The sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is regarded as a national strategy for China. Previous literature has focused on the green efficiency measurement of YRB, ignoring its evolution process and influential mechanism. This paper tries to disclose the spatial-temporal evolution of green efficiency and its influential mechanism of the YRB region by proposing a novel integrated DEA-Tobit model to fill the gap. Based on the development path of the YRB region, the multi-period two-stage DEA model is adopted to evaluate the green development efficiency (GDE) from provincial and urban dimensions. In addition, the panel Tobit model is developed to investigate the influential factors of the GDE for the YRB region. The GDE in the YRB region shows an unbalanced state where the downstream is best, followed by the middle and upstream. The unbalanced development also exists within the province. Both Henan and Shandong Province achieved the optimal value, while cities in these two provinces show lower green efficiency. The results also show that economic development, technological innovation and foreign capital utilization obviously affect the GDE of the YRB region positively, while industrial structure, urbanization levels and environmental regulation have negative effects.

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Green procurement, as a crucial green supply chain practice, contributes to sustainability achievement and reduces carbon emissions by selecting sustainable suppliers or outsourcing partners. The green procurement of household appliance manufacturing can reduce carbon emissions from the source and increase the competitiveness of products. To help better understand the driving powers and influential mechanism of green purchasing behavior for household appliance manufacturers, the green procurement mechanism is investigated by presenting an empirical study considering both endogenous and exogenous factors. A survey-based questionnaire is designed, and a semistructured interview is conducted for data collection. Besides, the structural equation model (SEM) approach is employed to test the supposed hypotheses and proposed assumptions based on the collected 529 questionnaire responses. The empirical results show that exogenous driving powers are more inclined to encourage household appliance manufacturers to perform green procurement strategy compared with endogenous factors. Additionally, the business strategy, governmental regulations, and customer awareness show greater influence on green purchasing behavior, while the corporate culture, production system, and suppliers have little impact. Taxation policies, environmental awareness, and green strategies are the three main driving factors for promoting green procurement from the governmental, individual, and organizational dimensions. This empirical study assists to investigate potential factors affecting green purchasing behavior and helps to disclose the influential mechanisms from a systematic viewpoint. Results derived from the empirical analysis could assist to achieve sustainability by better understanding green purchasing behavior and better promoting green procurement strategies.