City Centrality, Migrants and Green Inovation Efficiency: Evidence from 106 Cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China

Abstract

Based on the panel data of 106 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China from 2007 to 2016, this paper explores the impact of city centrality on the green innovation efficiency and proves the mediation effect of migrants by using spatial econometric model. The results show that there are more and more innovation contacts between cities, and the innovation network is becoming more and more dense. The core cities of the downstream innovation network are mainly Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Wuxi, Changzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou; the core cities in the midstream are mainly Wuhan, Changsha and Yichun; the core cities in the upstream are Chengdu and Bazhong. There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between city centrality and green innovation efficiency. In addition, the influence curve of city centrality on the green innovation efficiency of surrounding cities is also inverted U-shaped. Cities with high city centrality attract a large number of migrants that come from cities with lower centrality to improve the green innovation efficiency, but the green innovation efficiency of cities with low city centrality will decline due to lack of talents. innovation increasingly implies long-term and far-reaching changes in technology, infrastructure, lifestyles and institutions. With the rapid growth of the world's population, living space has been dramatically reduced, and traditional production, manufacturing and business models largely cannot keep up with the pace of economic development. Natural resources are increasingly scarce, and environmental damage is becoming increasingly serious [3]. To reduce environmental pollution and energy consumption, countries are paying growing attention to green technology innovation to achieve the maximum economic and ecological benefits with the lowest levels of consumption and pollution [4]. Chen et al. define green innovation as "hardware or software innovation related to green products or processes, which include technological innovation related to energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste recycling and green product design [5]." Innovation is the fundamental driving force for promoting economic and social development, and green technology innovation is the key driving force for achieving low-carbon economic development and improving the efficiency of natural resources [6]. China has always placed innovation in an important position in the overall development of the country. Relevant data show that the number of R&D personnel in China increased from 304,000 in 2008 to 462,000 in 2017. Internal R&D expenditures over the same period increased from 68.79 billion yuan to 243.57 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 15.08%. Bai [7], however, notes that increasing R&D is a necessary condition for building an innovative country; the focus should be not only on the amount of R&D investment but also on the efficiency of innovation, it is equally salient for developing countries with low levels of science and technology. Green innovation efficiency is a comprehensive effic...

Government R&D Subsidies, Environmental Regulations, and Their Effect on Green Innovation Efficiency of Manufacturing Industry: Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China

“…Therefore, it is necessary to include spatial factor as one of the influencing factors of MGIE. In fact, there exist more and more innovation contacts between provinces, and the innovation network is becoming increasingly intensified [53]. On the other hand, it should be noted that the selection of indicators plays a key role in the conclusions.…”

Measurement and Convergence Analysis of Inclusive Green Growth in the Yangtze River Economic Belt Cities

“…This conclusion is similar to the view on improving the efficiency of green innovation. Cities with higher centrality can attract a large number of immigrants from cities with lower centrality and improve the efficiency of green innovation [30]. However, the efficiency of green innovation in cities with lower centrality will decline due to the lack of talent.…”

“…Wang et al explored the impact of urban center status on green innovation efficiency based on panel data of 106 cities in the YREB. They considered that urban center and green innovation efficiency had an inverted-U-shaped relationship [30]. The impact curve of green innovation efficiency is also inverted-U-shaped, and cities with high urban centrality attract a large number of migrants from cities with low centrality.…”

Research on the Spatio-Temporal Dynamic Evolution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Electrical Power Consumption in Three Urban Agglomerations of Yangtze River Economic Belt, China Based on DMSP/OLS Night Light Data

“…Based on YREB's special importance status, the current academic circles have carried out a lot of research work on YREB, and many research results have been obtained. Specifically, in terms of research methods, it mainly includes gravity model [54][55][56], social network analysis [57][58][59], coupling coordination model [60][61][62] and spatial autocorrelation method [63][64][65]. In terms of research content, it mainly includes urban expansion [66][67][68][69], ecological environment [70][71][72][73], industrial development [74][75][76][77], economic growth [78][79][80][81].…”