ABSTRACT To achieve carbon reduction goals, shifting industry toward low-carbon sectors is crucial. In China, local governments play a major role in shaping economic development through their control over land allocation. One practical way they can encourage this shift is by supplying more land to high-tech industries (HTI), which are typically low-carbon. This makes the amount of land allocation to such industries a useful and observable measure of industrial transformation. This study examines whether the carbon emissions trading system (ETS) facilitates this process by incentivizing local governments to reallocate land towards HTI. Using Chinese land transaction and urban panel data (2010-2019) and employing DID and SDID methods, this study finds that the ETS significantly encourages local governments to increase land supply for HTI. This policy impact exhibits regional heterogeneity, being stronger in eastern cities and weaker in central/western cities, and more pronounced in ordinary cities than in sub-provincial cities. Moreover, the ETS induces a significant spatial spillover effect. Further analysis reveals that the policy effect of ETS is influenced by local conditions, including industrial structure, land finance dependence, and secretary tenure. These findings highlight the ETS’s role in aligning local incentives with green industrial policy. Accordingly, further nationwide expansion of the ETS is recommended, with policy design that accounts for regional heterogeneity and promotes inter-regional collaboration to maximize its overall effectiveness.

Geographical exclaves face distinctive development challenges as spatial separation creates cross-border dependencies and institutional vulnerabilities. Musandam Governorate, Oman’s exclave separated from the mainland by United Arab Emirates (UAE) territory, exemplifies how exclave status shapes development trajectories, cross-border interactions, and population resilience. This study examines Musandam’s socio-economic dynamics, development patterns, and cross-border relationships, addressing gaps in understanding how exclave residents navigate spatial discontinuity while maintaining mainland and cross-border connections. Mixed methods combined quantitative assessment using the adapted Vera Carstairs Index (VCI) across seven domains (education, skills, employment, housing, living environment, household facilities, health) with qualitative fieldwork spanning four campaigns (2019–2023). Semi-structured interviews with 47 residents across all four wilayaat (provinces), complemented by citizen science approaches engaging twelve community participants, documented mobility patterns and cross-border transactions. Secondary data from the 2010 Population Census and national statistics provided contextual depth. Findings reveal two of four Musandam wilayaat (Daba and Khasab) ranking in the lower half nationally, with low health scores (ranks 1 and 9) and education institution deficits reflecting structural integration into transnational economic and services systems. COVID-19 border closures amplified pre-existing dependencies, converting eight-month isolation into a humanitarian crisis with food shortages, medicine unavailability, and social fragmentation. Residents maintain stronger functional connections with UAE cities than with mainland Oman despite preserving national identity. Policy implications emphasize six strategic priorities: higher education institutions, transportation infrastructure, marine fisheries development, tourism enhancement, small-medium enterprise facilitation, and residential land provision.

Spatial density plays a pivotal role in influencing land-use patterns and land consumption. To meet evolving industrial needs and maximize limited land resources, incorporating floor area ratio (FAR) optimization into urban planning is essential. Existing studies on floor area ratio largely focus on residential land, overlooking how industrial FAR varies across regions and sectors and what drives these differences. This study addresses this gap by analyzing newly supplied industrial land data from 90 counties in Zhejiang Province, China (2019-2023), using panel regression analysis. The findings reveal a steady FAR increase of 6.8% annually, with the highest levels in the northern coastal cities Hangzhou and Ningbo, a mid-range peak around Jinhua, and relatively lower but rising values toward the southern areas including Wenzhou. FAR is positively associated with land prices and government land supply, but negatively with per capita arable land. Significant regional and industrial disparities are observed, shaped by geography, land price and industry structure. These findings underscore the need for adaptive FAR policies that balance land efficiency and industrial compatibility. The study recommends stabilizing industrial land prices, supporting clustered small and micro enterprises with higher-density development, and selectively implementing the Industry's Going Upstairs (IGU) strategy based on structural load, production characteristics, and suitability for mixed-use.

As a populous country with limited per capita land area, China has implemented the strictest land use regulation to ensure food security. Yet quantitative assessments of how it shapes land use change and the subsequent economic impacts remain insufficient. Land use directly affects land supply for industry and services, thereby impacting local fiscal and tax revenues. Meanwhile, land transfer income serves as a major off-budget revenue source for local governments, with county fiscal capacity laying the foundation for national economic development and public welfare. Therefore, this study integrates county-level statistics with remotely sensed land use data and applies an Intensity Difference-in-Differences (Intensity DID) design to identify policy impacts. Specifically, it examines the effects of land use regulation on county governments’ land transfer activities, land use efficiency, as well as fiscal revenue and public service provision. Empirical results show that tighter land use regulation constrains the new supply of construction land by limiting cultivated land conversion. In response, local governments modify floor area ratios (FARs) and shorten construction cycles, which is conducive to improving land use efficiency. Nevertheless, the policy reduces the land transfer income, tax revenue, and general public budget revenue of county governments, weakening public service provision. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that major grain-producing counties are more severely affected by negative policy shocks than non-major ones. This study provides empirical evidence for optimizing the land use regulation system and offers policy implications for coordinating food security and balanced regional development through horizontal interest compensation in major grain-producing regions.

This study provided county-level empirical evidence on how rural land institutional reform affected the urban–rural income gap, and offered policy implications for advancing rural revitalization and common prosperity. Utilizing panel data for 1380 counties in China from 2010 to 2020, this study treated the Market-Oriented Reform of Rural Collective Operational Construction Land in China (the Reform) as a quasi-natural experiment and used a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) model as a quantitative approach to empirically examine the effect and underlying mechanisms of the Reform on the urban–rural income gap. The results indicated that: (1) The Reform significantly narrowed the urban–rural income gap and passed a set of robustness checks, with an average reduction of approximately 17.41%. (2) The Reform reduced the urban-rural income gap through multiple pathways, including “land supply expansion–value realization and appreciation”, “industrial structure upgrading–labor reallocation” and “efficient capital flows–infrastructure improvement”. (3) The narrowing effect of reform was more pronounced in eastern and western counties, counties with higher proportions of mountainous areas, and non-resource-dependent counties. (4) The Reform demonstrated diminishing marginal returns: the effect was larger in counties with wider initial urban–rural income gaps. In addition, more market-oriented land transfer methods were more conducive to land value realization. Accordingly, the government should advance the Reform prudently, adopt place-based implementation, promote two-way factor mobility, and improve benefit-sharing and regulatory mechanisms to sustain policy gains.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of real estate enterprises’ land acquisition strategies on its debt default risk in China. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the land acquisition strategies of real estate enterprises listed in the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets of China are examined, covering the period from 2010 to 2023. The effects of land acquisition scale, region and method on debt default risk are explored using a fixed effects model. Findings The findings reveal that regional focus and acquisition method mitigate debt default risk, although economic policy uncertainty can weaken or even reverse this protective effect. Land acquisition scale exacerbates default risk, with economic policy uncertainty amplifying this negative impact. Originality/value This study provides decision-making guidance for the optimization of land acquisition strategies by real estate firms and land supply strategies by Chinese government authorities.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from anthropogenic activities are causing an increase in global average temperatures and climate change. Buildings and construction contribute significantly to global climate change, accounting for about 21 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, including the higher education sector. Therefore, universities play a role in achieving the Net Zero Emission 2060 target to reduce carbon emissions on campus so that it requires energy efficiency efforts on energy consumption and the provision of green land in carbon sequestration. This study aims to analyze (1) energy consumption and EUI with various scenarios, (2) carbon footprint with various scenarios, (3) the value of carbon sequestration by trees and carbon balance with various scenarios. It was found that the laboratory building produced the highest electrical energy consumption with an average of 6,916.94 kWh/month. The highest EUI was obtained by laboratory building D12 and has efficient criteria, which is 10.08 kWh/m2/month. The energy-saving scenario shows that all buildings have very efficient criteria. The carbon footprint in existing conditions, wasteful and efficient scenarios respectively amounted to 52,680 kgCO2eq and has the potential to increase to 71,269.76 kgCO2eq and decrease to 39,715.93 kgCO2eq. Vegetation in the form of existing trees in the area has an absorption capacity of 1,067,414.24 kgCO2eq so that trees are able to absorb all CO2 emissions produced so that the carbon balance produces a negative value.

Financing constraints, land supply constraints, and firms' total factor productivity: evidence from farmland protection policies

This study investigates the impact mechanism of distorted land supply structures on green economic efficiency in Chinese cities, with a particular focus on the mediating and moderating role of the real estate market. Innovatively, the study constructs a comprehensive index to measure land supply structure distortion and employs spatial econometric methods for empirical analysis using panel data from 285 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2010 to 2022. The findings reveal that: (1) distortions in land supply structure significantly hinder the improvement of urban green economic efficiency (GEE); (2) this inhibitory effect exhibits a significant spatial spillover effect; (3) housing prices play a notable mediating and moderating role in the relationship between land supply structure distortion and green economic efficiency; (4) the impact mechanisms demonstrate significant regional heterogeneity. These findings offer important policy implications for optimizing urban land supply structures and promoting green economic development.

Drawing on evidence from China’s land market, this study systematically investigates the impact of land misallocation on economic resilience and reveals the underlying mechanism that operates by suppressing technological advancement. A theoretical model of economic resilience is developed, incorporating technology and factor allocation. Empirical analysis is conducted using a panel dataset of 95 Chinese cities (2012–2024) through spatial econometric and mediation models. The findings indicate that land misallocation significantly reduces local economic resilience and exhibits negative spatial spillover effects. The core mechanism is identified as follows: subsidies via low-priced industrial land delay the market exit of low-efficiency firms, hindering the reallocation of production factors to more productive sectors. This suppression of technological progress ultimately weakens a region’s capacity to withstand external shocks. Based on the findings, policy implications include optimizing land supply structure, accelerating fiscal system reform, and strengthening policy coordination.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the property markets in two global cities, Singapore and Hong Kong SAR (Hong Kong). This paper presents stylized facts about their respective housing markets, examines their experiences with macroprudential policies and related regulatory policies, such as stamp duties, and investigate how these policies affect house prices and price synchronicity. Design/methodology/approach Panel regression with regional variations for the two economies. Findings Panel regression results reveal that loan-to-value limits and additional buyer’s stamp duty can help insulate domestic property prices from global prices in Singapore but cannot directly dampen house price growth. While loan-to-value limits and stamp duty do not decouple house price synchronicity in Hong Kong, these policies contain domestic house price growth. Empirical evidence also suggests that land supply seems effective in stabilizing house price growth in Singapore, but it tends to accentuate the property cycle in Hong Kong. Originality/value While there are a few studies on the impact of macroprudential policies on property prices and transactions in the contexts of Singapore and Hong Kong, none have examined specifically house price synchronization. This paper focuses on Singapore and Hong Kong and models the effects of macroprudential policies and stamp-duty-based fiscal measures in reducing the house price synchronicity as well as their direct effects on residential property prices in two cities separately.

Governments utilize public-private partnerships (PPPs) to effectively offer public goods and services, especially in conditions of restricted financial resources. They consist of mutual agreements where there is conditionally needed participation of both the private and public sectors. The private sector‘s contribution includes financial support, risk allocation, asset management, innovation, and advanced employee skills, while the public sector’s contribution includes financial support, land provision, legal framework, technical expertise, etc. The early origin of PPPs dates back to ancient times when private entities were involved in constructing infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, and public facilities. The concept continued to evolve and expand during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s and early 1800s, a period that required significant investments in infrastructure and transportation. Their importance is widely known for their impact on improving infrastructure and other public goods and services, as well as boosting investments, creating job opportunities, and saving costs, therefore contributing to the economic growth and sustainable development of a country. With the globalization process, PPPs have been increasingly used in sectors such as transportation, energy, healthcare, digital infrastructure, and education, both in developed and developing countries. Albania has used PPPs in different projects as a developing country, especially in infrastructure. The first step of this process was the Concessions Law in 2006, continuing with its revision in 2013 (Law no. 125/2013 “For Concessions and Public – Private Partnerships”). Since then, the Albanian government has utilized PPPs to address infrastructure, energy, water supply, and treatment needs, which also have benefits for the country's economic development. This study aims to evaluate the impact of Public-Private Partnerships on Albania’s economic growth, proxied by GDP. Based on secondary data for 2016-2023, both correlational and regression analyses are used for hypothesis testing. The study shows that PPPs positively impact the GDP of the country. This conclusion provides an essential insight for the broader literature, demonstrating that even with a limited budget and an emerging economy, a developing country can benefit from the development and implementation of PPP projects.

ABSTRACT Despite the consensus on the importance of urban policy stability, the negative impacts of frequent policy changes on urban development have seldom been accurately estimated. This study aims to fill this gap by empirically analyzing the effects of changes in targeted areas of place‐based policies on urban productivity and explores the underlying mechanisms. We evaluate these policy changes by analyzing shifts in the spatial distribution of city governments′ industrial land supply, utilizing a data set comprising 319,276 industrial land parcels in 285 Chinese cities between 2008 and 2016. The findings reveal that frequent changes in targeted areas of place‐based policies, driven by local governments' political incentives, suppress innovation, leading to declines in technological progress and total factor productivity (TFP). The decomposition analysis reveals that the negative impact is primarily due to excessive changes, particularly the creation of “short‐lived” industrial zones. While these frequent policy changes have improved government officials' promotion prospects and have not immediately harmed short‐term GDP growth (as factor inputs increase), the resulting decline in TFP threatens the sustainability of long‐term economic growth.

This study analyzes the legal structure of planning gain generated by amendments to urban plans and the public contribution mechanisms designed to recapture such gains, with a particular focus on the framework of the National Land Planning and Utilization Act of Korea. Planning gain is understood not as a result of private investment or entrepreneurial risk borne by landowners or developers, but as a passive economic benefit arising from administrative decisions to establish or modify binding urban plans. On this basis, the legitimacy of recapturing planning gain for public purposes is recognized. However, conceptualizing planning gain as a form of development gain subject to the Development Gain Recapture Act risks blurring the boundary between distinct legal regimes and may give rise to concerns of overlapping financial burdens. Accordingly, this study argues that planning gain should be established as an independent and supplementary doctrinal concept, distinct from statutory development gains. Public contribution is examined as a comprehensive set of institutional mechanisms linking planning gain to public interests. A distinction is drawn between public contribution in a broad sense and public contribution in a narrow sense governed by Article 52-2 of the Act. In the latter case, the provision of land or installation of public facilities within the limit of land value increase—measured by appraisal differences before and after plan amendments—constitutes the principle method of contribution, while monetary payment is permitted only as a supplementary and exceptional alternative when public facilities are deemed sufficient. Such payments should not be regarded as general charges or levies, but rather as substitute forms of in-kind performance. Furthermore, contributions in the form of donation are classified according to their functional relationship with planning gain. This study categorizes public contribution under the Act into eight distinct types based on patterns of planning gain generation. Types 1 through 5—such as zoning changes through district unit plans, amendments to urban and district facility designations, and spatial innovation zones under spatial restructuring plans—share common features including a hybrid structure of statutory obligation and pre-negotiation, valuation based on land value increases, and a principle of in-kind contribution supplemented by monetary payment. Types 6 through 8—such as regulatory relaxation within existing zoning districts or district unit plan areas—are characterized primarily by pre-negotiation mechanisms and land-area-based calculation methods. This typology clarifies the structural diversity embedded within the single term “public contribution” in terms of legal basis, procedure, calculation, and implementation methods. Finally, this study aims to deepen the understanding of planning gain and public contribution and to provide a macro-level, systematic overview of the various forms of public contribution under the National Land Planning and Utilization Act.

The paper considers the resettlement policy of the Russian Empire in the Pechora Uyezd of the Arkhangelsk Province during the late XIX - early XX centuries in the context of the agrarian crisis and the development of capitalist relations in the northern village. Specific characteristics of the Uyezd are described. The evolution of state policy from administrative restrictions to stimulating migrations through changes in the legal framework providing for the provision of state land, subsidies and benefits to migrants is traced. The systemic reasons for the inefficiency of the resettlement policy in the territory of the Uyezd are identified: natural and climatic barriers (short growing season, remoteness from the centers of economic activity), bureaucratic obstacles (difficulty for peasants in obtaining permits for resettlement, the fight against unauthorized resettlement), low competence of government bodies due to the lack of systemic research of the territory and incomplete consideration of regional specifics.

The objective of this study is to ascertain the nature of industrial partnerships in palm oil development in Lawonua Village. The informants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, resulting in a total of 22 informants consisting of six farmer group administrators, six farmer group members, four local farmers, two migrant farmers, two village officials (the village head and the village secretary), and two company staff. The data for this study was collected through a combination of documentation review and interviews with trained interview guides. The focal point of this study encompassed the various forms of industrial partnerships and the development of palm oil. The data analysis activities encompassed data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results of the study demonstrate that the core-plasma and general trade forms of partnership in palm oil development in Lawonua Village play a strategic role in strengthening farmers' access to land provision, production facilities, technical guidance, and market guarantees. The efficacy of palm oil development, as evidenced by the augmentation in productivity and effectiveness of palm oil farmers, has been demonstrated to be contingent upon the provision of inputs such as high-quality seeds and fertilizers, in conjunction with cultivation activities including planting, maintenance, and harvesting. The integration of the nucleus-plasma and general trading forms of partnership has resulted in a complementary collaboration model that supports the sustainability of palm oil farming.

The article is devoted to the analysis of legal mechanisms and management practices governing the transfer of land plots from state and municipal ownership to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The relevance of the study is due to the need to increase the effectiveness of property support for SMEs as a key factor in regional development. The purpose of the work is to identify systemic legal barriers and substantiate the optimal model of land provision based on a comprehensive analysis of legislation. As a result of the study, it was found that the existing legal instruments, in particular, the mechanism of preferential purchase of leased property, does not work in the absence of additional management measures by the authorities to include land in special lists. The main conclusion is that the key problem is not a defect in legal regulation, but its implementation in practice. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the systematic comparison of the declared goals of SME support and the real administrative priorities of the authorities. In conclusion, specific measures are proposed to increase accountability and transparency in this area.

Real estate inventory dynamics exhibit distinct temporal patterns and spatial heterogeneity, and precise identification of these trends serves as a prerequisite for effective policy formulation. Research on the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and influencing factors of real estate inventory holds significant academic and practical value. By employing ESDA, the Boston Matrix, and geographically weighted regression models to analyze 2017–2022 data from 287 Chinese cities, this study reveals a cyclical shift in China’s real estate inventory management—from “destocking” to “restocking”. The underlying drivers have transitioned from policy-led interventions to fundamentals-driven factors, including population dynamics, income levels, and market expectations. China’s real estate inventory and its changes exhibit significant spatiotemporal differentiation and spatial agglomeration patterns, demonstrating a spatial structure characterized by “multiple clustered highlands with peripheral lowlands” led by urban agglomerations. The influencing mechanism of China’s real estate inventory constitutes a complex system shaped by three key dimensions: macro-level drivers, regional differentiation, and structural contradictions. Policymakers should reorient destocking policies from “short-term stimulus” to “long-term coordination”, from “industrial policy” to “spatial policy”, and from addressing market “symptoms” to tackling “root causes”. This study argues that effective destocking policies constitute a systematic engineering challenge, demanding policymakers demonstrate profound analytical depth. They must move beyond simplistic sales metrics and perform multi-dimensional evaluations encompassing economic geography, demographic trends, fiscal systems, and land supply mechanisms. This paradigm shift from “symptom management” to “root cause resolution” and “systemic regulation” is essential for achieving sustainable real estate market development.

Optimizing resource allocation is crucial for enhancing Total Factor Productivity (TFP). This study investigates the impact of differentiated industrial land supply (DILS) on industrial Total Factor Productivity (ITFP), a topic essential for optimizing territorial spatial layouts and promoting high-quality industrial development. Using panel data from 282 Chinese cities (2007–2021) and a Spatial Durbin Model (SDM), we analyze the spatiotemporal effects of this factor. The results indicate a weakening trend in DILS over time, with a spatial pattern of lower intensity in the east and higher intensity in the west, while ITFP shows an upward trend, with higher levels in the east. Nationally, increased DILS impedes ITFP growth, a finding with robust implications for alternative approaches. This impact demonstrates significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity: at the macro-scale, eastern China shows an inverted U-shape, while the central and western regions exhibit negative impacts. At the meso-scale, the Yangtze River Economic Belt shows negative effects, while the Yellow River Basin displays an inverted U-shape. At the micro-scale, major city clusters show varied relationships (inverted U-shaped, positive, or negative). We conclude that DILS generally hinders ITFP, with effects intensifying and varying significantly across narrowing spatial scales, underscoring the need for region-specific land policies to support high-quality industrial development. This study enriches our theoretical understanding of how resource allocation affects ITFP and provides practical guidance for optimizing industrial land use.

Rising residential land prices push up housing prices and worsen credit misallocation. These patterns emerge amid cyclical real estate fluctuations and heavy land-based public finance. Such pressures undermine macroeconomic stability and sustainable land-use. The land price circuit breaker is widely applied with a price cap and state dependence, yet its trigger mechanism and interaction with inflation targeting remain underexplored. This study addresses three core questions. First, how does the circuit breaker’s discrete trigger and rule-switching logic differ from traditional static price ceilings? Second, can the mechanism, via the collateral channel, restrain excessive land price hikes, improve credit allocation, and, thereby, stabilize land price dynamics and long-run macroeconomic performance? Third, how does the circuit breaker interact with inflation targeting, and through which endogenous channels does a strict target dampen housing prices and raise activation probability? This study develops a multi-sector DSGE model with an embedded land price circuit breaker. The price cap is modeled as an occasionally binding constraint. A dynamic price band and trigger indicator capture the policy’s switch between slack and binding states. The framework incorporates interactions among local governments, the central bank, developers, and households. It also links firms and the secondary housing market. Under different inflation-targeting rules, this study uses impulse responses, an event study, and welfare analysis to assess trigger conditions and macroeconomic effects. The findings are threefold. First, a strict inflation target increases the probability of a circuit breaker being triggered. It channels housing-demand shocks toward land prices and creates a “nominal anchor–relative price constraint” linkage. Second, once activated, the circuit breaker narrows the gap between land price and house-price growth. It weakens the procyclicality of collateral values. It also restrains credit expansion by impatient households. These effects redirect credit toward firms, improve corporate financing, reduce the decline in investment, and accelerate output recovery. Third, the circuit breaker limits new land supply and shifts demand toward the secondary housing market. This generates a supply-side effect that releases existing stock and stabilizes prices, thereby weakening the amplification mechanism of housing cycles. This study identifies the endogenous trigger logic and cross-market transmission of the land price circuit breaker under a strict inflation target. It shows that the mechanism is not merely a price-management tool in the land market but a systemic policy variable that links the real estate, finance, and fiscal sectors. By dampening real estate procyclicality, improving credit allocation, and stabilizing macroeconomic fluctuations, the mechanism offers new insights for sustainable land-use policy and macroeconomic stabilization.