, industrial upgrading, and innovation capacity. Geographical concentration, connectivity, and proximity to knowledge sources are identified as key factors shaping the effectiveness of clusters. The paper concludes with policy implications, emphasizing the need for balanced regional development, enhanced connectivity, and strengthened innovation ecosystems to maximize the benefits of emerging industry clusters for China’s economic structural adjustment.

Finding equitable solutions to the land-based sources of marine plastic pollution: Sovereignty as a double-edged sword

Marine litter is a global and transboundary pollution problem. Recent attention has focused on the impact of this issue on areas beyond national jurisdiction. In many cases, marine litter is traced to a coastal State where debris have been released into the sea. Effective and legally-binding commitments at the global level to tackle land-based sources of marine pollution are rare, in large part because of the sensitive nature of territorial sovereignty. When it comes to addressing the marine plastics crisis, sovereignty is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the international legal regime traditionally addressing marine litter, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, does not specifically respond to, and is not able to adequately address, the issue of plastics as a land-based source of marine pollution. While it contributes to social equity by recognizing the special position of developing States in terms of capacity and need for economic development, this deference to domestic decisions is not conducive to the adoption of binding and global standards. Since a large majority of plastics in the oceans originate from land, this weakness is a major concern. On the other hand, sovereignty might contribute to a solution within the regime regulating trade in waste products: unilateral actions taken in application of sovereign powers and aimed at reducing trade in plastic waste led to major multilateral actions with the potential to reduce the issue of marine plastic pollution. In recent times, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal has indeed become an important forum to respond to the plastic waste issue, with the potential to contribute to a solution to the marine dimension of this crisis. This regime is not perfect, especially in that its complexity and reliance on enforcement at the customs level leave ample opportunities for criminal activities to flourish. Areas for improvement include addressing the legal uncertainty regarding bilateral, regional, and multilateral agreements as well as certain key definitions; strengthening the prior informed consent procedure and the Mechanism for Promoting Implementation and Compliance; and heavily investing in capacity building and technology transfer. Nonetheless, this regime provides a widely-ratified framework to decrease trade in plastic waste considered hazardous or requiring special consideration – these two categories cover most hard-to-recycle plastics. In that sense, the Basel Convention regime has the potential to reduce mismanaged plastic waste leaking into the oceans and to contribute to social equity between States–if not domestically–by reducing the practice of wealthy countries using developing States as dumping grounds under the pretense of mutually beneficial trade in waste products.

African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (Afcfta) And The Challenges Of Regional Integration In Africa

The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) represents a significant milestone in Africa's pursuit of regional integration and economic development. Envisioned as a pan-African initiative, the AfCFTA aims to establish a single market for goods and services, promote intra-African trade, and foster economic growth across the continent. This paper examines the challenges of regional integration in Africa and explores the potential benefits of the AfCFTA Agreement in addressing these challenges. This study uses qualitative research methods, with secondary data from scholarly publications, journal articles, reports from international organisations and literature studies that were thematically analysed. The results of the study shows that the challenges of integration in Africa are mostly driven by disparities in economic development and industrial capacities among African nations, persistent trade barriers, non-tariff obstacles, weak institutional frameworks, the paradox of sovereignty, and inadequate infrastructure. The study also reveals that the adoption of the AfCFTA Agreement in 2019, has brought more African nations involved in addressing these challenges of economic integration, and fostering deep cooperation within the continent. This paper concludes that the AfCFTA Agreement has the potential to be a transformative force in advancing regional integration and economic prosperity in Africa. However, a pragmatic approach is continually needed to address these challenges of integration. This paper thus recommends fostering inclusive growth and economic diversification through targeted policies that can address economic disparities among African nations. Also, emphasising the inclusion of marginalised sectors, such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and informal traders, which is essential for maximising the AfCFTA's potential benefits and fostering sustainable economic growth. 
 
 Keywords: AfCFTA, Africa, Economic Integration, Regional Integration, Trade barriers.

How urban development affects green development efficiency in China: Taking the city cluster of Yangtze river economic belt as an example

Introduction: In order to change the long-term economic development model which is at the expense of the environment, China proposed a series of new energy development and environmental intervention policies. However, there is no evidence to support the impact of urban development on the green development efficiency (GDE) under China’s macroeconomic policies at present. In order to answer this research question and help the government to improve the GDE, this study takes the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) city cluster (41 cities) in China as an example to conduct an empirical study.Methods: We first measure the GDE of these cities by Slack Based Model (SBM). Then, the Tobit model is used to measure the impact of urban development elements, namely population urbanization, land urbanization, and urban industrial development, on GDE.Results and Discussion: The analysis of the data leads to the following conclusions and suggestions: 1) The GDE of the city cluster in the YREB has generally been improved driven by policies. But compared to policy interventions, the level of science, technology and management are the primary drivers of long-term improvement in GDE. 2) In order to avoid the economic development and environmental capacity failure to afford the increase in energy consumption and pollution discharge caused by population urbanization and land urbanization, local governments need to promote energy transformation, increase environmental protection efforts and attract top-tier talent. 3) The improvement of GDE by industrial upgrading is a dynamic and slow process, and blindly pushing industrial restructuring will lead to a decline in GDE. Therefore, the Chinese government needs to provide an ecologically suitable environment for local industrial development, which needs to avoid “pulling out the seedlings” and “one-size-fits-all” approach.

Tuberculosis incidence and its socioeconomic determi-nants: developing a parsimonious model.

Tuberculosis is a widespread communicable disease, which is one of the top 10 causes of demise globally. Several regression models have been built, and then utilized for the Tuberculosis incidence projections. However, when fitting a multiple linear regression model, an analysis must account for multicollinearity aspects. The present study aimed to develop a parsimonious model that produces unbiased results based on socioeconomic variables as predictors of Tuberculosis incidence. Ecological study. Data were collected from the Karaganda Regional Center of Phthisio-pulmonology and Bureau of National Statistics. By multiple linear regression model, we investigated associations between Tuberculosis incidence rate and socioeconomic determinants in Karaganda region, Kazakhstan, during 2001-2019. A Principal components analysis was performed on the socioeconomic variables with oblique rotation. Furthermore, associations of Tuberculosis incidence with the principal components derived from the Principal components analysis were assessed. The incidence of Tuberculosis in Karaganda region decreased over the period of 2001-2019. Economic development and healthcare capacity were negatively correlated with Tuberculosis incidence. A multiple linear regression equation on Tuberculosis incidence (y) was developed with economic development (x1) and healthcare capacity (x2) clustering two components (utilizing Principal components analysis) to eliminate collinearity: y = 1442 - 454.3x1 - 211.4x2. The incidence of Tuberculosis decreased with the increase of economic development and healthcare capacity. In conclusion, the study indicated that economic development and healthcare capacity are closely associated with the incidence of Tuberculosis. The findings support the implementation of optimal preventive measures for Tuberculosis control, including improving the level of economic status, increasing social protection, health expenditure, and strengthening health sector capacity, which are key determinants of the incidence of Tuberculosis.

Science as a way to increase the innovation capacity of the economy: problems, risks and prospects

The results of science are directly related to the development of technologies, the level of which depends on the timeliness, scope, and quality of research, the effectiveness of R&D, and its transfer to production. The effectiveness of such processes directly depends on an efficient state science and technology policy. Years of postponed systemic reforms of the organization of scientific activity in Ukraine and gradual reduction of funding for science to a critical level only increase the scale of problems and deepen the loss of the country’s innovation capacity. New shocking challenges have been added to the problems of science’s survival in the last pre-war years due to the consequences of the full-scale war unleashed by russia against Ukraine. The article analyzes the role of science as a way of forming and increasing the innovative capacity of economic and social development. The authors identify and characterize the state and peculiarities of the functioning of the scientific sphere in Ukraine in the context of the russian-Ukrainian war. The article summarizes the peculiarities of approaches to the prospects for the development of science as an effective component of the national innovation system and the directions of its contribution to the post-war reconstruction of the country. The article aims to summarize the peculiarities and analyze the general state of functioning of the scientific sphere of Ukraine during the war, to identify its systemic problems, and to set the tasks of development in the post-war period in terms of forming the innovative capacity for the restoration and modernization of the national economy. Systematic analysis of the proposals initiated by scientists, experts, and public authorities in the field of education and science has shown that the state will try to focus funding on research in the field of defense complex and several other applied fields. This requires the actualization of direct dialogue between enterprises and scientists with some support from the state. There is a need for another significant transformation of the science governance system and the creation of an effective state body capable of efficiently planning activities and allocating and controlling research expenditures.

Study on the Sustainable use of Regional Groundwater Resources

Water resources have become a major factor limiting the sustainable development of China’s economy and society, and at the same time China’s water resources are developed and utilized in a relatively sloppy manner, China is facing multiple pressures of population, resources and environment, and the problems of water shortage, water environment deterioration and flood disaster prevention are becoming increasingly prominent. The rapid development of economic and social demand for water resources is increasing, and the people’s desire to improve the ecology and environment is becoming more and more urgent. How to fully consider the sustainable use of water resources, effectively solve the contradiction between water demand and supply, development and protection, improve the level of planning and scientific decision-making, promote economic development and water carrying capacity to adapt to accelerate the transformation of economic growth and structural adjustment is of great importance.

Homicide and State History

We argue that cross-national variability in homicide rates is strongly influenced by state history. Populations living within a state are habituated, over time, to settling conflicts through regularized, institutional channels rather than personal violence. Because these are gradual and long-term processes, present-day countries composed of citizens whose ancestors experienced a degree of “state-ness” in previous centuries should experience fewer homicides today. To test this proposition, we adopt an ancestry-adjusted measure of state history that extends back to 0 CE. Cross-country analyses show a sizeable and robust relationship between this index and lower homicide rates. The result holds when using various measures of state history and homicide rates, sets of controls, samples, and estimators. We also find indicative evidence that state history relates to present levels of other forms of personal violence. Tests of plausible mechanisms suggest state history is linked to homicide rates via the law-abidingness of citizens. We find less support for alternative channels such as economic development or current state capacity.

The policy effect on photovoltaic technology innovation with regional heterogeneity in China

This paper examines the policy effect on photovoltaic technology innovation by considering regional heterogeneity. We first evaluated regional heterogeneity by using a range-adjusted measure model, based on which a total of 238 prefecture-level cities in China were classified into four categories. The impact of supply-side, environmental-side, and demand-side policy instruments on PV technology innovation were assessed for each type of cities. The results show significant differences in the policy effects across different types of cities. Specifically, only the direct government subsidy in the supply-side and the feed-in tariff in the environmental-side had a clear incentive for PV technology innovation in all type of cities. The non-direct subsidy instruments in the supply-side were not conducive to PV technology innovation in cities with low levels of economic development and innovation capacity. In addition, the environmental-side regulatory policy instrument favored PV technology innovation in cities with high levels of economic development, population size, and innovation capacity, but goal-oriented instrument had the opposite effect. Moreover, the government purchase in the demand-side had a significantly positive effect on technology innovation in cities with abundant solar energy resources, and average levels of economic development and innovation capacity.

Coupling and coordinated relationship of water utilization, industrial development and ecological welfare in the Yellow River Basin, China

The comprehensive problems of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) can be divided into three categories: water shortage, low-quality and low-efficiency in the industries, and insufficient development of the livelihood, except the ecological background. The main objective of the study is to adequately explore the coupling and coordinated relationship of water utilization (WU), industrial development (ID) and ecological welfare (EW) in the YRB. Compared with previous empirical studies, we establish the estimation indicators of three subsystems, and analyze the relationship and influencing factors of the subsystems of county-level cities in the YRB from 2001 to 2020 by adopting the spatial global (local) autocorrelation and Spatial Error Tobit model. Although the overall development of WU, ID and EW in the YRB had always been the highest in the lower reaches, followed by the middle and upper reaches, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the subsystems showed a downward trend as a whole, and there was still great potential for the improvement of the subsystems in common development. Specifically, the spatial distribution of the CCD of the subsystems presented a downward trend from the lower reaches to the middle and upper reaches, and the south of the trunk line was higher than the north. Meanwhile, the CCDs of the subsystems exhibited positive spatial autocorrelation, and the high-level CCDs were distributed in the middle and lower reaches, and vice versa, mainly located in the upper reaches. At present, the CCDs of the three subsystems in the YRB can be divided into five types: WU-led, ID-led, EW-led, synchronous development Ⅰ, and synchronous development Ⅱ. The improvement of CCD now mainly depends on the economic development, urbanization level, technological innovation and government capacity, whereas population density, environmental regulations and trade openness significantly restrained the increase of the CCD. To achieve the unity of the three subsystems in the YRB, the decision-maker should design related policies, as discussed in the countermeasures.

Local Commitment and Global Reach: Advancing Sustainable Capacity Building in Higher Education

Universities play a crucial role in building the economic development capacity for their communities and regions. Their capacity building role is typically defined by contributions to the economic bottom line of the community and region where a university is located. This kind of capacity building may find itself in conflict with the long-term sustainable development needs of the region and with the responsibility of the university itself. Sustainable capacity building may require strategies that focus on the specific social, cultural, environmental, and physical context of a university’s location beyond purely economic capacity goals. To achieve sustainable development outcomes, universities must advance an understanding of the context conditions within which they are located. At least three context systems are relevant to this view of development: the economy, society and culture, and the environment with its physical, biological, and ecological context conditions. Each of these context systems is characterized by distinct time frames, spatial configurations, rules, and success measures. A focus on economic development outcomes reflects only one subsystem’s rules, behaviors, and success measures. By analyzing two case study examples from the United States and South Africa, we offer a framework for universities to advance sustainability objectives that correspond to their broader responsibilities. We argue that in order to meet these broader responsibilities, universities must first commit to giving expression to their own local context through the voices and lived realities of students and residents. Since universities build the brain trust of communities and regions around the world, they play an essential role in strengthening global sustainability goals by building the local capacity of their communities and regions.

Influence of the development of human capital and social identification of the rural laborers’ mobility in rural strategy revitalization in China

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between human capital and rural laborers’ willingness to return to their hometowns based on the moderating effect of identity in China. The results show that the level of human capital significantly affects the willingness of the mobile population to return to their hometowns, but this effect is reversed, i.e., the increase in the level of human capital reduces the willingness of rural laborers to return to their hometowns. The urban identity of rural laborers after flowing into cities has a significant positive moderating effect on their willingness to return to their hometowns. Improving the carrying capacity of economic development in rural areas, further strengthening infrastructure construction in rural areas to provide the material basis for rural revitalization and labor force return, and at the same time strengthening the education and training of farmers to enhance their main status is recommended.

Monitoring Environment Transformation Along the BTIC Railway Based on Remote Sensing by Utilizing the R_RSEI

High-speed railway offers an opportunity to address the disparity between economic development and transportation capacity. It can improve transportation capacity and reduce transportation costs. With the large-scale running of the high-speed railway, initial activities will impact the surrounding ecological environment. Ecological environment monitoring along the railway is very important. However, the current research focuses mainly on a single ecological index evaluation of ecological problems and mostly on the ecological evaluation along the highway, with less research on ecological monitoring along the high-speed railway. Moreover, the studies have not considered the comprehensive effects of multiple remote sensing indexes. Given the above scientific issues, taking the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity (BTIC ) railway as the study area, we selected the Landsat satellite images from 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020 as the research data. We used the revised remote sensing–based ecological index (R_RSEI) to comprehensively analyze and evaluate the ecological environment quality along the BTIC railway from 2008 to 2020. After extracting the greenness, dryness, humidity, and heat indices, we determined the weights of four indices using principal component analysis. According to the ecological environment assessment index model, we monitored and analyzed the ecological environment along the BTIC railway. The results showed that the ecological environment quality along the BTIC railway generally increased from 2008 to 2011 and then generally decreased from 2014 to 2020. The ecological and environmental qual- ity of the study area generally was ranked as "poor" and "worse." Therefore, the trend of environmental pollution along the BTIC railway was not optimistic and thus led to many problems in the ecological environment. The proposed method is expected to solve the lack or the single problem of ecological evaluation index along the railway line.

Re-evaluating the ‘good city’ from (post)pandemic Southeast Asia

Arising from a keynote presentation given at the third Sustainable Design for Liveable Cities (SUDLiC) conference on “Sustainable Cities for All” in 2021, this short commentary considers some implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for urban futures. In particular, we take responses to the pandemic in cities in Southeast Asia as a set of resources for re-evaluating prevailing conceptions of the “good city” – now, and into the future. While initial responses understandably focused on the management of public health and safety, it has been recognised that pandemic times more widely have provided an opportunity for planning priorities to be “reset” (Martinez and Short, 2021). What has that meant across a region as diverse as Southeast Asia in terms of both governmental capacity and levels of economic development? What roles have been played during the pandemic by experts/authorities on the one hand, and “ordinary” city inhabitants on the other? And what do varied performances of these roles over the past two years tell us about possibilities for the post-pandemic city? These are among the key questions that guide our deliberation of future urban prospects in and beyond (post-)pandemic Southeast Asia.