Measurement and spatial correlation analysis of high-quality development Level: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration in China.

Against the backdrop of slowing economic growth and increasing environmental pressure, the Yangtze River Delta city cluster, as one of the largest city clusters in the world, has become more driven in its pursuit of high-quality development. We constructed a system of 24 evaluation indexes and used entropy-weighted TOPSIS to calculate and study the high-quality development index of urban agglomerations in the region. First, the level of high quality development (HQD) of the Yangtze River Delta city cluster generally improved from 2010 to 2021, with 2017 was the best year, while 2010 was the worst year. Second, in the multidimensional evaluation of HQD, Jiangsu excels in innovation and people's livelihood with 0.524 and 0.534, respectively; Shanghai (0.531) excels in coordinated development; Zhejiang excels in green and economic development with 0.557 and 0.484, respectively; and Anhui lags behind in all aspects. Third, the development process of HQD in the Yangtze River Delta region is uneven, and the level of HQD development varies greatly among the city clusters in the province. The measurement results show that Shanghai (0.511) has the highest score, followed by Zhejiang (0.484), Jiangsu (0.440) and Anhui (0.435). Fourth, spatial correlation analysis shows that Shanghai and Jiangsu are mainly distributed in the double-high region, Zhejiang is distributed in the high-low region, while Anhui is concentrated in the low-low region. The results of this study help us understand more deeply the characteristics and challenges of high-quality development in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations and provide a scientific basis for more precise urban development policies.

Digital economy and high-quality development of the healthcare industry.

The high-quality development of the healthcare industry is of great significance for improving people's health and promoting the construction of a harmonious society. This paper focuses on the relationship between the development of China's digital economy and the high-quality development of the healthcare industry. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, this paper empirically studies whether the development of the digital economy promotes the high-quality development of the healthcare industry. This study finds that the development of digital economy has significantly promoted the high-quality development of the medical and health industry. The results of this study are still valid after a series of robustness tests including variable substitution, sample adjustment, and endogenous problem mitigation. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect of this policy is more significant in the eastern region and southern areas. The results of spatial econometric analysis show that the development of digital economy has obvious spatial spillover effect. The research in this paper can provide reference for developing countries to enhance the development level of digital health industry and improve people's lives.

How Does the Digital Economy Drive High-Quality Regional Development? New Evidence From China.

The digital economy, which boasts general technology, intense penetration, platform ecology, and low marginal cost, is a product of advanced digital technology. This new engine has become a driving force for high-quality economic development. From the three aspects of development momentum, efficiency, and structure, this paper profoundly explores internal mechanisms to lead the high-quality growth of the regional economy. By constructing an econometric model, the influence effect and means of the digital economy on the high-quality development of the regional economy are empirically tested. The digital economy and its three sub-dimensions can significantly promote the high-quality development of the regional economy. However, industrial digitalization has the most vital role in promoting it. The digital economy has shown a more vital promotion role in the central and western regions and provinces with low total factor productivity, and it can indirectly impact high-quality economic development by promoting dynamic, efficient, and structural changes.

Mapping the virtual water trade in water-scarce basin: an environmentally extended input-output analysis in the Yellow River Basin of China.

China's Yellow River, the nation's second-longest, grapples with severe water scarcity, impeding the high-quality development of its basin. Our study meticulously examines the intricate virtual water trade network inside and outside the basin, providing essential insights to combat its acute water scarcity. We calculated water consumption coefficients for seven pivotal sectors across diverse Chinese provinces, forming the foundational data for quantifying virtual water trade both inside and outside the basin. Utilizing the 2015 Multi-Regional Input-Output Table, we assessed the Yellow River Basin's reliance on external water resources. Despite enduring chronic water scarcity, the basin annually exports a substantial 27.2 billion m3 of virtual water, equivalent to half of its yearly runoff. This outflow predominantly flows to the economically advanced eastern coastal region, with Agriculture and Manufacturing sectors dominating. Significantly, an irrational industrial layout leads to a substantial transfer of virtual water from economically disadvantaged areas to more affluent regions, exacerbating water scarcity in the basin's less privileged areas. Our study yields critical insights for mitigating water shortages in the Yellow River Basin and provides a transferrable framework for regions worldwide grappling with analogous challenges.

Coupling coordination and spatio-temporal pattern evolution between ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.

The Yellow River Basin is one of the most important economic development belt and ecological management regions in China, it is of vital importance to study the coupling coordination between ecological protection and high-quality development. However, the systematic research from the perspective of ecological-production-living is still lacking. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation index system including 29 indicators is constructed from ecological, production and living dimension. To evaluate the high-quality development level and coupling coordination degree of 61 cities in the Yellow River Basin, a comprehensive measurement model and coupling coordination model are established using the entropy weight TOPSIS method. With the help of ArcGIS, the spatial characteristics of high-quality development level and coupling coordination are visually illustrated. The results showed that: (1) From 2011 to 2020, the high-quality development of 61cities in the Yellow River Basin showed an increasing trend, and the level of upper and lower reaches was higher than that of the middle reaches. (2) According to the high-quality development level of 61 cities, it was divided into three types: sustainable growth type with 44 cities, the fierce fluctuation type with 11 cities and the other 6 cities was stable type. (3) The coupling coordination degree of ecology, production and living system also showed an increasing trend, while the degree was not high. (4)About the year-on-year growth rate of coupling coordination degree for 61 cities in 2020 compared with 2011, there are 19 cities more than 30 %, and 23 cities between 20% and 30 %, 11cities was 10%-20 %, the other 8 cities was less than 10 %. (5) There is a significant spatial difference in the level of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, while coupling coordination degree does not significant in spatial layout. Therefore, the development of different regions should adjust measures to local conditions, give full play to their advantages, and make up for their shortcomings to promote the overall development of the city.

Does the implementation of green finance regulation promote the high-quality development of enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China.

The improvement of enterprise total factor productivity and labor productivity is the micro-embodiment of high-quality economic development. Green finance relies on the dual functions of resource allocation and environmental regulation to guide enterprises to adjust their mode of operation through incentive and restraint mechanisms, attach importance to energy conservation and environmental protection, and guide enterprises to develop with high quality. Taking the construction of the green financial supervision system in 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment, we constructed a difference-in-difference model to investigate the impact and mechanism of green finance on the high-quality development of enterprises, based on the panel data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2006 to 2020. The results show that the implementation of green finance effectively promotes the high-quality development of enterprises. This promotion effect is heterogeneous from perspectives of enterprise-specific characteristics, executive education background, and environmental regulation intensity. The influence mechanisms mainly rely on tightening financial constraints, upgrading the level of green technology innovation, and improving the quality of internal control. These findings provide an important decision-making reference for better implementing green finance policies and promoting high-quality economic development under the green and low-carbon concept and carbon peak carbon neutrality goals.

Does environmental governance matter to the relationship between digital transformation and high-quality development? Evidence from manufacturing sector in China.

Environmental governance has emerged as a crucial tactic to support the sustainable development of human civilization in light of the serious environmental issues. Meanwhile, during the process of promoting the high-quality development of China's economy, digital transformation plays a significant role in improving the total factor productivity of the manufacturing sector. We seek to find out whether urban environmental governance has an impact on micro-enterprises, and therefore, the study selects the data of A-share listed manufacturing companies from 2012 to 2020 to study the effect of digital transformation on the total factor productivity of the manufacturing industry and how the effect of environmental governance affects the relationship between digital transformation and total factor productivity. The results unveil that digital transformation can significantly contribute to the total factor productivity of the manufacturing industry. At the same time, digital transformation can promote the high-quality development of enterprises by promoting the fulfillment of corporate social responsibility. Additionally, it is shown that poor environmental governance will weaken the promoting effect of digital transformation on total factor productivity. Furthermore, in state-owned companies and non-heavy polluting industries, environmental governance has a more significant moderating influence on digital transformation and total factor productivity. This study enriches the literature on urban environmental governance and micro-enterprise development, and they support the notion that, from the standpoints of environmental protection and economic development, the level of environmental governance should be continuously optimized and the development of ecological civilization should be strengthened.

[Simulation of Pollution Apportionment and Optimization of Control Methods in Watershed Scale: A Case Study of the Shun'an Watershed in Tongling City].

The protection of the Yangtze River is an important national strategy in China, but it faces many problems such as difficult water environment protection, unclear pollution sources, and low integration of measures. Aimed at addressing watershed scale multi-source pollution together with facing the bottleneck method, by combining research data analysis, mechanism model, and intelligent algorithm optimization, this study built the framework for accurate pollution apportionment, measures evaluation, and overall measure optimization. Shun'an watershed in Tongling City of Anhui Province was set as an example for the application. The results showed that the new method could accurately quantify the impacts of planting industry, rural life, livestock and poultry breeding, aquaculture, industrial sewage, and domestic sewage in the watershed and evaluate the overall effects of various measures. The multi-objective optimization algorithm provided a cooperative multi-source pollution control scheme with higher cost performance and better environmental benefit by comparing the cost effectiveness of various schemes systematically. The optimization scheme showed that total nitrogen could be reduced by 1274.24 t·a-1 in wet years, 855.24 t·a-1 in normal years, and 381.96 t·a-1 in dry years. Total phosphorus was reduced by 321.42 t·a-1 in wet years, 159.80 t·a-1 in normal years, and 42.93 t·a-1 in dry years, such that the water quality reached the surface class Ⅲ water quality standard. These research results can be extended to other watersheds and provide a method reference for water environment protection under the background of the high-quality development of watersheds.

How can digital finance boost enterprises' high-quality development?: evidence from China.

As a new industry derived from the traditional financial system and enhanced by emerging technologies, digital finance is significant in microenterprise development. Based on the 2011-2018 Digital Inclusive Finance Index of Peking University, we examine the mechanism-inventory optimization and incremental innovation. We use the data of small and medium-sized enterprises to reveal the effect of digital finance-mismatch correction and defect improvement. The study results show that digital financing significantly improves enterprises' high-quality development. Further research has revealed that digital finance can effectively correct scale, attribute, phase, and industry mismatches. Digital finance alleviates financing constraints, solves the expensive financing problem, and pushes enterprises to deleverage in the economic development process. However, digital finance is still limited for companies with high financing constraints and leverage. Moreover, financial regulation can significantly improve the economic performance of digital finance. The findings provide reliable empirical evidence and policy inspiration for promoting digital finance development, deepening the supply-side structural reform of finance, better serving the real economy, and achieving high-quality economic development.

China's pilot free trade zone and green high-quality development: an empirical study from the perspective of green finance.

Achieving the integration of green and economic development has become the key to promoting high-quality economic development in China. In the context of dual-cycle development, a higher level of opening up will be an important prerequisite for achieving this goal. This article uses panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2008 to 2020 as the research sample and takes the establishment of the Pilot Free Trade Zone (PFTZ) as a quasi-natural experiment. By constructing the Green Dual-Cycle High-Quality Development (GDHD) indicator system, taking green finance as the starting point, industrial structure adjustment and technological innovation ability as the perspective of differentiation. This article uses the difference-in-differences method and the intermediary effect model to explore the impact of PFTZ on regional green high-quality development. The study found that establishing PFTZ has significantly promoted regional green high-quality development, and this effect remains valid under multiple robustness tests. Further research has found that, under the advantages of green finance in PFTZ, regional industrial restructuring and the improvement of green innovation capabilities are the main ways to achieve this goal. This study provides a new development path for China's PFTZ to promote high-quality regional development better.

National innovative city and green technology progress: empirical evidence from China.

In this paper, a quasi-natural experiment of national innovative city pilot policy (NICPP) is carried out to investigate the impact of the NICPP on green technology innovation (GTI) and its intrinsic mechanism with the method of difference-in-differences. It is found that the NICPP significantly enhances GTI, and there is a certain lag and persistence in this effect. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the higher the administrative level and the more the geographical advantages of NICPP, the more obvious the driving effect of GTI. The mechanism test shows that the NICPP has an effect on the GTI through three channels: innovation factor input, agglomeration effect of science and technology talent, and entrepreneurial vitality empowerment. The findings of this study provide policy insights for further optimizing the construction of innovative cities and then promoting GTI development, ultimately realizing green dynamics transformation and high-quality development of China's economy.

Spatial differentiation and driving factors of the high-quality development of undertakings for the aged of China.

BACKGROUND: Promoting the high-quality development (HQD) of undertakings for the aged is an important action to proactively respond to the rapid population aging in China. This study analyzes spatial differentiation and driving factors of the HQD of China's undertakings for the aged. METHODS: Based on a quantitative indicator system consisting of old-age social security, elder care services, health care service and older adults' social participation, the HQD levels of 31 Chinese provincial administrative regions during 2013-2019 are measured by using the entropy weight method. Spatial panel regression models are used to analyze the impact of population aging, economic development and digital technology on the HQD of undertakings for the aged. RESULTS: The comprehensive level of the HQD slightly increased from 0.212 to 2013 to 0.220 in 2019, and the overall level was low. The HQD of the eastern region was the highest (0.292), followed by the western region (0.215), and the central region was the lowest (0.151). The high-high cluster type was mainly distributed in the eastern region; the low-low cluster type was mainly distributed in the western and central regions. Economic development and digital technology have significant positive effects while population aging has significant negative effects on the HQD of undertakings for the aged. CONCLUSION: There is a significantly spatial differentiation in the HQD of China's undertakings for the aged. In order to promote the HQD of undertakings for the aged, it is necessary to identify development gaps through making HQD evaluation and to focus on the indicators that are critical in maintaining sustainable economic development and to develop digital technology in order to get rid of those gaps.

[Nursery Services for Children Under 3 in Sichuan Province].

Objective: To study the current status of nursery services for children under 3 in Sichuan Province, to analyze the problems and causes, and to provide policy recommendations for the high-quality development of nursery services in Sichuan Province for children under the age of 3. Methods: Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, we analyzed the current status of nursery services in Sichuan Province and the problems encountered in the development of nursery services in Sichuan Province by collecting information on relevant government policies of Sichuan and the status quo of nursery services for children under 3 in the 21 cities/prefectures of Sichuan through policy research, interviews conducted at nursery service institutions, questionnaire surveys, and expert panel discussions. Results: The supply of nursery services, or nursery enrollment capacity, in Sichuan Province reached 3 nursery enrollment opportunities per thousand people, with the enrollment utilization rate reaching 48.2%. Among all the nursery service institutions in the province, 55.4% were concentrated in the Chengdu, Mianyang, and Meishan regions. There were 1667 pilot nursery service institutions providing government-subsidized affordable nursery services and supplying 72971 subsidized affordable enrollment opportunities, accounting for 28.7% of the total number of all nursery service institutions and 29.1% of their total enrollment. There were a total of 37995 nursery service professionals, including 28468 caregivers (including teachers), with an average of 6 employees per institution and 5 caregivers per institution. 49.6% of the nursery service institutions hired healthcare workers on a part-time basis and 11.3% of them did not have healthcare workers on their staffs. Conclusion: Nursery services for children under 3 years old have developed rapidly in Sichuan Province, but there are a number of problems, including uneven distribution of resources in different regions, inadequate supply of government-subsidized affordable nursery services, mismatch between supply and demand, insufficient utilization of services, lack of professionals, and insufficient driving force for sustainable development in the industry. We have suggested that actions be taken to improve the policy and regulatory system for nursery services, actively develop care facilites that are government-subsidized affordable services, integrated daycare service for all preschool children, and integrated medical and education facilites, provide support for home care, establish an information system for nursery services, optimize the professional training and development system, strengthen scientific research and international exchanges on nursery services, and comprehensively promote the high-quality development of nursery services and the construction of a childrearing-friendly environment in Sichuan Province.

Study on the fundraising of horizontal ecological compensation under efficiency and fairness: a case study of the Yellow River Basin in China.

How to raise the ecological compensation fund for the Yellow River Basin is one of the key difficulties for executing the ecological compensation mechanism and ensuring the high-quality development of the entire basin. This paper, which is based on systems theory, analyzes the social-economic-ecological compound system of the Yellow River Basin. It makes the point that the goals of human-water harmony, ecological compensation efficiency improvement, and coordinated regional development should be achieved in raising ecological compensation funds. Guided by the raising targets, a two-layer fundraising model based on efficiency and fairness is constructed for ecological compensation. The upper-level model is built to calculate the ecological compensation efficiency of each compensation subject from an input-output perspective. The initial fundraising scheme was further determined to implement the efficiency principle. Within the framework of sustainable development theory, the lower-level model adheres to the fairness principle based on efficiency. The social-economic development level of the compensation subject is considered to discriminate and optimize the initial scheme. Additionally, the two-layer model was utilized to conduct an empirical analysis with the data of the Yellow River Basin from 2013 to 2020. The results show that the optimized fundraising scheme is in line with the actual development level of the Yellow River Basin. This study can provide a reference for the fundraising of horizontal ecological compensation and promote the sustainable development of the whole basin.

The impact of investor sentiment on firms' green total factor productivity-facilitator or inhibitor?

Investor sentiment does not only have negative impacts. It may also improve green total factor productivity by invigorating funds. This research constructs a new indicator at the firm level to measure the green total factor productivity of firms. We research the effect of investor sentiment on firms' green total factor productivity using a sample of Chinese heavy polluters listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares between 2015 and 2019. Through a series of tests, the mediating role of agency costs and financial situations is confirmed. It is discovered that the digitization of businesses facilitates the effect of investor sentiment on the green total factor productivity of businesses. And when managerial competence reaches a certain threshold, the impact of investor sentiment on green total factor productivity is amplified. Tests for heterogeneity reveal that high investor sentiment has a larger impact on green total factor productivity in firms with superior supervision.

Behavioural strategies of manufacturing firms for high-quality development from the perspective of government participation: A three-part evolutionary game analysis.

The high-quality development of the manufacturing industry is not only a requirement of industrial transformation and upgrading but also an internal task for the sustainable development of manufacturing enterprises. The high-quality development of the manufacturing industry is a process of multi-participation and dynamic evolution. To understand the evolution of the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry, an evolutionary game model composed of local governments, leading enterprises, and following enterprises is constructed. The evolution process and the influence of internal factors such as innovation capability, organization construction and industry resources on the evolution and stability strategy are analysed. MATLAB software is used to perform numerical simulations. The results show that (1) there are two possible evolutionary stability strategy (ESS) models in the game, namely, {active supervision, positive participation, positive participation} and {active supervision, negative participation, negative participation}; (2) when the initial probabilities of leading and following enterprises are all at low levels, increasing any one of the local government's initial probability, innovation capability, organization construction and industry resources can promote tripartite evolution towards {active supervision, positive participation, positive participation}; and (3) the convergence rate of leading enterprises and following enterprises evolving towards a positive participation strategy will increase slightly with an increase in local government's initial probability, innovation capability, organization construction, and industry resources when both are at middle initial probability levels. The final policy suggestions can be used to help all parties choose the optimal strategy and to achieve the high-quality development target of the manufacturing industry as soon as possible.

Measurement and Coupling Coordination of High-Quality Development in Guangdong Province of China: A Spatiotemporal Analysis.

Regional high-quality coordination plays a crucial role in promoting high-quality national development. Guangdong province is a trailblazer in China's reform and opening-up policies and high-quality development. This study analyzes the high-quality development of the economic, social, and ecological environments from 2010 to 2019 in Guangdong with the entropy weight TOPSIS model. Meanwhile, the coupling coordination degree model is used to investigate the spatial-temporal pattern of the coupling and coordinated development of the three-dimensional system in 21 prefecture-level cities. The results show that the high-quality development index of Guangdong increased from 0.32 to 0.39, a 21.9% increase during 2010-2019. The Pearl River Delta had the highest value of the high-quality development index, whereas Western Guangdong had the lowest level in 2019. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Dongguan are the core cities in the high-quality development of Guangdong, with the index decreasing from the Pearl River Delta estuary cities to the province's edge. We also found that the coupling degree and coupling coordination of high-quality development of the three-dimensional system grew slowly during the study period. Half of the cities in Guangdong entered the stage of benign coupling. Except for Zhaoqing, all cities in the Pearl River Delta have a high coupling coordination degree of high-quality development of the three-dimensional system. This study provides valuable references for the high-quality, coordinated development of Guangdong province and some policy suggestions for other regions.

The environmental effects of digital economy: evidence from province-level empirical data in China.

The environment is the foundation for human existence, and the digital economy has exacerbated the impact of human beings on the environment. Based on data of 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, we used the spatial Durbin model to research the impact of the digital economy on the environment and its spatiotemporal characteristics. We found that the digital economy has a significant positive impact on the environmental effects of the region, and also has a positive spatial overflow. This conclusion still holds after robustness test and endogenous treatment (changing the space weight matrix, applying the instrumental variables, and two-stage least-squares method). Second, we found that environmental effects of the digital economy have a time lag, and the lag decreases gradually over time. Third, we used geographically and temporally weighted regression model and K-means clustering, which shows that digital economy has a strong effect on the environment in western region. The western region may need to increase digital infrastructure construction to achieve better environmental effects. In addition, China needs to upgrade its industrial structure as soon as possible, accelerate technological innovation, and advocate a green lifestyle, so as to realize the coordinated development of human beings and nature.

Construction and Simulation of High-Quality Development of China's Resource-Based Cities Driven by Innovation Based on System Dynamics.

Innovation is the primary driving force for development; the high-quality development of resource-based cities is ultimately driven by innovation. We constructed an innovation-driven high-quality development system for resource-based cities, including resource, economic, social, and environmental subsystems; according to the interaction between the internal elements of each subsystem, a dynamic model of the innovation-driven high-quality development system of resource-based cities was established, and we selected policy adjustment variables to simulate six policy scenarios. Thus, we simulated high-quality development trends from 2008 to 2035. The results indicate that the policy scenario of increasing innovation investment can promote high-quality development; the policy of increasing innovation investment has a significant effect on economic growth, while it damages the urban ecological environment, and the ideal policy scenario is the environmental priority mode, which appropriately increases innovation investment and reasonably allocates it within the system.