School of Economics and Management, Weifang University, Weifang 261061, China.
Business School, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 28;20(5):4360. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054360.
As an important factor affecting economic and social development, energy poverty (EP) has received widespread concern, and many countries have actively proposed policies to eliminate energy poverty. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the current situation of energy poverty in China, explore the factors that affect energy poverty, find sustainable and effective approaches to alleviate energy poverty, and provide empirical evidence for eliminating energy poverty. This research investigates the effect of fiscal decentralization (FD), industrial structure upgrading (ISU), energy efficiency (EE), and technological innovation (TI), as well as urbanization (URB) on energy poverty using a balanced dataset of 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2017. The empirical outcomes revealed that fiscal decentralization, industrial upgrading, energy efficiency, and technological innovation significantly reduce energy poverty. Moreover, urbanization is positively and significantly correlated with energy poverty. The outcomes further revealed that fiscal decentralization significantly increases the residents' access to clean energy and drives energy management agencies and infrastructure. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis results indicate that the effect of fiscal decentralization in reducing energy poverty is greater in regions with high economic development. Finally, mediation analysis denotes that fiscal decentralization indirectly reduces energy poverty by promoting technological innovation and energy efficiency. Finally, based on the results, policy suggestions for eradicating energy poverty are proposed from the perspective of implementing targeted energy alleviation policies reasonably dividing the rights and responsibilities of local and central governments and encouraging scientific and technological innovation.
作为影响经济社会发展的重要因素，能源贫困（EP）受到广泛关注，许多国家积极提出消除能源贫困的政策。本文旨在阐明中国能源贫困的现状，探讨影响能源贫困的因素，寻求缓解能源贫困的可持续有效途径，为消除能源贫困提供经验证据。本研究利用 2004 年至 2017 年中国 30 个省份的平衡数据集，考察了财政分权（FD）、产业结构升级（ISU）、能源效率（EE）和技术创新（TI）以及城市化（URB）对能源贫困的影响。实证结果表明，财政分权、产业升级、能源效率和技术创新显著降低了能源贫困。此外，城市化与能源贫困呈正相关。研究结果还表明，财政分权显著增加了居民获得清洁能源的机会，并推动了能源管理机构和基础设施的发展。此外，异质性分析结果表明，财政分权在经济发展水平较高的地区对减少能源贫困的效果更大。最后，中介分析表明，财政分权通过促进技术创新和能源效率，间接地降低了能源贫困。最后，根据研究结果，从合理实施有针对性的能源缓解政策、合理划分地方和中央政府的权利和责任以及鼓励科技创新的角度，提出了消除能源贫困的政策建议。
