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Understanding the evolution of the urban spatial structure is of great significance for clarifying the stage and trajectory of urban development and formulating future urban development plans. Given that previous studies have marginally explored the long-term evolution of the urban employment spatial structure, this paper proposes a theoretical model hypothesizing five sequential stages of a complete evolution cycle from the perspective of mono- and polycentricity: mono-centralization, main-centralization, multi-centralization, de-centralization and re-centralization. Further empirical results based on 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997 to 2017 support the model and demonstrate that most cities present an evolution in line with the hypothesis, except a few cities experiencing short-term fluctuations, and approximately 60 % of cities are in the stage of multi-centralization, where subcenters have a growth advantage, and the main center has a scale advantage. Additionally, this paper reveals two characteristics of the evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China: spatiotemporal compression and government intervention. • Propose a theoretical evolutionary model of urban employment spatial structure. • Empirically test the theoretical model based on a sample of 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997-2017. • The evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China gradually tends to be polycentric. • Spatiotemporal compression and government intervention are features of China's urban employment spatial structure evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marketization of factors in China lags behind that of products, and this lag is directly manifested as insufficient effective supply of labor, rising labor costs of enterprises, and serious distortion of labor resource allocation, which to a great extent restricts the economic transformation from "quantity" to the "quality" growth. The labor allocation effect of smart cities plays an important role in promoting the transformation to high-quality development in China, but there is still a lack of empirical research testing this effect. Based on panel data of 151 cities at the prefecture level and above for the period 2006–2018, this paper uses a DID model to evaluate the impact of smart city pilot projects on labor misallocation. The results show that, first, smart cities can significantly reduce labor misallocation, and this finding holds under a series of robustness tests. Second, smart cities can reduce labor misallocation through the formation of industrial agglomeration and the upgrading of the industrial structure. Third, the effect of smart cities was more significant in central and eastern cities and large-scale cities than in western cities and small and medium-scale cities. Fourth, smart cities have a significant spatial spillover effect on the reduction of labor misallocation. • This paper enriches the smart cities and labor misallocation research. • This paper regards the construction of smart cities as a quasinatural experiment. • The smart city project is divided into direct, indirect and spatial spillover effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing from the Knowledge Based View (KBV) of the firm and Contingency Theory, this paper examines the extent to which the relationship between Customer Analytics (CA) and new product performance is contingent on the strategic fit of CA with certain internal and external contingencies. The paper first conducts a multiple case study based on secondary data analysis. It then undertakes an empirical analysis based on a survey data of 249 high and medium tech firms based in China. We find that while some internal contingencies (such as exploitative learning strategy and market knowledge breadth) negatively moderate the effect of CA on new product performance, others (such as internal capability and knowledge integration mechanisms) mediate its effect on performance. Technological turbulence, as an external contingency, was found to reduce the positive impact of CA deployment on new product performance. This study contributed to the literature by focusing on how several internal and external contingencies of a firm may affect the relationship between CA and new product performance. • Customer Analytics (CA) has a significant effect on new product development. • While some internal contingencies moderate, others mediate this effect. • Technological turbulence, as an external contingency, also moderates this effect. • The influence of various contingencies is tested via moderated meditation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Measure the land dispute intensity (LDI) at the provincial level in China. • The geodetector model, OLS, and SDM models are used to explore the spillover effects of LDI. • Panel threshold model is applied to explore the non-linear relationship between socioeconomic factors and land disputes. Land disputes pose significant challenges to social stability and development. In this paper, land dispute intensity (LDI) is measured at the provincial level in China from 2009 to 2018 and its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors are explored. The ordinary least squares(OLS), spatial durbin model (SDM), geodetector model, and panel threshold model are used to explore the spatial spillover effects of LDI and its potential non-linear relationship with socio-economic factors. The results reveal that LDI is spatially distributed in a decentralized form, with local areas showing the structural characteristics of "single core, multiple clusters". The LDI exhibits a significant positive spatial autocorrelation and follows a "logarithmic" upward trend over time. The urbanization rate (UR), social security expenditures (SSE), and the number of land and resources institutions (NLRI) are important driving forces affecting LDI. The SSE and NLRI have a single threshold effect on the LDI, with a "V" shaped weakening trend, and the UR is an important factor causing nonlinear effects. Interestingly, the effect shifts from inhibition to stimulation when the SSE and NLRI cross the corresponding threshold value. This paper can provide new insights into the governance of land disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses an overarching framework that integrates latent variable models and prediction success with receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curves. In three illustrative examples that focus on trip purpose, health market indicators, and resources, the paper employs binary logit models and ROC methodology to identify factors that best discriminate individuals' trips to out-patient health care facilities. Data for the examples are a three-year longitudinal survey of persons 45 years and older in China. The study contributes to the sparse empirical economics literature using ROC methodologies and more broadly to the transportation and health literatures. The ROC applications provide new insights on health care trips, finding that out-patient trips for treatment, paying out-of-pocket costs, and lack of monetary resources are salient discriminators in one's trip choice decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change is aggravating the occurrence of pests and diseases, however, pesticide residue caused by the abuse of chemical pesticides is emerging as a worldwide issue with a great threat to the ecological environment, human health, and food security. Biopesticide application, a component of climate-smart agricultural practices, is viewed as a vital alternative for agricultural sustainable development. Due to the additional cost attached to externalities and information insufficiency, the adoption rates of biopesticide are still quite low in most developing countries. By using panel data of 3143 rural households from 2020 to 2021 in Jiangsu Province, this paper builds a theoretical framework of whether and how specialized agricultural service (SAS) for specialized pest control affects farmers' biopesticide application, and then employs an Endogenous Switching Probit model to verify this effect and its channels empirically. The empirical results show that the SAS purchase can increase significantly the probability of smallholders' biopesticide adoption by 30.8%. Without consideration of the self-selection bias, this probability would drop to 16.2%. The potential channels of the SAS influencing farmers' biopesticide application are technology popularization (training) and machinery substitution resulting from SAS. Moreover, our findings also indicate that the effects of SAS on biopesticide adoption are heterogeneous, and vary with farmers' education level, cooperative members, and land size. This paper provides the first empirical evidence for the effect of SAS on biopesticide promotion, which is expected to contribute to agricultural sustainable development and food safety in most developing countries. [Display omitted] • Climate-smart agricultural practices play a vital role in global adaptation to climate change. • We examine the effects of specialized agricultural services on biopesticide application in China. • Theoretical framework and endogenous switching probit model are employed to identify these effects. • Specialized agricultural service affects biopesticide adoption mainly through two channels. • These effects are heterogeneous and vary with farmers' different characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photochemical air quality models (AQMs) are a vital tool for atmospheric pollution research and have been widely used in various applications, such as air quality prediction and evaluation of pollution control strategies. Before using these models for further studies, it is essential to thoroughly evaluate their reliability and accuracy. While previous guidelines and benchmarks have primarily focused on fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and ozone (O 3), there is still a lack of benchmarks for evaluating the model performance on primary criteria pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO 2), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM 10). The use of air quality models in China has increased significantly in the past decades. However, there is still a lack of standardized benchmarks for the performance evaluation of these models. Building upon our previous work on PM 2.5 and its chemical species, we propose a set of benchmarks for evaluating the performance of the aforementioned four air pollutants. Initially, we identified a total of 475 papers published during 2007–2019 that utilized at least one of the five commonly used AQMs in China. From these papers, we selected 164 articles that provided model performance evaluation (MPE) results of the four primary air pollutants. The three most frequently used Model Performance Evaluation (MPE) metrics were selected to analyse the impact of different model configurations on the reported statistics, including modelling region, season, and emission inventory. Lastly, three commonly used statistical indicators, including normalized mean bias (NMB), normalized mean error (NME), and correlation coefficient (R), were proposed for the validation of simulated NO 2 , SO 2 , CO, and PM 10. Two sets of benchmarks are given, including the "goal" and "criteria". The "goal" represents the best range of performance that a model can be expected to achieve, and the "criteria" represents performance that the majority of studies have achieved. We recommend R values above 0.50, 0.35, 0.45, and 0.40 for NO 2 , SO 2 , PM 10 , and CO, respectively, in order to meet the "criteria" benchmark. If the "goal" benchmark is to be achieved, the corresponding R values are 0.60, 0.55, 0.60, and 0.60. The "goal" benchmarks of NMB for NO 2 , SO 2 , PM 10 , and CO are within ±20%, ±25%, ±20%, and ±25%, respectively; while the "goal" benchmarks of NME for the four pollutants are less than 40%, 45%, 45%, and 60%, respectively. These benchmarks supplement our previous benchmarks for PM 2.5 and its components and provide a more comprehensive guideline for the air quality modelling community in China. • A set of benchmarks for evaluation of the NO 2 , SO 2 , CO and PM 10 simulation over China are proposed. • Three commonly used statistical indicators (NMB, NME, and R) were proposed for the validation of the four pollutants. • The goal benchmarks of NMB for NO 2 , SO 2 , PM 10 , and CO are <20%, <25%, <20% and <25%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is currently facing a critical challenge in completing its second radical energy transition from fossil to zero-carbon energy amidst the impacts of climate change and the international landscape. In order to clarify the concept of energy transition and the challenges facing China's energy transition, this paper adopts a research framework with Multi-Level Perspective to sort out China's energy history. Drawing on China's energy transition experience, this paper derives four key conclusions. Firstly, the energy transition is a comprehensive transformation of the energy system, which is influenced by the macro landscape, socio-technical regime and innovation niche. Secondly, based on the intensity of the transition, the historical energy transitions can be divided into two categories: incremental energy transitions and radical energy transitions. Thirdly, China's past energy transitions are mainly incremental energy transitions. Influenced by the macro environment and socio-technical regime, the transition process is mostly iterative and tortuous. Fourthly, China's energy transition is facing significant challenges in the current stage, with a tight schedule and heavy tasks, and a lack of basic scientific and technological theories and niche innovations. Building on these findings, specific recommendations to policy makers are provided. • The energy transition is a comprehensive transformation of the energy system. • China's past energy transitions are mainly incremental energy transitions. • China's energy transition faces great difficulties at this stage. • China must champion robust institutional reforms and expedite niche innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza causes excessive morbidity and mortality among older adults. While influenza vaccine provides protection against its infection, the vaccination coverage in China among older adults has been very low. Previous evidence on the cost-effectiveness of government-sponsored free influenza vaccination programs in China was primarily based on literature data, which might not always reflect real-world patient populations. The Yinzhou Health Information System (YHIS) is a regional database that captures electronic health records, insurance claims data, etc. for all residents in Yinzhou district, Zhejiang province, China. We will use YHIS to study the effectiveness, influenza-related direct medical cost and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of the free influenza vaccination program for older adults. In this paper, we describe the study design and innovations in detail. We will establish a retrospective cohort of permanent older residents aged 65 and over, using YHIS between 2016 and 2021. We will estimate the vaccine coverage rate, influenza incidence rate and influenza-related direct medical cost from 2016 to 2021. Regression discontinuity will be used to estimate vaccine effectiveness for the 2020/2021 season. We will build a decision tree model to compare the cost-effectiveness of three influenza vaccination options (free trivalent influenza vaccine, free quadrivalent influenza vaccine, and no policy) from both societal and health system perspectives. Parameter inputs will be gathered from both YHIS and published literature. We will calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio with cost and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) discounted at 5 % annually. Our CEA solidifies multiple sources including regional real-world data and literature for a rigorous evaluation of the government-sponsored free influenza vaccination program. The results will provide real-world evidence from real-world data on the cost-effectiveness of a real-world policy. Our findings are expected to support evidence-based policy making and to promote health for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chinese economy hit hard by both the pandemic and city lockdown. • City lockdown explains 2.8 percentage points of the GDP loss. • Significant spatial spill-over effects of the pandemic but not lockdown. • Reduced labor mobility, land supply, and entrepreneurship are main mechanisms. • Significant heterogeneity across cities in post-pandemic economic recovery. As the first major developing country heavily struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, China adopted the world's most stringent lockdown interventions to contain the virus spread. Using macro- and micro-level data, this paper shows that both the pandemic and lockdown policies have had negative and significant impacts on the economy. Gross regional product (GRP) fell by 9.5 and 0.3 percentage points in cities with and without lockdown interventions, respectively. These impacts represent a dramatic recession from China's average growth of 6.74% before the pandemic. The results indicate that lockdown explains 2.8 percentage points of the GDP loss. We also document significant spill-over effects of the pandemic in adjacent areas but no such effects of lockdown. Reduced labor mobility, land supply, and entrepreneurship are among the most significant mechanisms underpinning the impacts of the pandemic and lockdown. Cities with higher share of secondary industry, higher traffic intensity, lower population density, lower internet access, and lower fiscal capacity suffered more. However, these cities seem to have recovered well from the recession and quickly closed the economic gap in the aftermath of the pandemic and city lockdown. Our findings have broader implications for the global interventions in pandemic containment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the net social welfare of a public health insurance policy necessitates an accurate estimation of its impact on the private health insurance market. This paper presents new evidence of the effect of public health insurance on private health insurance market by exploiting a quasi-experiment of Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) in China. Our findings indicate that the implementation of URBMI has no significant effect on the aggregated private health insurance market. However, upon dividing the private health insurance market into medical and illness insurance markets, we observe a significant crowding-out effect of URBMI on the former but not the latter. This finding may help explain the mixed results in the literature, which typically lumps all segments of private health insurance markets together. In terms of the possible channels, we find that the crowding-out effect of public health insurance on private health insurance is through lowering the cost of health services, raising the accessibility to health services or reducing health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of information and communication technology (ICT), a subset of many functions such as visual communication, can positively affect renewable energy development in different countries. In this paper, focusing on China as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the relationship between visual communication and the deployment of renewable energy is investigated using the dynamic ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) method and annual data from 1990 to 2021. Regarding the empirical estimations, a 1% increase in green finance market size leads to an improvement of sustainable energy deployment by 0.01%. In addition, the ICT development index has a significant and positive effect only in the long term. Furthermore, there is evidence of uni-directional causality from ICT to renewable energy deployment in the medium and long term. The recommended practical policies by the research are developing green financing tools, green economic growth policies, and creating virtual portals for financial interactions. • There is uni-directional causality from visual communication to renewable deployment. • ICT development index has a positive effect in the long term. • Effect of GDP on the development of renewable energy consumption is negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thalassaemia is one of the most common genetic red blood cell disorders. • Frequent blood transfusions could cause alloimmunization leading to significant morbidity. • The types of alloantibodies formed in Chinese patients differ from the US and European patients. • A comprehensive matching strategy can be built to target the high-risk red blood cell antigens. The development of red blood cell alloimmunization intensifies transfusion complication in thalassaemia patients. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the existing evidence on the prevalence of erythrocyte alloimmunization in China by meta-analysis. We systematically searched cross-sectional studies regarding the alloimmunization of thalassaemia patients with regular blood transfusion in China from year 2000 to May 2021 in the Cochrane library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Chinese databases including CNKI, Wanfang Data, Vip and CBM. Data extraction and quality evaluation of the included studies were performed. Meta-analysis was performed using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models with inverse variance weighting. The presence of publication bias was tested by Egger's test, and the methodological quality of each included article was evaluated by the criteria specific to prevalence studies. A total of 1874 patients and 263 alloantibodies from 11 studies were identified and included in the meta-analysis. The proportion of alloantibodies against antigens belonging to the Rh, MNSs and Kidd systems were as high as 70.3%, 17.9%, and 6.5%, respectively. Meta-analysis showed that the overall prevalence of alloimmunization among transfusion-dependent thalassaemia patients in China is 11.4% (95%CI: 7.2%∼16.3%). The characteristics of red blood cell alloimmunization among thalassaemia patients with regular transfusion in China differ greatly from those in other countries. Therefore, transfusion strategies shall be actively adapted in line with thalassaemia patients in China to minimize the risk of alloimmunization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a transdisciplinary approach to critical discourse analysis, this paper looks at the case of Chinese higher education to explore how neoliberal ideology is constituted, recontextualized, and legitimated in the public discourse of Chinese universities in a socio-political context marked by the intricate integration of administration and politics. The analyses show how these universities have endeavored to respond to the economic imperatives of a globalizing knowledge-driven economy while strategically absorbing the socio-political governance agenda inherited from the state's institutional legacies. The findings suggest that the discourse of higher education in China is a highly contested space for competing ideologies, reproducing a narrative that facilitates the commodification of higher education and dismisses the contradictions between ideological values at the glonacal nexus. • Universities are portrayed as student-centered and socially responsible. • Students and knowledge are commodified as marketable products. • Universities have been transformed into entrepreneurial selves directed by an instrumental-strategic intent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a serious global public health issue. However, a comprehensive analysis of risk factors for HAIs has yet been undertaken at a large scale among general hospitals in China. The aim of this review was to assess risk factors associated with HAIs in Chinese general hospitals. Medline, EMBASE and Chinese Journals Online databases were searched to find studies published from 1st January 2001 to 31st May 2022. The random-effects model was used to estimate odds ratio (OR). Heterogeneity was assessed based on the τ ˆ 2 and I 2 statistics. A total of 5037 published papers were identified from the initial search and 58 studies were included in the quantitative meta-analysis; 1,211,117 hospitalized patients were incorporated covering 41 regions in 23 provinces of China and 29,737 were identified as having HAIs. Our review showed that HAIs were significantly associated with sociodemographic characteristics including age older than 60 years (OR: 1.74 (1.38–2.19)) and male sex (1.33 (1.20–1.47)); invasive procedures (3.54 (1.50–8.34)); health conditions such as chronic diseases (1.49 (1.22–1.82)), coma (OR: 5.12 (1.70–15.38)) and immunosuppression (2.45 (1.55–3.87)). Other risk factors included long-term bed (5.84 (5.12–6.66)), and healthcare-related risk factors such as chemotherapy (1.96 (1.28–3.01)), haemodialysis (3.12 (1.80–5.39)), hormone therapy (2.96(1.96–4.45)), immunosuppression (2.45 (1.55–3.87)) and use of antibiotics (6.64 (3.16–13.96)), and longer than 15 hospitalization days (13.36 (6.80–26.26)). Being male and aged over 60 years, invasive procedure, health conditions, healthcare-related risk factors, and longer than 15 hospitalization days were the main risk factors associated with HAIs in Chinese general hospitals. This supports the evidence base to inform the relevant cost-effective prevention and control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Academic staff often experience pedagogic dissonance when first teaching in another country. • They adopt classroom and curriculum strategies to address these challenges. • These strategies are shaped by their own experiences, student diversity and institutional context. Drawing on material from qualitative research with Chinese academics in a UK university and British academics in the Chinese branch campus of that university, this paper places pedagogy at the centre of geographical debates about mobility and the internationalisation of higher education. In particular, it moves beyond the usual focus on the mobility of pedagogy in schools or the teaching of international students in higher education to consider how pedagogic practices are embodied in mobile academic staff, within particular classroom and wider institutional environments. These individuals bring their prior experience of teaching and institutional cultures to a new environment where they come up against approaches and pedagogic practices which may clash with their beliefs about good teaching. This pedagogic dissonance may create feelings of frustration or insecurity, but may also provide opportunities for creativity and self-reflection. The paper focuses on three aspects of pedagogic practice: classroom interactions, language and assessment. The focus on the embodied nature of pedagogic practice extends geographical debates around academic mobility, hierarchies of knowledge, and the internationalisation of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global food system currently requires a transformation in terms of both social and technological norms in order to be environmentally sustainable and productive enough to feed a growing global population. This paper suggests that China has the innovation regime that is the most capable of offering this transformation due the unique dynamic occurring between its top-down policy and bottom-up initiatives. Indeed, it is often the resulting spin-off developments, as a result of these two forces colliding, which creates interesting innovative trajectories that have a transformative potential. This paper identifies land consolidation as the policy most emblematic top-down agricultural process, food safety initiatives as the significant bottom-up equivilent and suggests that the rise of Taobao villages and rural e-commerce are the unintended innovative responses resulting from these forces. The dynamic of this innovation, I argue, can be tentatively mapped out to offer a grounded speculation of where, and how, the most intriguing, and perhaps most likely, developmental trajectories will occur regarding China's agricultural development. As such, this paper argues that Alternative Food Networks are one such evolving example and that the rise of 'enterprise-based recreational agriculture parks' - like Beijing's Xiedao Green Resort - points towards how particular innovative trajectories, through unique forms of scalar practices, could develop and shape, agricultural spaces in China. • o understand how a food system transformation could occur, we need to reimagine food system innovation.. • China argubly has the innovation regime that is the most capable of offering this reimagination. • This paper identifies Taobao Villages and Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) as examples of China's food system innovation. • The scalar practices of these innovations have led to the emergence of Enterprise-Based Recreational Agricultural Parks. • The formation of such projects, highlight how social and technological transformations in the food system are possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural nonfarm sector (RNFS) development is an important part of China's national "Rural Revitalization Strategy". RNFS is also a prerequisite for prosperity in the rural economy, which is properly measured by rural resident income (RRI). Thus, China's rural economic policy should be based on the perspicuity of RNFS′ spatial agglomeration situation and the clarity of its development trend. Previous studies on RRI, however, have paid limited attention on RNFS's spatial pattern and its effects on RRI especially after the ownership reform of township and village enterprises. The present study aims to estimate the effect of RNFS on RRI by assessing the RNFS development level in different provinces and investigating their spatial characteristics from 2000 to 2013. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the overall development of RNFS in China is rapid, but the spatial differences are expanding, the agglomeration degree is relatively low, and the composition of industrial types is higher in the eastern region than in the middle and western regions; 2) regression results show that the RNFS has a significant positive effect on RRI. On the contrary, RRI's dependence on RNFS in the middle and western regions is higher than that in the eastern region. Government departments should foster RNFS on the basis of local conditions. Guided by the long-term objective of rural revitalization, the proportion of nonagricultural employment in rural areas should be constantly increased to improve RRI. • This paper summarized the development history of China's rural non-farm sector and puts forward the research gap. • This paper explores the spatio-temporal characteristics of rural non-farm sector, and examines its detailed structures. • This paper examines the effect of rural non-farm sector on residents' income both at the provincial and individual levels. • This paper puts forward some policy suggestions for the Rural Revitalization Strategy and summarized a conceptual framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reform of collective land ownership in post-socialist contexts offers a useful window into how changes in property rights shape and structure the dynamics of territorial transformation. Focusing on China's rural revitalization campaign, this paper demonstrates how the state, as creator and regulator of land rights and property titles, facilitates landscape change by relaxing regulations over the lease of rural land and creating market institutions that favour land transfers to organized capital, in this case tourism companies and property developers. Far from being a spontaneous process of pure market forces and consumer demand, the state is actively harnessing market forces to achieve land use change and extend planning control over rural land. On the ground, the expanding presence of recreational capital has brought about the remaking of Chinese villages into leisure farms, holiday guesthouses and ecological parks geared towards touristic consumption. The paper calls for further attention to processes of exclusion and displacement that this transformation might engender. By exploring the dynamics of rural gentrification in a post-socialist context, this paper makes the case for the need to pay more attention to the comparative study of property rights and ownership regimes in rural gentrification research, and highlights how the intersection of property rights and state power reveals nuances that underscore the importance of going beyond Western conceptualizations of gentrification. • Comparative study of property rights is important for gentrification research. • Examines nexus of state power and property rights transformation in gentrification. • Marketization of rural land in China facilitates gentrification in the countryside. • Tourism and recreational capital contributing to revalorization of rural landscapes. • Shows comparative nuances of a gentrification theory for the rural Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is outward-looking, being part of China's 'Going Out Strategy' while Africa's current regional infrastructure programmes are primarily inward-looking as they seek to deepen the continent's regional integration. This paper argues, drawing from international cooperation theory, that China and Africa can cooperate in implementing BRI despite the apparent conflict in their infrastructure connectivity aspirations. They can coordinate their policies for the purpose of mutual benefit through enhanced connectivity and trade between Africa and China on the one hand and deepened African regional integration and intra-African trade on the other. This could be achieved by using Africa's regional programmes as building blocks for cooperation in BRI. This paper also highlights lessons from BRI that Africa could use to fast-track implementation of its own initiatives including the mobilisation of stakeholders by political leaders, creation of dedicated institutions and funds, and building of local capacity in the infrastructure sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impacts of green finance on green energy deployment in China's tourism industry. To this end, the annual data over 1992–2021 through the ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) approach for the case of China are analyzed. The findings confirm that the issued green bonds positively impact the green efficiency of China's tourism industry in the long term. In contrast, the coefficient of issued green bonds is insignificant for the short-term approach. In addition, in the short and long term, the consumer price index also has a significant adverse effect on the green efficiency of China's tourism industry. The recommended practical policies are improving executive regulations and transparent market information, implementing green fiscal policies, green construction in hotels and tourist accommodations, green globalization, operational phases of innovation, adaptation, and stabilization (IAS), and eco-tourism regionalism. • Green bonds have a positive impact on the green efficiency of China's tourism. • Consumer price index has a negative effect on green efficiency of China's tourism. • Economic globalization index has a significant coefficient on green efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first to investigate the role of China's top-down model captured by cities' administrative level in the hukou transfer intention of rural migrants with settlement intention. We develop a conceptual framework and attribute rural migrants' decision on hukou transfer to a comprehensive evaluation of the benefit, risk, and opportunity. Using a Multilevel Logistic Regression, the empirical study uncovers that the impact of cities' administrative level comprises direct effect and moderating effect. The direct effect highlights the benefit of hukou transfer, through which cities' administrative level positively affects rural migrants' hukou transfer intention. The moderating effect underlines both the benefit and risk of obtaining urban local hukou, through which cities' administrative level shapes the relationship between marital status/migration type/arable land/homestead/household income and hukou transfer intention. Our work offers an international insight into rural migrants' settlement by revealing the role of cities' political system in shaping the stratification of the distribution of permanent migrants at the city level. It also contributes to the knowledge of the neoclassical perspective in migration studies by considering rural migrants' long-term cost-benefit balance on settlement. • China's top-down model shapes rural migrants' hukou transfer intention. • The impact of cities' administrative level consists of direct and moderating effects. • The direct effect highlights the benefit of hukou conversion. • The moderating effect underlines the benefit and risk of hukou conversion. • Further considering the long-term cost-benefit balance from the neoclassical view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's economy and environment urgently require a green recovery as COVID-19's consequences expand over time, and the platform economy is a practical means of pursuing this goal. By employing the Generalized Divisia Index Method (GDIM), this paper aims to analyze the impact of platform economy on carbon emissions in China during the period 2013–2020. Overall, the platform economy has increased carbon emissions, but there was a decrease in carbon emissions in the platform economy between 2014 and 2016. The scale factors of platform economy are the primary contributors to the increase in China's overall emissions and most provincial carbon emissions, while the carbon intensity of platform economy factors contributes most to the decrease in carbon emissions. In particular, the carbon intensity of platform economy factors promoted the most cumulative carbon emissions in Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Qinghai, and Ningxia between 2013 and 2020, and the energy intensity of platform economy factors reduced most of the cumulative carbon emissions of Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Qinghai, and Xinjiang during the same period. From the perspective of the heterogeneity of platform economic development, the main contributors of carbon mitigation from high-platform economic provinces are intensity effects. However, the platform economic structure of low-platform economic provinces significantly reduces carbon emissions. In addition, we also found significant differences in the factors influencing emissions in different groups under the influence of the pandemic. Finally, we provide some valuable references for China's platform economic development to achieve "carbon neutrality" targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has experienced rapid economic growth in recent decades. The benefits of economic growth are indisputable. However, risks are also generated that can jeopardize the sustainability of economic progress. Real estate bubbles, for example. The rapidly soaring house prices are one of the severe challenges in China in recent years. The real estate tax, monetary policy, and macro-prudential policy are the three main measures of the Chinese government to stabilize house prices. This paper studies the topic of which policy or policy portfolio can be an effective long-run mechanism of house price regulation by incorporating the real estate sector into the Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model. Three important conclusions are drawn from the numerical simulation analysis based on the data of China. First, employing any policy portfolio can mitigate the fluctuation of house prices more effectively and decrease the loss of social welfare relatively compared to implementing a single policy. Second, the long-run regulating effect of the policy portfolio of monetary policy and macro-prudential policy can suppress the fluctuation of house prices in China while minimizing social welfare loss. Third, whether the real estate tax is combined with monetary policy or macro-prudential policy, the long-run regulating effect is insignificant. The real estate tax cannot be used to regulate house prices in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzene homologues are important chemical precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere, in addition, some toxic species are harmful to human health. Strict countermeasures have been taken to fight air pollution since 2013, and total amount control of volatile organic compounds is being promoted in China at present. Therefore, it is important to understand the pollution situation and the control status of ambient benzene homologues in China. This paper reviews research progress from published papers on pollution characteristics, atmospheric photochemical reactivity, health risk assessment and source identification of ambient benzene homologues in recent years in China, and also summarizes policies and countermeasures for the control of ambient benzene homologues and the relevant achievements. The total ambient levels of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) shows a declining tendency from 2001 to 2016 in China. The mass concentrations of BTEX are generally higher in southern regions than in northern regions, and they present vertical decreasing variation characteristics with increasing altitude within the height range of about 5500 m. Toluene has the highest ozone formation potential and SOA formation potential both in urban areas and background areas, while benzene poses an obvious carcinogenic risk to the exposed adult populations in urban areas. Source identification of ambient benzene homologues suggested that local governments should adopt differentiated control strategies for ambient benzene homologues. Several recommendations are put forward for future research and policy-making on the control of ambient benzene homologues in China. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite rich literature on high-speed rail (HSR) and air transport interactions, the HSR's impact on the conventional (low-speed) rail service surprisingly has yet well studied. This paper fills in this research gap by providing empirical evidence in the Chinese intercity travel markets, where large-scale HSR expansion has been conducted since 2008. A nested logit utility model is developed to model passengers' travel mode choice between HSR and conventional train. A difference-in-differences (DID) method is then applied to measure HSR's impact on conventional train service frequency, price, and travel time. This paper then calculates and compares the welfare changes before and after the HSR entry for both the conventional and non-conventional rail passengers. It is found that entry of HSR has significantly reduced frequency of conventional train service, but not its travel time and ticket price. Such an adverse effect is more prominent on the shorter haul routes, probably as a result of the government's intervention to divert rail passengers to emerging HSR service. The calculated welfare loss to the conventional train passengers based on its current market size is approximately 3.41 billion RMB (487 million USD) as of 2017, a figure we consider on the side of conservative estimates. This loss accounts for 8% of the welfare gain brought by HSR to those non-conventional rail passengers. A special caution is, therefore, warranted when evaluating the benefit of the HSR development, as the welfare damage to the conventional train service and its passengers cannot be neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the causal effect of ordinal rank on students' academic performance in the short run. This paper provides the first direct evidence of the relationship between objective rank and students' self-perceived rank, as well as of the impact of the self-perceived rank on students' academic attainments. The results show that both students' objective ability and self-perceived rank have a significant positive effect on students' test scores. Taking advantage of the very detailed survey questions aimed at students, parents, and teachers, a large set of potential mechanisms are examined in the paper. I also find a positive effect of having a female teacher on the self-perceived rank of female students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study applied a logistic growth model with parameters estimated by a non-linear least squares (NLS) method to daily new COVID-19 cases. • The model fitted time-series data exceedingly well for the whole of China, eleven selected Chinese provinces and municipalities, South Korea and Iran. • This study provided key estimates and a 95% confidence interval for parameters K , r, and P 0. • This study found that the growth rates of outbreaks differed between provinces in China and between South Korea and Iran. • As of March 13, 2020, this study's model suggested that countries such as the U.S.A., France, Italy, and Spain were still in the early stages of outbreaks. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to proliferate globally, this paper shares the findings of modelling the outbreak in China at both provincial and national levels. This paper examines the applicability of the logistic growth model, with implications for the study of the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious diseases. An NLS (Non-Linear Least Squares) method was employed to estimate the parameters of a differentiated logistic growth function using new daily COVID-19 cases in multiple regions in China and in other selected countries. The estimation was based upon training data from January 20, 2020 to March 13, 2020. A restriction test was subsequently implemented to examine whether a designated parameter was identical among regions or countries, and the diagnosis of residuals was also conducted. The model's goodness of fit was checked using testing data from March 14, 2020 to April 18, 2020. The model presented in this paper fitted time-series data exceedingly well for the whole of China, its eleven selected provinces and municipalities, and two other countries - South Korea and Iran - and provided estimates of key parameters. This study rejected the null hypothesis that the growth rates of outbreaks were the same among ten selected non-Hubei provinces in China, as well as between South Korea and Iran. The study found that the model did not provide reliable estimates for countries that were in the early stages of outbreaks. Furthermore, this study concured that the R 2 values might vary and mislead when compared between different portions of the same non-linear curve. In addition, the study identified the existence of heteroskedasticity and positive serial correlation within residuals in some provinces and countries. The findings suggest that there is potential for this model to contribute to better public health policy in combatting COVID-19. The model does so by providing a simple logistic framework for retrospectively analyzing outbreaks in regions that have already experienced a maximal proliferation in cases. Based upon statistical findings, this study also outlines certain challenges in modelling and their implications for the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The etiological factors of mood disorders and psychopathologies are understudied. In this paper, we explored whether social psychological strains are related to depression, anxiety, and stress in non-clinical populations.Methods: 6,305 college students (39.3% men; 60.7% women) from six Chinese provincial-level jurisdictions completed a paper-and-pencil survey with Psychological Strain Scales (PSS-40) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), both validated in Chinese populations.Results: Both PSS-40 and DASS-21 have high internal consistency reliabilities, and are highly correlated with each other. Hence, Chinese college students with greater psychological strains (value, aspiration, deprivation, or coping) have greater depression, anxiety, and stress. These results still held after controlling for relevant socio-demographic variables in the multiple regression models.Limitations: This was a cross-sectional study, and the sample only included several provinces in mainland China, not a representative sample of all of them.Conclusions: Mood disorders and psychopathologies are linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The results of this study extend the Strain Theory of Suicide from explaining the risk factors of suicidality to mood disorders and psychopathologies. Hence, these findings can inform prevention measures among college students, and possibly the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gentrification as a state-building strategy. • Highlights the role of the territorial state in gentrification. • Draws attention to the state-society dynamics of land control. • Examines gentrification at China's rural-urban interface. • Shows comparative nuances of a gentrification theory beyond the urban Global North. This paper examines the territorial politics of gentrification at China's rural-urban interface. Drawing on empirical fieldwork in Shenzhen, it is shown that gentrification in China can be seen as a state-making strategy deployed by the government to consolidate territorial control and extend the reach of the state. Unlike conventional accounts of gentrification which assumes the universality of formal, property-based land tenure, this paper highlights how the prevalence of informality and non-privatized property rights in the post-socialist context produces distinct dynamics of gentrification and state-society interactions at the rural fringe of Chinese cities. While gentrification is often seen as a place-making strategy espoused by entrepreneurial states to attract investment and bolster consumption, it also functions as a state-building tactic for recovering and materializing land rights where property rights are uncertain, under-defined and contested. In the process, uneven patterns of direct and indirect displacement can be observed which reflected a more complex reality than the class replacement thesis commonly found in traditional gentrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Safety science has been developed and has received more and more attention in China in recent years. • Safety science in China is now becoming an independent discipline and an important research field. • A systematic review of the history, legislation, education and research of safety science in China was conducted. • The future developments of safety science in China were introduced briefly. The practice and study of safety science in China has a long and prolific history. In China, safety science originated in the early 1950s, soon after the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. However, the more complete concept, research and practice of safety science were defined after the late 1970s, when China started its full-scale drive for economic reform and policy of openness. In the past decades, particularly in the 21st century, with the support of and encouragement from the Chinese government, safety science in China has undergone many changes and has been developed such that it is now becoming an independent discipline and an important research and practice field. Evidently, the research and practice of safety science in China has been fruitful. However, this was not well known to the world because most of the works addressing safety science were published or introduced in Chinese. Focusing on the discipline level of safety science, this paper provides a complete overview of safety science in China from five perspectives, namely, history, legislation, education, research, and prospects. The paper attempts to promote the cooperation and exchange between China and other countries to provide effective evidence-based services for the development of safety science in countries across the world. However, more detailed research on China's safety science should be carried out for a deeper understanding of China's work safety research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• State control and marketisation in Chinese water governance are complementary rather than contradictory. • China's water reform mirrors its overall economic reform taking an experimental approach. • The state/market dichotomisation has little power to explain complexity of water governance. • Attention to the 'both-and' hybridisation helps better understand the roles of state and market in water governance. • Hybridisation of water governance takes diverse forms shaped by their particular political economies. State/market interactions in water governance have long been interpreted in terms of the contradiction between water as a commons and water as a commodity. Recent challenges to this dichotomisation claim that it cannot provide a useful lens through which to interpret the complexity of water resources and their management. This paper provides evidence from China to show that a dichotomous interpretation of state/market interactions has little power to explain the formulation and evolution of water governance regimes. Through an analysis of China's water policy development over the 1998–2018 period, the paper outlines how state control and marketisation are complementary rather than contradictory, collectively contributing to a governance regime that serves broader political and economic goals as much as water management ones. We argue that better understanding of the roles of state and market in water governance requires moving beyond an 'either-or' point of departure, and paying greater attention to the 'both-and' hybridisation increasingly observed in water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The five functions of government-market dynamics are critical to SG deployment. • China and Japan differ in the ways that government actors engage market actors. • China's approach is hierarchical; Japan's approach is more systemic. • National contextual differences can explain the variety of dynamics and outcomes. • Optimising government-making dynamics is vital to realising SG potentials. Smart grids (SGs) have been increasingly regarded as an enabling technology for post-Fukushima energy transitions. SGs require new policies and market infrastructures to deliver their potential, but the roles of governments in increasingly market based energy systems have not been well conceptualised. Advancing the socio-technical energy transitions literature, this paper proposes five functions of government-market dynamics in an integrated framework, and applies the framework in the field of smart grid developments in two Asian countries, China and Japan. Based on interviews with 38 key stakeholders, this study has three main findings. First, both countries have in common that the five functions of government-market dynamics are critical in developing, diffusing and utilising SG technologies. Second, China and Japan exhibit distinctive characteristics in the ways that government actors engage market actors. While the Chinese approach is more hierarchical, fragmented and homogenous led by two monopolised grid companies, the Japanese approach is a relatively systemic, bottom-up, and heterogeneous system mainly operated through four large-scale SG demonstration projects. Third, national contextual differences, most notably the advancement of electricity market reforms, explain the variety of the dynamics and outcomes. This paper concludes that consideration of optimising government-market dynamics is vital to create conductive conditions for realising the potential that SGs can offer in energy transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sometimes an analysis of findings may not meet initial expectations. This outcome emerged after a six-month period of immersion in the life of a Chinese World Heritage Site. Both authors are familiar with the site – the first from living in the village and the second from visiting the village on many occasions for more than a decade. The paper describes a process of reflection and suggests this is rarely considered in the tourism academic literature. It indicates the outcomes of that process of reflection in coming to a much more Chinese centred cultural model of place meanings. The study reinforces the need for researchers to undertake self-questioning as a first step to the re-interrogation of findings to find hitherto silent nuances to fully understand the cultural and political contexts of tourism-induced change. • Discusses the role of reflection within research in the context of a failure to achieve a "good" SEM model despite initial research. • The process of reflection was aided by an emic approach adopted in the research. • The paper seeks to create a complementarity between Neo-Confucian thought and western empiricism with respect to place attachment. • The context of the study is the ancient Huizhou villages of Huangshan, Anhui. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The use of GB techniques based on 106 projects was examined for future upgrading. • Water-saving and site planning categories exhibited the highest achievement. • This study identifies four main barriers limiting GB quality upgrading. • This study presents recommendations in four aspects for GB quality upgrading. • Upgrading GB projects for urban heat mitigation and urban flooding management. Building sector is one of the primary culprits of environmental deterioration and energy consumption. Green building (GB) can be an effective solution to these challenges and has been prioritised by many nations, while the quality of most GBs was still low. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the application of GB techniques. In specific, an empirical study was conducted among 106 GBs in China. Results indicate that both water-saving and site planning categories received the highest achievements, followed by indoor environmental quality and energy-saving, and the material-saving and innovation categories were the most difficult to achieve. The items in site planning, energy-saving and indoor environmental quality clusters that depended more on design techniques could be realised evenly, while the water-saving and material-saving clusters that relied more on materials and equipment witnessed two extremes: one approaching to 100% and one close to zero. There could be an increase in technique achievement from low-quality GBs to high-quality GBs. Nevertheless, the achievements of many items were extremely in both one-star, and two- and three-star groups. Some even witnessed the reduction from the low-quality GBs to the high-quality GBs. A further investigation indicated that the unavailability of GB technique checklist, the impact of economic cost, low technological operability and the unavailability of GB products constrained the GB technique application. The combining impacts of them could further lower the GB technique application. To unlock these barriers, efforts should be made from the perspective of (1) revision and localisation of GB standard, (2) extensive technical support, (3) government regulations and support, and (4) the co-benefits: integration with other programmes. Overall, this paper is of value to improve GB technique application and facilitate the transitions towards higher quality GB agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions have been in a state of constant growth, and CO 2 emission reduction is a considerable challenge for China. The paper uses the IPAT-E (I = Human Impact, P = Population, A = Affluence, T = Technology, E = Energy) model to determine and classify the influencing factors of CO 2 emissions. Based on the provincial panel data, the paper used the partial least squares (PLS) method to establish a structural equation model (SEM), and analyzes the path coefficient between CO 2 emissions and its influencing factors. The paper contains 16 indicators from 2001 to 2016. Empirical results show that affluence, technology and energy have a significant positive impact on CO 2 emissions at the national level. And the affluence factor under the influence of population factor has the greatest impact. From a regional perspective, affluence factor has a significant positive impact on CO 2 emissions in the Northeast, East, Northwest, Southwest, and Central South China, with the largest impact on the Southwest. Technology factor has a small positive impact on East, Northwest and Southwest China. Energy factor has a significant positive impact on the Northeast, North, East China, Northwest and Central South China, with the greatest impact on North China. Affluence and technology factors have a negative impact on CO 2 emissions in North China. In addition, the population has a greater impact on affluence, with minimal impact on the Southwest. This study provides a comprehensive and accurate indicator estimation framework for CO 2 emissions. And the paper provides theoretical support for the government to formulate policies. This picture shows that the influencing path of various factors on CO 2 emissions and indicates the path coefficients of each factor, which constructs an indicator system that affects CO 2 emissions. Unlabelled Image • Utilize the IPAT-E model to identify factors that affect China's CO 2 emissions • Quantitatively study the contributions of each factor to CO 2 emissions • Combine IPAT-E and PLS-SEM models to construct a CO 2 emission research framework • Provide theoretical support for China to formulate CO 2 emission reduction policies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports results from a use of non-radial DEA i.e., range adjusted measure (RAM) which belongs to data envelopment analysis to evaluate the performances of the truck restriction policy in China. We try to explore what is inside the "black box" on the restriction policy by empirical study. Using the non-radial DEA model, we work with an approach that allows a flexible designation of three input variables and two output variables based on varying perspectives in China. The multipurpose approach reveals whether one policy is truly beneficial instead of officials' arguments, captured in the form of DEA scores. The modified model can better reflect macro-transportation process while earlier relevant models ignored truckers. This paper contributes to increasing traffic volumes and decreasing traffic accidents from the point of technical efficiency. The results of our paper reveal that: (a) China's truck restriction policies have achieved a significant "level effect" on efficiency improvement. (b) There are remarkable provincial differences in the effectiveness of the restriction policy. (c) Slack decomposition shows that excessive investment is the main source of inefficiency. Moreover, we delivery policy implications that: (a) the restriction policies greatly contribute to the efficiencies, and stringent policies are still needed in the following days; (b) the policy-making should suit local conditions, according to our classification of 30 provinces; (c) based on the worst performance of capital stock variable, the authorities should focus more on regulation of investment in transportation sector at a latter stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Established conservation key areas identification methodology. • Conducted conservation Gap analysis combining global data with local characteristics. • Delineated six conservation priority levels for the blank areas of nature reserves. The global system of nature reserves is facing adjustment and restructuring towards the goal of harmonizing ecological conservation with regional development. We use multiple ecoregion data at both global and national scales as ecological indicators to explore the gap areas of China's nature reserves, which can help to build a global network of nature reserve systems and lay a spatial foundation for global biodiversity conservation. This paper comprehensively resorts to the ideas and modeling approaches involved in gap analysis, conservation prioritization analysis and eco-region planning. After identifying in both global and national scales the potential areas with gaps in national nature reserves in China, it proposes conservation priority areas and optimization strategies. The study finds that in a global extent, the areas with the gaps in China cover a large area and are distributed widely, mostly on the both sides of the Tengchong-Heihe Line. The conservation priority areas are concentrated in mid-subtropical humid areas, plateau subtropical sub-humid areas and semi-arid areas, and plateau temperate humid/sub-humid areas. These areas are usually not sufficiently protected due to their diversified landforms, complex ecosystems and lack of protection measures. The results have verified and identified the areas with gaps in the building of Chinese national nature reserve system. They may make a unique and important contribution to global ecological conservation efforts in terms of protected area system optimization and conservation network building. This paper analyses the conservation gaps in China's national nature reserves and proposes conservation priority areas for optimising the layout of the nature reserve network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While localized price competition in many markets has been extensively analyzed, little empirical work has been undertaken in the land market. It is the intent of this paper, therefore, to investigate the nature of spatial price competition among land sellers that compete in concentrated markets within a specific geographical area. Applying spatio-temporal autoregressive model to data from the residential land market in China from 2007 to 2015, we find that, (1) the land market for residential development is highly localized, where land sellers (local governments) respond more strongly to the price changes by "close-by" sellers; (2) larger market share is significantly associated with less spatial price response and higher land price. Placebo analysis using the sample of land supply for industrial development reinforces a causal interpretation of our main findings. Results from this paper permit the conclusion that the supply of land for residential development is not a perfect competitive but a localized competitive market where land sellers controlling a larger share of the market exercise market power to maximize land revenue. • The first study investigating the nature of spatial price competition in land market. • Price competition among land sellers is highly localized. • Market concentration significantly influences the pricing behaviors of land sellers. • Land sellers exercise market power to maximize land revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mega-city regions have attracted wide attention in China, recent 'metropolitanization' at the multi-city scale is poorly understood. To tackle the void, this paper examines the emergent 'metropolitan plans' (dushiquan guihua) since 2019 and identifies a paradigm shift in metropolitanization from 'territorial urbanization' to 'multi-city regionalism' in China. We find that 1) as a fuzzy and dynamic concept, the metropolitan region has been mainly employed as a policy object for state rationalities and has been upscaled from a city region scale to a multi-city scale; 2) regarding planning practices, the new metropolitan plans function as an overall collaborative framework to support priority tasks for city regionalism in a shorter term rather than formulating long-term spatial strategies; 3) as space of governance, the recent state-orchestrated metropolitan region reflects the newest round of state rescaling process to cope with domestic uneven development and urban issues through 'urban unification', and its materialization heavily relies on concrete cross-boundary projects delivery and coordination through soft governance. These findings not only provide conceptual clarity and relational understandings of the metropolitanization process but also exemplify the distinctiveness of the Chinese metropolitanization approach in terms of scalar logic, planning style, and associated governance mechanisms. This paper furthers the understanding of the divergence and diversity of metropolitan planning and governance practices in different political-economic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in regional growth and industrial restructuring across spatial scales has been widely recognized, but the sectoral dynamics and locational determinants affecting sub-national acquisition target selection remain underexplored. This paper aims to examine the changing network properties of interregional M&As in various sectors and relevant drivers within the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), an emerging global city-region in China. Based on a dataset of 5764 announced M&A events from 2001 to 2016, the descriptive results reveal that M&As were unevenly distributed across sectors and regions, with manufacturing M&As more dispersed to the peripheral areas (or suburban counties) and service M&As more concentrated in a few major cities. The modeling results suggest that the improved locational accessibility and weakened administrative segmentation have largely promoted the intensity of cross-regional M&A connections at the sub-national scale. Place-specific attributes such as economic level, labor pool, innovative capacity, and policy setting still matter in acquisition target selection, but relevant roles varied across sectoral attributes of acquirers. The paper contributes to the understanding of the industrial dynamics and geographical mechanisms of M&As and their impacts on regional industrial restructuring within city-regions. • Sectoral dynamics and geographical mechanisms of corporate M&As are examined at the sub-national scale. • M&As occurred between manufacturing and producer services grew significantly. • Locational determinants of acquisition target selection vary across sectors. • Improved locational accessibility and weakened administrative segmentation dramatically enhanced interregional M&A connection. • Relationships between M&A and regional industrial restructuring are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article advances an affective geography of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in contemporary China. Drawing on existing theorizations of the potential roles of affect, emotion, and pre-consciousness in (re)shaping socioeconomic landscapes, we argue for an affective geography based on Ruez and Cockayne's affirmative theorization of ambivalence. The paper contends that SOEs are affective socio-spaces with divergent possibilities arising through workers' everyday life and not just a-priori institutional products of state power. The paper illustrates this framework with a close reading of the assemblage of workers' everyday life with the emergent socio-spatial formations of SOEs. The original case is based on in-depth interviews and on-site observations in 13 SOEs in the Northeast provinces of China. Ambivalent affects include sense of belonging and human kindness. These embody ambiguities and transformation of intense feelings, further acting on workers' ongoing employment practices to actualize the reproduction of SOE socio-spaces and workers' affective practices of "stabilities" and "mobilities". The results strengthen the affirmative meaning of ambivalence in (re)configuring SOE social, spatial and temporal relations. We thus call for further affective geographies that investigate the emergence of feeling-knowing-acting regime of ambivalence with possibilities for multiple becomings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Our paper examines the impact of corporate digital transformation on stock price crashes. • Our paper reconstructs the metrics of enterprise digital transformation in the context of China. • Heterogeneity analyses show that the ownership and the degree of technology moderate our findings. Digital transformation has become a key initiative for firms' sustainable development. Based on the annual reports of A-share listed companies, we use LDA model to construct a novel measure of firm digital transformation and examine its effect on the risk of stock price crash. We find that firm digital transformation significantly affects the risk of stock price crash. We then show that information asymmetry and firm performance are underlying mechanisms. Further, heterogeneity analyses show that the ownership and the degree of technology moderate our findings. This paper provides policy implications on the development of digital economy and capital markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity cross-subsidy policies have long been criticized for they involve subsidizing households by charging above-cost prices in industrial sectors. This paper examines the environmental and economic impacts of phasing out cross-subsidy in electricity prices in the context of China's Carbon Peaking and Neutrality goals by exploiting a large panel data from 2012 to 2020. We first adopt a price-gap approach to calculate the scale of negative cross-subsidy in China and different sectors. Next, we estimate the electricity demand price elasticity of high-, medium-, and low-emission industries to evaluate how the cross-subsidy affects electricity consumption, carbon emissions, and the output value. Finally, with the 2020 scenario as our baseline, we simulate three distinct policy change Schemes and evaluate the environmental and economic effects of phasing out electricity cross-subsidy in China. We find that if policy makers do not consider the emission levels of different industries when implementing cross-subsidy removal, great environmental harm will be caused. We also find that the potential burden on households of electricity cross-subsidy removal is likely to be relatively small at all implementation stages. This study provides timely policy implications for the ongoing electricity system reform in China. • This paper examines the environmental and economic impacts of phasing out cross-subsidy in electricity prices in the context of China's Carbon Peaking and Neutrality goals. • We find that if policymakers do not consider the emission levels of different industries in cross-subsidy removal, it will lead to large carbon emissions but small output in average. • If the cross-subsidy is fully borne by high-emission industries, the optimal Scheme is to reduce the cross-subsidy by approximately 50%–70% to obtain more economic output and less carbon emissions. • If high-emission bear twice as much cross-subsidy as the medium-emission industries, the carbon reduction and economic output will be maximised at 10%–30% of cross-subsidy removal. • We also find that the potential burden on households is relatively small at all implementation stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tourism industry plays an important role in the economic development of coastal urban agglomerations. Examining the influence of tourism industrial agglomeration on green innovation efficiency is vital for promoting sustainable development in coastal urban agglomerations. Nevertheless, there is limited evidence regarding this influence and its mechanism in the context of China. Based on the panel data covering 48 cities in coastal urban agglomerations in China from 2001 to 2021, this paper investigates the threshold effect of tourism industrial agglomeration on the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry and the mechanism of tourism industrial structure upgrading via a dynamic panel threshold model and mediating effect model. The findings reveal an inverted U-shaped threshold effect of tourism industrial agglomeration on the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry, which changes from positive effect to negative effect. Furthermore, tourism industrial structure upgrading partially mediates the threshold effect. Theoretically, this paper expands the understanding of the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry from the perspective of agglomeration. Practically, it provides policy recommendations for governments to promote green innovation development of the tourism industry in coastal urban agglomerations. • Improving green innovation efficiency is crucial to the sustainable development of the tourism industry. • The dynamic panel threshold model and mediating effect model are applied to explore the threshold effect and its mechanism. • There is a threshold effect of tourism industrial agglomeration on the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry. • Tourism industrial structure upgrading partially mediates the threshold effect [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of early exposure to malnutrition on the cognitive abilities of the offspring of survivors in the context of a natural experiment; i.e., the Great Chinese Famine (GCF) of 1959–61. We employ a novel dataset – the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) – to do so. The paper finds that the cognitive abilities of children whose fathers were born in rural areas during the famine years (1959–1961) were impaired by exposure to the GCF and the negative effect was greater for girls than boys, whereas children whose mothers were born in rural areas during the famine years were not affected. The uncovered gender-specific effect is almost entirely attributable to son preference exhibited in families with male famine survivors. • This paper focuses on the intergenerational legacy of the Great Chinese Famine (GCF) of 1959–61. • It investigates the effects of early exposure to malnutrition on the cognitive abilities of the offspring of the survivors of the GCF. • It employs a novel dataset that contains measures for cognitive abilities – the 2010 waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). • It finds that the cognitive abilities of children of rural male survivors were impaired by exposure to the GCF; the negative effect was greater for girls than boys. • The uncovered gender-specific effect is attributable to son preference exhibited in families with male famine survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper identifies the effect of extreme temperatures on labor wage. • Temperature and labor wage exhibit an inverted U-shaped relationship. • Extreme cold temperatures lower labor wage by reducing the average wages. • High temperatures primarily reduce labor wage by decreasing employee numbers. Labor wage is a common focus of welfare economics and public policy, but little is known about its response to climate factors. With random year-to-year variation in temperature based on county-level data while using comprehensive and nationwide manufacturing data in China, this paper identifies the effect of extreme temperatures on firm-level labor wage. The result shows an inverted U-shape relationship between temperature and firm-level labor wage. We find that extremely high and low temperatures affect labor wage through different channels. Specifically, extremely cold temperatures lower labor wage by reducing the average wage from the intensive margin, whereas the negative impact of high temperatures on labor wage is mainly driven by the decrease in the number of employees from the extensive margin aspect. The temperature effect is more pronounced for labor-intensive firms, firms with employees with lower education levels, and low-tech firms. Areas with a hot climate are more sensitive to extremely cold temperatures but are not affected by extremely high temperatures because of the adaptation to climate change. We also find that the high-temperature subsidy policy has not achieved the expected goal of protecting workers' welfare during this period. Our results suggest that China should raise public awareness of the danger of extreme temperatures and take various adaptive measures to deal with extreme temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green total factor productivity is a vital measure of sustainable progress, holding immense implications for attaining both economic growth and environmental preservation in a mutually beneficial manner. Focusing on green total factor productivity, this paper examines its nexus with low-carbon energy technology using the Instrumental Variable Generalized Method of Moments (IV-GMM) model, based on a panel dataset in China during 2005–2018. This paper also examines the asymmetric impact of low-carbon energy technology on green total factor productivity. In addition, the moderating and mediating effects are checked. The main findings are that (1) low-carbon energy technology is a promoting factor for green total factor productivity. (2) Low-carbon energy technology exerts a more prominent marginal impact on green total factor productivity when green total factor productivity is at higher quantile levels. (3) Renewable energy generation not only drives green total factor productivity directly, but also further increases the promotion effect of low-carbon energy technology on green total factor productivity, showing a positive moderating role. (4) Energy structure transition and industrial structure transition are two internal impact mechanisms between low-carbon energy technology and green total factor productivity. These findings suggest that the government can promote green total factor productivity development by developing policies related to low-carbon energy technology and fully releasing the effects of technology on sustainable development. • This paper assesses the level of low-carbon energy technology (LCET) in China. • This paper examines the effect of LCET on green total factor productivity (GTFP). • LCET plays a significant role in enhancing GTFP. • Renewable energy generation positively moderates the nexus between LCET and GTFP. • Energy structure transition and industrial structure transition are two mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of high-quality development, the e-commerce industry needs to seek more comprehensive development, and the logistics industry should not only maintain higher efficiency, but also meet the requirements of green and low-carbon transportation. This study aims to investigate the link between the logistic density and the proportion of e-commerce transaction scale. There are few studies on how logistics density affects the development of e-commerce quantitatively. In order to solve this gap, this study establishes an impact model of high-quality growth of e-commerce, and based on Solow production model, constructs a calculation method of logistics density, and analyzes the impact mechanism of logistics density on the scale ratio of e-commerce transactions. Using the bidirectional fixed effect model, this paper makes an empirical analysis of the panel data of 31 provinces consisting of 248 observations and autonomous regions in China from 2014 to 2020. The results show that logistic density has a positive and significant impact on the growth of e-commerce, thus promoting the optimization of economic structure. The acceleration of logistics density decreases the expansion of the ecommerce. Finally, there are obvious regional differences between the development of e-commerce and logistics infrastructure in China. Finally, based on the empirical result, this paper puts forward recommendations for government and companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational assessment of the regional sustainable development level is an important prerequisite for formulating development strategies and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, little literature provides nuanced understanding for national sustainable development from the perspective of county sustainability. Such studies can provide more accurate regional heterogeneity characteristics and policy decision support. Thus, this paper applies the entropy weight method and Chinese county data from 2000 to 2017 to reassess the sustainability of Chinese counties. The results show that China's county sustainability (Sustainable Development Index, SDI) is slowly improving. County sustainability performance is poorer in ethnic minority agglomerations, poor counties, old revolutionary counties, and central and western regions, better in county-level cities and eastern regions. The decomposition results show that economic sustainability and environmental sustainability are the main supporters of SDI growth, and livelihood sustainability is in urgent need of improvement. The regional inequality of SDI in Chinese counties gradually decreases, and inter-group differences are the main contributors to regional inequality in SDI. This paper provides support for China to develop county-level sustainable development measures and practice the SDGs. The findings could be useful for policymakers. [Display omitted] • Based on the entropy weight method and the Chinese county data, the sustainable development levels of 1533 counties in China from 2000 to 2017 are estimated. • Analyses of spatial-temporal dynamic heterogeneity, Linear decomposition, and Dagum decomposition are conducted to study the features of sustainable development in Chinese counties. •The influence of natural features and national concern preferences on county sustainable development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]