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Stage characteristics and driving forces of China’s energy efficiency convergence—an empirical analysis

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Abstract

Based on non-radial directional distance function, this paper measures the provincial total factor energy efficiency in China during the period from 2000 to 2015. And then, this paper analyzes the stage characteristics and driving forces of energy efficiency convergence based on the improving of traditional beta-convergence model. The empirical results confirm that there is a significant absolute beta-convergence trend of energy efficiency from 2000 to 2015 in China. However, the convergence trend of energy efficiency has obvious stage characteristics. Before 2006, energy efficiency has a significant convergence trend, but it is characterized by divergence after 2006. Technological progress significantly promotes the convergence of regional energy efficiency before 2006. During the period from 2006 to 2015, the industrial restructuring accelerates the speed of energy efficiency divergence. Conclusively, this paper offers pieces of objective and reasonable policy advice according to the conclusions mentioned above.

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Notes

  1. According to the China statistical yearbook data, the economic growth rate is computed by the average annual growth rate of real GDP in the period from 2000 to 2016.

  2. The data comes from the China energy statistics yearbook, and the average annual growth rate in the period from 2000 to 2016 is calculated by the authors.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant numbers 71303029 and 71734001), the National Social Science Foundation Project (Grant number 17BGL266), the Liaoning Provincial Economic and Social Development Project (2019lslktyb-011), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT18RW210), and the Dalian Youth Science and Technology Star Cultivation Project (2016RQ004).

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  1. School of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China

    Xiongfeng Pan, Xianyou Pan, Zhiming Jiao, Jinbo Song & Yang Ming

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  1. Xiongfeng Pan
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  2. Xianyou Pan
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Correspondence to Xianyou Pan.

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Pan, X., Pan, X., Jiao, Z. et al. Stage characteristics and driving forces of China’s energy efficiency convergence—an empirical analysis. Energy Efficiency 12, 2147–2159 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-019-09825-8

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