关键词: 长江经济带, DEA, 城乡一体化, 能源效率, 混合地理加权回归, 空间分布特征, 空间相关性, 空间效应分析

Abstract:

As a new driver of economic growth, urban-rural integration is a key way to build an efficient energy economic system and balance economic and social development with ecological environmental protection. Analyzing the effect of urban-rural integration on energy efficiency is important to promote sustainable economic and social development. In this paper, we took the provinces of the Yangtze River Economic Belt as the research object. We used the DEA values to measure the energy efficiency and analyzed its differentiation characteristics over time and space. The level of urban-rural integration was evaluated by a comprehensive index system of economy, society, and infrastructure. Based on these, Moran's I index was used to determine the spatial correlation of energy efficiency, urban-rural integration level, and other influencing factors. Finally, the urban-rural integration and three control variables were estimated by mixed geographically weighted regression to analyze the spatial effect. Based on spatial correlation analysis, the urban-rural integration level of the Yangtze River Economic Belt had a positive effect on energy efficiency. Economy development level and industrial structure also had positive impacts on energy efficiency. However, technological progress was negatively correlated with energy efficiency. Based on estimated regression coefficients, the impact of urban-rural integration on energy efficiency was smaller than technological progress and industrial structure, and economic development level had the least impact on energy efficiency. The positive impact of urban-rural integration level on energy efficiency showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the increasing of energy efficiency, and an spatial pattern of increasing from east to west. The energy efficiency of the Yangtze River Economic Belt presented significant spatial correlation and spatial heterogeneity. Our study demonstrates a significantly increasing energy efficiency result from the process of urban-rural integration in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Key words: Yangtze River Economic Belt, DEA, urban-rural integration, energy efficiency, mixed geographically weighted regression, spatial distribution characteristic, spatial correlation, spatial effect analysis