Zheng Ziyan, Zhu Yingming, Zhang Yao, Yin Pengxing
School of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China; Jiangsu Industrial Cluster Decision-Making Consulting Research Base (Nanjing University of Science and Technology), Nanjing, 210094, China.
School of Economics and Management, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin, 150080, China.
J Environ Manage. 2025 Jan;373:123669. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123669. Epub 2024 Dec 14.
Concerns about global climate change, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation continue to escalate. Within this context, the circular economy has received widespread attention as a model of sustainable development. Simultaneously, China's regional economic integration (REI) strategy has been regarded as an important tool for promoting economic growth and optimizing resource allocation. However, existing studies have mainly focused on the impact of REI on economic growth, and there are insufficient empirical studies on how this strategy affects the circular economy. Still fewer such studies are set in a unified research framework; there is also a lack of heterogeneity analyses that introduce carbon emission characteristics. Therefore, this study analyzes panel data from urban centers in China, spanning from 2007 to 2021 and focusing on the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Using the staggered difference-in-difference (DID) model, propensity score matching and difference-in-difference (PSM-DID), spatial Durbin model, entropy weight TOPSIS, and other methods, this study examines the policy effects and spatial spillovers of the REI strategy on the circular economy. This study also quantifies the policy implications of REI on the circular economy, analyzes the heterogeneous effects of REI in cities with different carbon emission levels, and explores the spatial spillover effects of REI on the circular economy. The key findings are that: (1) REI implementation effectively promotes a circular economy. (2) There is heterogeneity in this effect at different levels of carbon emissions. The promotion effect is more significant for high carbon emission cities, while the integration strategy has a smaller marginal effect on the circular economy of low carbon emission cities. (3) There are spatial spillover and regional linkage effects at the interregional level, indicating a significant spatial dependence between REI and the circular economy. In other words, strategy implementation in one city positively influences the circular economy in neighboring cities. This study systematically and empirically investigates the impact of REI on the circular economy, reveals the heterogeneity of the carbon emission levels of REI affecting the circular economy, and provides new evidence for the environmental Kuznets curve theory. Furthermore, the spatial spillover effect of REI is quantified; quantifying the spatial spillover effect of REI expands the spatial dimension of regional sustainable development. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the need to maximize the environmental benefits of the REI strategy on the circular economy. This could be done by designing cross-regional circular economy projects, coordinating regional policy efforts, and implementing differentiated strategies to promote sustainable development.
对全球气候变化、资源稀缺和环境退化的担忧持续升级。在此背景下，循环经济作为一种可持续发展模式受到广泛关注。与此同时，中国的区域经济一体化（REI）战略被视为促进经济增长和优化资源配置的重要工具。然而，现有研究主要集中在区域经济一体化对经济增长的影响上，关于该战略如何影响循环经济的实证研究不足。在统一研究框架下进行的此类研究更少；也缺乏引入碳排放特征的异质性分析。因此，本研究分析了2007年至2021年中国城市中心的面板数据，重点关注长江三角洲（YRD）地区。本研究使用交错双重差分（DID）模型、倾向得分匹配和双重差分（PSM-DID）、空间杜宾模型、熵权TOPSIS等方法，考察了区域经济一体化战略对循环经济的政策效应和空间溢出效应。本研究还量化了区域经济一体化对循环经济的政策影响，分析了区域经济一体化在不同碳排放水平城市中的异质性效应，并探讨了区域经济一体化对循环经济的空间溢出效应。主要研究结果如下：（1）实施区域经济一体化有效促进了循环经济。（2）在不同碳排放水平上，这种效应存在异质性。对高碳排放城市的促进作用更为显著，而一体化战略对低碳排放城市循环经济的边际效应较小。（3）在区域间层面存在空间溢出和区域联动效应，表明区域经济一体化与循环经济之间存在显著的空间依赖性。换句话说，一个城市的战略实施对周边城市的循环经济有积极影响。本研究系统地、实证地考察了区域经济一体化对循环经济的影响，揭示了区域经济一体化碳排放水平影响循环经济的异质性，为环境库兹涅茨曲线理论提供了新的证据。此外，量化了区域经济一体化的空间溢出效应；量化区域经济一体化的空间溢出效应扩展了区域可持续发展的空间维度。最终，本研究强调需要最大限度地提高区域经济一体化战略对循环经济的环境效益。这可以通过设计跨区域循环经济项目、协调区域政策努力以及实施差异化战略来促进可持续发展来实现。
