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China introduced the Intermodal Transport Demonstration Project Policy in 2015, spurring the rapid expansion of sea-rail intermodal transport (SRT) at coastal ports. This policy is of crucial importance as SRT is pivotal in supporting the transport sector's achievement of the "double carbon target". Despite strong policy backing and notable growth of SRT, the impact of these SRT demonstration projects on curbing transport carbon emissions has not been comprehensively evaluated. This study addresses this gap by using panel data from hub seaports across nine provinces and applying a multi-period-continuous difference-in-differences model. The research quantifies SRT's contribution to reducing transport carbon emission reductions as a result of the policy. Key findings indicate: (1) Each 10,000 TEU increase in containerized SRT volume results in a 0.162% reduction in transport carbon emissions, with projected growth by 2025 leading to a 9.02% decrease in emissions. (2) SRT lowers transport energy consumption and carbon emission intensity, fostering a green transformation in energy use. (3) Geographical analysis indicates that policy implementation in the southern region requires further strengthening. This study enhances empirical understanding of low-carbon SRT development in hub ports, emphasizing its critical role in China's transition to decarbonized transport. It also highlights the importance of regional policy effectiveness, offering valuable insights for policymakers striving to promote sustainable transport modes. • Evaluates the impact of China's sea-rail intermodal transport policy on reducing transport carbon emissions. • Uses a multi-period continuous difference-in-differences model with panel data from major ports. • The policy significantly reduces emissions, but regional disparities in effectiveness exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reliable estimates of asthma prevalence are essential for developing effective public health policies. However, discrepancies in published results have posed challenges for public health planning in China. To address this issue, we conducted this study to provide a comprehensive assessment of the epidemiology of asthma prevalence in China. Methods: We conducted a thorough systematic review across multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, and Weipu database. The search was limited to studies published in either Chinese or English up to August 31, 2023, that reported on asthma prevalence in China. We extracted relevant study characteristics and performed meta-analyses. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023397949). Results: A literature search yielded 192 studies that met the inclusion criteria out of 17,152 articles. The overall prevalence of asthma in Mainland China was found to be 2.20% (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.96-2.47%; I2 = 99.8%), with the prevalence of ever asthma at 2.21%, current asthma at 2.16%, ever asthma-like symptoms at 14.36%, and current asthma-like symptoms at 3.01%. Using a random-effects model, the prediction interval ranged from 0.44 to 10.27%. Meta-analysis subgroups indicated that men or children and the elderly generally have a higher prevalence of asthma. In addition, the prevalence of asthma is higher in urban areas and in the East China. The prevalence of asthma has been on the rise over the past three decades, from 0.69% in 1984 to 5.30% in 2021. Projections suggest that the prevalence could reach 9.76% by 2050 for the Chinese population. Conclusions: Asthma remains less prevalent in China than in western countries, however its prevalence has been gradually increasing over the past thirty years. The disease burden shows notable variations based on sex, age, and geographic regions, indicating significant demographic and regional disparities. To guide decision-making priorities and direct future research, conducting high-quality epidemiological studies on asthma is crucial. Key message: •The overall prevalence rate of asthma in China is 2.20%, and a higher rate observed in males compared to females. •The prevalence rate of asthma varied across different regions of China. •There has been an increasing trend in asthma prevalence in China over the past three decades. •The prevalence of asthma in China is projected to reach 9.76% by 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of Industry 4.0 on carbon emissions within China's logistics sector, focusing on its potential to support global carbon reduction goals. Utilizing panel data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2011 and 2019, this research employed an Industry 4.0 index alongside IPCC guidelines to estimate logistics emissions. Through fixed effects and dynamic panel models, this study indicated an inverted U-shaped relationship among the development of Industry 4.0 and carbon emission management. Industries move to emitting more pollution to provide their required needs to all but once technologies advance, drastic decreases in combustion and emissions take place as the industries move more towards conservation and the integration of information continues to improve. This study investigates the non-linear impact of Industry 4.0 on carbon emissions in China's logistics sector. Utilizing panel data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2011 and 2019, the research employs a dynamic panel model to quantify the relationship between Industry 4.0 adoption and carbon emissions. The findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship, with emissions initially increasing by 10% at lower levels of technology adoption before decreasing by 15% as the Industry 4.0 index reached higher levels. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the strategic deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies to achieve sustainable logistics growth. Key policy implications and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While newly built urban green spaces aim to address environmental concerns, the resulting green gentrification and social inequality caused by escalating property values have become critical topics of urban socio-spatial research. To prevent green initiatives from becoming unaffordable for their intended beneficiaries in rapidly urbanizing cities, it is essential to examine the spatial and temporal relationships between the construction of new green spaces and rising housing prices. This study employs a difference-in-differences methodology to analyze regional disparities, impact periodicity, and the influence of park size on housing prices, using Nanjing, China as a case study. This result reveals that the introduction of new-built parks in Nanjing significantly impacts housing prices within an 800 m radius. The premium effect of these parks is substantially higher in urban core areas compared to suburban locales, demonstrating spatial differentials. Suburban parks temporally exhibit a prolonged lag and a shorter premium impact duration. Moreover, among various park areas, medium-sized parks demonstrate the most pronounced leverage effect, approximately double that of large parks, while small parks do not significantly affect housing prices. To mitigate the exacerbation of premium effects and enhance social justice in green strategies, we advocate prioritizing the development of small parks, particularly in urban core areas, and leveraging the temporal delay in new-built park impacts for urban policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Specialty agricultural farmers have widely adopted digital technologies in all aspects of their specialty agricultural operations. However, the effect of digital technology application (DTA) on specialty agricultural farmers' income has not been fully evaluated. Moreover, it remains unclear whether DTA enhances farmers' income (FI) by improving their varied capabilities. To fill this gap, we analyzed the intrinsic relationship and mechanism between DTA, farmers' capability (FC), and specialty agricultural farmers' income. Methods: Using field survey data from 635 litchi farmers in China, we employed OLS regression models and mediation effect models to empirically investigate DTA's direct and indirect impacts on litchi farmers' income. Additionally, we examined the group heterogeneity and regional heterogeneity. Results and discussion: The empirical results show that DTA can promote specialty agricultural farmers' income by enhancing their production capacity (PC) and transaction capacity (TC). Heterogeneity analysis showed that the empowering effect of DTA is especially significant for disadvantaged farmers, and farmers who are in specialty agricultural resources-rich regions. Conclusion: This study contributes to the body of research on the empowerment of specialty agricultural farmers by examining the effect of DTA from a capability perspective. Consequently, to better play the empowering effect of DTA for specialty agricultural farmers, policymakers should account for regional disparities in promoting digital agriculture, and enhance heterogeneous farmers' DTA capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global economy, society, and environment are undergoing profound changes and the realization of sustainable development has become the common aspiration of the international community, ecological civilization construction has become an increasingly important issue for China to formulate its long-term development strategies and promote modernization. This study analyzes the characterization of 655 established pilot zones of ecological civilization construction and 'clear waters and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver' innovative practices from 2017 to 2022. The spatial distribution of ecological civilization areas in China follows a pattern where more regions are in the southeast than in the northwest (Hu Line). The focus of China's comprehensive ecological civilization construction has been towards the southwest in the first year and has subsequently shifted towards the northwest. The overall Gini coefficient decreased from 0.494 to 0.299, and regional ecological civilization disparities gradually narrowed. Currently, regional construction disparities between the eastern and western regions are a major obstacle to balanced development; therefore, promoting coordinated regional development is necessary. Various factors affecting the pattern of ecological civilization construction, including natural resources, economic development, social progress, policies, and culture, were identified. The availability of natural resources and economic development cause regional differences in construction levels. This research will help promote the coordinated development of Chinese ecological civilization, while the development experiences of different regions can also provide guidance for sustainable development in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. However, continuous monitoring is essential to ensure sustained access and to tackle regional disparities in drug utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus constitutes a pivotal aspect of regional ecological protection and high-quality development. The exertion of multiple WEF-related policies would engender both synergies and trade-offs within the WEF nexus. However, a quantified framework that integrates the impact of multiple WEF-related policies with conventional WEF nexus assessments and simulations is currently lacking. This study quantified the WEF nexus in the Yellow River basin (YRB) of China under the influence of multiple policies, calculated the current and future WEF scores under different policy combination scenarios using the improved entropy weight method, the auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, and the linear optimization method. The results revealed the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, WEF overall scores and subsystem scores were substantially increased with spatial heterogeneity. (2) Scenario analysis indicated that policy implementation would generally accelerate WEF score improvements in each city, yet embracing all policies simultaneously was not optimal for each city. (3) The spatial heterogeneity in policy impacts was also found in the YRB, with higher trade-offs in the upper reaches of cities, and higher synergies in the middle and lower reaches of cities. To attain high-quality development within the YRB, the related policies' implementation should consider the regional disparities and enhance the optimization of resource allocation across the regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation has become an organized and widely implemented project in rural areas. However, research remains somewhat scarce on the contributing mechanism of land consolidation to farmer income in developing countries. Using provincial panel data from China, this study employs a fixed effects model to analyze the influence of high-standard farmland construction on farmer income and underlying mechanisms. Results suggest that the implementation of high-standard farmland construction can significantly augment farmer income. Reduction in agricultural production cost, improvement in agricultural management benefit and increase in non-farm income have led to the boost in income. The relationship between income and high-standard farmland construction exhibits regional disparities, with the most significant impacts concentrated in economically developed areas and low relief degree areas. Our findings suggest that it is imperative for the Chinese government to persistently promote the establishment of high-standard farmland, and further enhance its positive influence on advancing agricultural cost-effectiveness and expanding non-farm income channels for farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discourse on the ascendancy of city‐regions as a geopolitical framework predominately derives from neoliberal experiences, articulating the interplay between the politics of city‐regional distribution and the evolving role of the state in distribution governance, alongside the challenges related to post‐suburban development. Given the diverse political and economic frameworks across the state, exploring the geopolitics of city‐regional distribution beyond overwhelmed neoliberal assumptions is imperative. This study aims to explicate alternative geopolitics of distribution within China's recent city‐region‐building. Through studying the negotiation and development of two Enclave Industrial Parks (EIPs) in the Pearl River Delta, Southern China, we recontextualise the centrally orchestrated city‐regional distribution within the authoritarian framework of the developmental party‐state. We propose a conceptual framework delineating the transitional rationality of the multi‐scalar state, illustrating the political and territorial negotiation of distribution within a hierarchical resource arrangement. We argue that authoritarian distribution schemes, while manipulating the market regime, do not inherently impede the local distribution. Nonetheless, political and territorial mandates on city‐region‐building, which arbitrarily redefine the opportunities of local communities, perpetuate an authoritarian and contested nature of distribution, ultimately contributing to widening regional development disparities in contemporary China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In China, economic, urbanization, and policy differences between the eastern and western regions lead to uneven healthcare resources. This disparity is more pronounced in the west due to fewer healthcare personnel per thousand individuals and imbalanced doctor-to-nurse ratios, which exacerbates healthcare challenges. This study examines the spatial distribution of human resources in maternal and child healthcare from 2016 to 2021, highlighting regional disparities and offering insights for future policy development. Methods: The data were sourced from the "China Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbook" (2017) and the "China Health and Health Statistics Yearbook" (2018–2022). This study utilized GeoDa 1.8.6 software to conduct both global and local spatial autocorrelation analyses, using China's administrative map as the base dataset. Results: From 2016 to 2021, there was an upward trend in the number of health personnel and various types of health technical personnel in Chinese maternal and child healthcare institutions. The spatial distribution of these personnel from 2016 to 2021 revealed clusters characterized as high-high, low-low, high-low and low-high. Specifically, high-high clusters were identified in Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces; low-low in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; high-low in Sichuan province; and low-high in Fujian and Anhui provinces. Conclusions: From 2016 to 2021, there was evident spatial clustering of health personnel and various health technical personnel in Chinese maternal and child healthcare institutions, indicating regional imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green technology transfer can help narrow the regional differences in green innovation, thereby contributing to a more coordinated green development. This study uses the social network analysis approach to explore the characteristics and regional differences in green technology diffusion in mainland China from 1985 to 2021. A unique dataset of patent transactions was used to construct green technology transfer networks. The findings demonstrate that energy-related technologies had the highest demand in the market. In addition, private sectors, especially multinational enterprises, were the most active network entities, whereas universities played a limited role in diffusion. Moreover, green patent transactions were highly localized and presented regional disparities. Resource-based regions with high pollution had lower green technology flows and formed a path dependence, whereas a few developed regions served as influential spreaders. The network exhibited a core-periphery pattern and dis-assortativity, thus creating a Matthew effect and widening the regional gaps. The absorbers and beginners tended to form connections with bilateral spillover, while peripheral provinces faced delinked risks. These findings help us understand the regional disparities and diffusion patterns of green technologies in China, thus accelerating the diffusion of green technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to advancements in information technology and growing eco-tourism demand, National Park Network Attention (NPNA) has emerged as a novel indicator of tourism appeal and ecological value recognition. Utilizing Baidu search index (accessed in 2023) data from 2013 to 2022, this study employs time series analysis, index analysis, and spatial statistics to measure and differentiate the spatial and temporal aspects of NPNA across 31 provinces, regions, and municipalities in mainland China, while systematically assessing the impact of various factors from both source and destination perspectives. Over the period of 2013 to 2022, NPNA has increased annually, peaking around holidays and during spring and autumn, demonstrating pronounced seasonality and precursor effects, while exhibiting volatility due to external events. Influenced by factors from both source and destination perspectives, the spatial distribution of NPNA displays a trend of being "high in the east and low in the west" and "high in the south and low in the north", though regional disparities are diminishing. The population size in the source areas remains the dominant factor influencing NPNA, while the concept of national parks is not yet widely recognized. The destination's tourism resource endowment, media publicity, accessibility, and level of informatization are significant influences. An effective integration of resources and marketing is essential for boosting NPNA. The findings provide valuable insights for optimizing the spatial layout of national parks, enhancing the tourism service system, innovating communication and promotional strategies, and improving national park governance effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: High prices, as a main factor, contributed to the lack of adequate access to essential anticancer medicines, especially for patients in developing countries. The Chinese Government has introduced a series of policies to control the prices of medicines during the last decade, but the effect on anticancer medicine is not yet clear. Methods: To evaluate the time trends and regional variation in the price of essential anticancer medicines in China, we used the procurement data of anticancer medicines from 2015 to 2022. We selected 29 anticancer medicines from the 2018 Chinese National Essential Medicines List. To measure the cost of a medicine, we used defined daily dose cost -the cost per defined daily doses. At national level, we focused on the price changes over time and compared the price between medicine categories. At provincial level, we assessed price variation among provinces over time. Results: For prices at the national level, all 6 targeted medicines exhibited a continuous decrease trend in price. Out of 23 non-targeted medicines, 4 (17.39%) experienced continuous increases in prices, and 9 (39.13%) showed price decreases from 2015 to 2019 and then an upward trend during 2019-2022; Of the remaining non-targeted medicines, 7 (30.43%) had continuous price decreases and 3 (13.04%) had price increases followed by decreases. For prices at the provincial level, provincial price variation became smaller for almost all targeted medicines, except rituximab; for 11 out of 23 non-targeted medicines, provincial price variations became larger. During the study period, the proportion of price-increased medicines in each province was geographically correlated, and no significant relationship between prices and GDP per capita was observed for both targeted and non-targeted anticancer medicines. Conclusion: The prices and regional disparity of most targeted anticancer medicines were decreasing, while for nearly half of the non-targeted anticancer medicines, the prices were increasing and the regional disparity became wider, which may lead to compromised access to these essential anticancer medicines and raise inequity health outcome among regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's experience has triggered debate over a trade-off between aggregate growth and regional equity. We develop a three-region model of China where local government decisions are driven by central government tax transfer instruments. These affect local TFP dynamics and regional inequality. We find regional asymmetry in how transfers are awarded. Transfer policies pursued since the 1994 tax-sharing reform prevented a 15% rise in regional inequality, at an 8% cost to aggregate GDP. Temporarily reducing local government non-tax fees on private firms in poorer regions lowers regional inequality permanently at no aggregate growth cost, as would imposing uniformity in central transfer rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity for climate governance is crucial for sustainable advancement, with data elements being a pivotal production factor in contemporary governance. This study examines the trajectory and strategy of digital transformation in climate governance, creating a three-dimensional dataset encapsulating 11 primary and 36 secondary indicators to facilitate the assessment of digital climate governance. Employing spatiotemporal analysis and coupling coordination models, this study evaluates the digitalization levels in climate governance across 30 regions in China, examining how to progress digital integration from governmental and market perspectives. Findings reveal a consistent improvement in China's regional digital climate governance, bolstering economic and social progress. Nonetheless, regional disparities and developmental lags persist, with convergence analysis indicating a divergence trend in provincial climate governance capabilities. Moreover, kernel density and Markov chain analyses suggest an ongoing evolution in regional digital climate governance efforts, aiming at achieving a higher development plateau. The study emphasizes the dual role of government and market dynamics in boosting digital governance levels, deducing from two-stage regression that effective government-market interplay is vital for elevating governance quality and fostering new productive forces, recommending an integrated governance mechanism for optimal synergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conduct an empirical study on regional inequality, one of the main factors of the principal contradiction in China, using the provincial data from 2011 to 2019, from a multidimensional perspective. Inequalities are measured based on an approach that improves the applicability of inequality measures in multidimensional case. From the results, we find a continuous downward trend in overall regional inequality, but the performance of regional inequality differs across dimensions. Among four dimensions, regional inequality in the dimension of economy has been increasing and is substantially higher than others, and the sharp drop of inequality in ecology has greatly contributed to the decline in overall regional inequality since 2014. For sub-dimensions, we find that regional inequality in sub-dimensions including economic performance, economic innovation, economic infrastructure, ecological governance, and housing is at a relatively high level and on the rise, which should be Chinese government's focus at the present stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the spatiotemporal evolution of economic development in 23 cities across Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macau from 1990 to 2022. The results indicated a general growth trend in overall economic development, with substantial fluctuations in absolute differences and a significant reduction in relative differences. The economic development appeared to be balanced both within and between cities. Spatially, the study revealed an increasing agglomeration effect, evident polarization in economic levels, and a distinct core–periphery structure, with central cities in the Greater Bay Area exerting a growing influence on their peripheries. Nevertheless, the peripheral cities, despite their economic strides, necessitate augmented policy interventions and capital influx to bridge regional chasms. The study's outcomes serve as a foundational reference for sharpening policy decisions, fostering regional amalgamation, and invigorating urban blueprinting and city-to-city synergies. This research provides an in-depth analysis of economic development trends across 23 cities in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau over 32 years. For policymakers, urban planners, and business leaders, the findings present a clearer picture of the region's economic landscape. Notably, while central cities within the Greater Bay Area have become influential economic hubs, surrounding cities still face challenges. These insights suggest a need for more targeted policies and investments, especially in peripheral cities, to promote more uniform growth across the region. By understanding these dynamics, governments and businesses can make more informed decisions that foster city-to-city collaborations and develop better urban and regional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic disparity between southern and northern China has widened in the past decade. This article explores the roles of the north-south stretched backbone high-speed rails (HSRs) in the widened north-south economic gap in China. By constructing panel data of 283 cities between 2005 and 2016 and estimating the difference in GDP and per-capita GDP of northern and southern cities before and after the first north-south stretched HSR, we show that the north-south economic gap widened by about 8% as the opening of the Beijing-Shanghai HSR, the first north-south stretched HSR. Further channel analysis reveals that the north-south gaps in population, fixed asset investment, public expenditure, and the relative size of secondary industry to tertiary industry also widened. These results suggest that fast transportation improvement caused by long-distance backbone HSRs can contribute to accelerating the large-scale regional disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a widespread phenomenon globally and has a significant impact on land, particularly in terms of land use and price. This study focuses on 2851 county-level cities in China in 2005–2018 (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and 'no data' areas in Qinhai-Tibet Plateau) as the fundamental units of analysis. By employing nighttime light (NTL) data to identify shrinking cities, the propensity score matching (PSM) model was used to quantitatively examine the impact of shrinking cities on land prices, and evaluate the magnitude of this influence. The findings demonstrate the following: 1) there were 613 shrinking cities in China, with moderate shrinkage being the most prevalent and severe shrinkage being the least. 2) Regional disparities are evident in the spatial distribution of shrinking cities, especially in areas with diverse terrain. 3) The spatial pattern of land price exhibits a significant correlated to the economic and administrative levels. 4) Shrinking cities significantly negatively impact on the overall land price (ATT = −0.1241, P < 0.05). However, the extent of the effect varies significantly among different spatial regions. This study contributes novel insights into the investigation of land prices and shrinking cities, ultimately serving as a foundation for government efforts to promote the sustainable development of urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the pooled prevalence, as well as the spatial and temporal distribution, of urolithiasis among subjects in China. Materials and Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of both Chinese and English databases to retrieve literature pertaining to the prevalence of urolithiasis in the indigenous Chinese population. A random‐effects meta‐analysis model was employed to calculate the pooled prevalence of urolithiasis. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on factors such as time, region, gender, and sample size. Prevalence and spatial distribution maps were created based on provinces and latitude/longitude coordinates. Results: A total of 46 studies conducted in 22 provinces across China were included in this meta‐analysis and the pooled prevalence of urolithiasis, kidney stones, ureteric calculi, urethral and bladder stones were 8.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6–11.1%), 7.8% (95% CI 5.8–10.0%), 3.2% (95% CI 0.6–5.7%), 0.5% (95% CI 0.1–0.9%). Most of the urolithiasis prevalence screening in China was concentrated between 100° E and 120° E, with higher rates observed in low latitude areas. Subgroup analysis of kidney stones revealed that Guangdong (12.7%) and Guangxi (10.3%) had the highest prevalence, with the eastern developed area exhibiting higher rates compared to the west. The prevalence in males was higher than in females (odds ratio 1.67, 95% CI 1.46–1.92), although the gender gap has significantly reduced since 2006. Moreover, a greater sample size is associated with a decreased prevalence of urolithiasis. Conclusions: The prevalence of urolithiasis is increasing in China, and there are noteworthy regional or provincial disparities in occurrence. It is worth noting that the current number of screening studies in some areas is insufficient. Additional investigations with appropriate sample sizes should be supplemented in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between decentralization and inequality remains puzzling. The primary objective of this paper is to study the effects of decentralization on regional education inequality in China where national higher education policies systematically prioritize large cities. We apply the Gini coefficient and the econometric model of regional convergence (i.e., Barro regressions) to study original provincial college admission data in China from 2005 to 2013. We discover that the provincial Gini coefficients have been declining throughout the period. The Barro regression results also suggest that the provincial-level college-going rates have been converging. We further demonstrate that the convergence is driven by provincial rather than national universities. Access to elite national universities remained unequal across provinces and still favored super cities. We conclude that decentralization helps to drive down the regional inequality of access to higher education that is due to national polices. It is not yet clear whether our conclusion is applicable to other policy domains or other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable and stable population support capacity of a country or region is of great concern. This study proposes a new method for evaluating the land carrying capacity (LCC) based on food nutrition demand and establishes a clear link between nutritional health and land. We delved into the evolving dynamics of food consumption and production structures in China between 1990 and 2020, with a focus on the spatial variations among its 31 provinces. The objectives of this study were to assess the status of LCC, identify the critical nutritional factors constraining LCC enhancement, and propose differentiated pathways for improving LCC. The results showed that: (1) There has been a steady increase in the annual consumption of animal-based products, while plant-based product consumption has declined. (2) Overall, food supply capacity has expanded, displaying an "east high, west low" trend, resulting in an imbalanced food supply level. (3) The LCC for energy and carbohydrates exhibited continuous fluctuating growth but displayed a declining trend after 2018. (4) The pressure on land carrying capacity has shifted from a state of "surplus" to "abundant surplus," signifying a safe food system level. However, significant spatial variations persist, leading to shortages and surpluses. Therefore, this work suggests that addressing these disparities requires the optimization of food consumption structures and increasing the supply of animal-based foods. This approach leverages regional advantages and reduces disparities in regional LCCs. This study provides a valuable reference for ensuring food security in response to unprecedented global changes in sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aggravation of congestion, pollution, and other negative externalities generated by continued urbanization, polycentric strategies have gradually become one of the main urban and regional spatial strategies. It remains unclear, however, whether the polycentric structure is conducive to regional coordinated development. This study examines these issues using China's urban agglomerations (UAs) as a sample. The Prolonged Artificial Nighttime‐light Dataset of China (PANDA) was used to measure the polycentric structure. The results of the nonparametric identification of sub‐centers show that almost all of China's UAs exhibit multiple (sub)centers, and the number of (sub)centers in most UAs has increased from 1992 to 2020. Empirical analysis shows that a polycentric structure is beneficial for narrowing regional disparities within the UA, and the narrowing effect of the polycentric structure on regional disparities increases as the distance between centers increases. Furthermore, a polycentric spatial structure is more conducive to the economic growth of small cities in UA, thereby promoting the coordinated development of regions within UA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is committed to reduce child malnutrition outcomes (CMO) rates to less than 5 % by 2030 in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Yet, this is still an enormous challenge for China, particularly in disadvantaged areas, due to regional and urban-rural disparities. Using China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data from 1991 to 2015 and fixed-effect models, this study investigates the social determinants of stunting (n = 4012) measured by height-for-age z score (HAZ) and wasting (n = 4229) measured by weight-for-height z score (WHZ) in children under the age of five. According to the empirical findings, the significant social determinants of child stunting encompassed whether the child is insured (p

Background: As approximately 3/4 of the population lives in county-level divisions in China, the allocation of health resources at the county level will affect the realization of health equity. This study aims to evaluate the disparity in hospital beds at the county level in China, analyze its causes, and discuss measures to optimize the allocation. Methods: Data were drawn from the Chinese County/City Statistical Yearbook (2001–2020). The health resource density index (HRDI) was applied to mediate between the influence of demographic and geographical factors on the allocation of hospital beds. The trends of HRDI allocation were evaluated through the growth incidence curve and the probability density function. The regional disparity in the HRDI was examined through the Lorenz curve, and Dagum Gini coefficient. The contribution of the Gini coefficient and its change were assessed by using the Dagum Gini decomposition method. Results: From 2000 to 2019, the number of hospital beds per thousand people at the county level in China increased dramatically by 1.49 times. From the aspect of the HRDI, there were large regional disparities at the national level, with a Gini coefficient of 0.367 in 2019 and in the three subregions. In 2019, the Gini coefficient of the HRDI exhibited regional variations, with the highest value observed in the western region, followed by the central region and the eastern region. Decomposition reveals that the contribution of interregional disparity changed from the dominant factor to the least important factor, accounting for 29.79% of the overall disparity and the contribution of trans-variation intensity increased from 29.19% to 39.75%, whereas the intraregional disparity remained stable at approximately 31% and became the second most important factor. Conclusion: The regional disparity in hospital beds allocation at the county level in China was large and has not improved substantially. Trans-variation intensity was the main reason for the overall disparity and changes, and the intraregional disparity was more important than the interregional disparity for the overall disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a dataset encompassing 228 cities in China spanning from 2005 to 2019, this study explores the nonlinear relationship between air quality and housing prices and devises a strategy that incorporates the instrumental variable and machine learning to address the endogeneity issue. Both traditional models and machine learning models find air pollution affects housing prices in a diminishing manner. The negative impact of air pollution on housing prices decreases when the degree of air pollution intensifies. Such a characteristic is more pronounced in Eastern China and cities with fewer land resource constraints and larger populations. Mechanism analysis also reveals that air pollution could affect residents' perceived air quality and the industrial structure, further contributing to the nonlinear relationship between air quality and housing prices. The further SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) evaluates the importance of air quality in determining housing prices and finds that air quality's contribution outweighs educational and medical resources. The contribution of air quality also shows a distinct regional disparity and has become increasingly important in recent years. The findings refine the benefit assessment accuracy related to air quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Headquarters economy is an advanced and complex economic form, and not all places possess the conditions to develop this type of economy. However, few studies have been devoted to evaluating and analyzing the suitability of a given region to develop headquarters economy, theoretically or empirically. In this study, a novel concept of "suitability of headquarters economy development" (SHED) was proposed, and a corresponding theoretical model and a four-level hierarchical indicator system were established. Besides, through an integration of the projection pursuit model, Pearson correlation, Theil index, and so on, we examine the regional inequality, spatial-temporal dynamic patterns and heterogeneity of the 19 urban agglomerations (UAs) in China from 2004 to 2018. The results showed that the SHED level of China's UAs had been increasing since 2004, with an extending trend of regional differences. The Theil index value confirmed that the differences in SHED were mainly owing to variations among the three hierarchies. In addition, the SHED of China's UAs exhibited significant dimensional heterogeneity, spatial heterogeneity, and hierarchical heterogeneity. According to the overall performance of China's UAs, their SHED can be divided into five grades: high-speed advancing zone, rapidly advancing zone, steadily advancing zone, preliminarily advancing zone, and initially starting zone. The SHED level of many UAs mismatch the level of central cities under their jurisdiction, which needs to be treated differently. This study enriches the existing knowledge regarding headquarters economy and provides useful policy implications for the promotion of high-quality development of UAs in China and other developing countries in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban public buildings carbon emissions exhibit an upward trend and have a large potential in carbon emission reduction. The analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics and driving factors for urban public buildings carbon emissions is essential in formulating effective policies for carbon reduction, meeting commitments to peak carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. This study takes China's urban public buildings carbon emissions as the research object, employing methods such as spatial autocorrelation analyses, kernel density estimation analyses, and the LMDI decomposition methods to explore the spatiotemporal characteristics and regional disparities in carbon emissions from 2006 to 2019. Furthermore, it quantifies the contributions of driving factors to the spatiotemporal changes in urban public buildings carbon emissions. The results show the following: (1) Urban public buildings carbon emissions among provinces are consistently increasing, indicating an overall upward trend. The spatial distribution highlights significant regional disparities. (2) The spatial characteristics of urban public buildings carbon emissions were basically stable. The eastern coastal regions demonstrate a high-high cluster, while the western regions exhibit a low-low cluster. The overall cluster evolution showed a decreasing trend from east to west. (3) Per capita urban public building area, economic density, urbanization rate, and population size serve as driving factors for carbon emissions from urban public buildings, while energy efficiency and energy consumption intensity act as inhibitory factors. The findings of this research can assist policymakers in getting a deeper comprehension of urban public buildings carbon emissions and providing a scientific basis to formulate appropriate carbon emission reduction policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following economic reforms, China has become one of the premiere destinations for foreign capital; however, the benefits of this spectacular growth are not evenly distributed. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the Chinese government has designed and implemented policies to encourage foreign investment in central and western provinces to help decrease the significant distributional differences in regional industrial value-added, with limited success. In contrast to previous literature, this paper uses Panel Least Squares method to analyze empirically the impact of industrial sector FDI on Chinese regional inequality in industrial value-added 2003–2013, using three Chinese regions. The lack of prerequisite institutional structure to aid in FDI absorption affects location choices. Despite government policies to support inland regional economic development, foreign firms still prefer to invest in coastal provinces, further illustrating the effects of regional clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there have been many discussions about the influencing factors of urban expansion, the heterogeneity of the driving mechanisms behind urban form remains poorly understood. Therefore, this paper evaluated the heterogeneous impacts of potential determinants on urban form, considering regional disparities and the stage of development. Based on land use data collected from Landsat ETM and TM scenes, the landscape metrics of urban size, urban centrality, urban shape irregularity, and urban fragmentation were measured to describe the urban form of 265 Chinese cities. We find that the regional disparities and development-stage variations significantly affect urban form. All urban form variables showed a significant stair-stepping difference in cities at various development stages, indicating that as a city upgrades its level of development, the intensity of urban expansion gradually increases, the shape of the urban edge becomes more fragmented and the urban built-up area becomes more compact. Urban form in Chinese cities shows significant geographical heterogeneity in terms of its driving forces. The effect of the socioeconomic factors on urban form also presented changes depending on the development stage. Our results provide helpful references for policymakers within urban spatial structure planning and land resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of industrialization often causes resource depletion and environmental pollution. To shed light on China's resource use and pollution trends in the context of the country's rapid industrial growth, this study analyzes the eco-efficiency of China's industry from 2000 to 2015. We quantify industrial eco-efficiency (IEE) for China and its provinces using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and analyze potential influencing factors at national and regional levels using Tobit regression. IEE in China and in most provinces shows a clear upward trend with some fluctuations, with national scores increasing from 0.394 to 0.704. There is strong regional disparity, with average IEE scores in eastern provinces (0.840) higher than those in central provinces (0.625), which are in turn higher than those in the northeast (0.537) and west (0.438). We next consider potential drivers. Economic development and foreign direct investment (FDI) are positively associated with IEE but appear to show diminishing returns. Environmental enforcement and market for technology are also positively associated with IEE, as expected. The impact of economic development, industrial sector structure, and investment in research and development (R&D) are modified by the stage of industrialization in each region. Targeted measures that can adjust industry structure, enhance environmental enforcement, attract FDI, and increase R&D investment may help further improve IEE in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Essential medicine is a vital component to assure universal access to quality healthcare. However, the trend of affordability to essential medicines in China and its regional differences were not yet fully understood. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the price and affordability of essential medicines, their progress, and regional distribution in China in the last decades. Methods: We searched seven databases and three websites for potentially eligible studies from inception until March 2022. Studies on the price and affordability of essential medicines investigated in China were included. Median and interquartile range (IQR) was used to describe the price and affordability of essential medicines, and compared in three periods, before 2009, from 2009 to 2014, and from 2015 to 2019. Subgroup analysis was performed to examine the price and affordability by regions, health facilities, and ATC categories of medicines. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022310173). Results: A total of 65 studies including 11,639 health facilities investigated between 2006 and 2019 were included in this review. Median price ratios (MPR) and affordability of essential medicines were reported in 44 studies and 50 studies, respectively. The median MPRs of essential medicines in China was 1.59 (IQR: 5.39), with a tendency to rise first and then fall from 2006 to 2019. And the median affordability was equal to 0.88 (IQR: 2.58) days' wage of the lowest paid unskilled government worker, but steadily rose from 2006 to 2019. Subgroup analysis showed that the affordability in the western region (1.40, IQR: 2.88), urban area (0.95, IQR: 2.80), private sector (0.90, IQR: 2.30), of originator brands (OB) (2.90, IQR: 6.68), and antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (5.68, IQR: 56.47) were worse than their counterparts. Conclusion: The prices of essential medicine were higher than international level, the overall affordability of essential medicines in China is acceptable but poor inBackground: Essential medicine is a vital component to assure universal access to quality healthcare. However, the trend of affordability to essential medicines in China and its regional differences were not yet fully understood. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the price and affordability of essential medicines, their progress, and regional distribution in China in the last decades. Methods: We searched seven databases and three websites for potentially eligible studies from inception until March 2022. Studies on the price and affordability of essential medicines investigated in China were included. Median and interquartile range (IQR) was used to describe the price and affordability of essential medicines, and compared in three periods, before 2009, from 2009 to 2014, and from 2015 to 2019. Subgroup analysis was performed to examine the price and affordability by regions, health facilities, and ATC categories of medicines. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022310173). Results: A total of 65 studies including 11,639 health facilities investigated between 2006 and 2019 were included in this review. Median price ratios (MPR) and affordability of essential medicines were reported in 44 studies and 50 studies, respectively. The median MPRs of essential medicines in China was 1.59 (IQR: 5.39), with a tendency to rise first and then fall from 2006 to 2019. And the median affordability was equal to 0.88 (IQR: 2.58) days' wage of the lowest paid unskilled government worker, but steadily rose from 2006 to 2019. Subgroup analysis showed that the affordability in the western region (1.40, IQR: 2.88), urban area (0.95, IQR: 2.80), private sector (0.90, IQR: 2.30), of originator brands (OB) (2.90, IQR: 6.68), and antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (5.68, IQR: 56.47) were worse than their counterparts. Conclusion: The prices of essential medicine were higher than international level, the overall affordability of essential medicines in China is acceptable but poor in the western region, for OB drugs and anti-cancer medicines. Further national essential medicine policies are needed to reduce regional disparities and improve the affordability of expensive drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city region has emerged as an important form of regional development and governance. However, the dynamics of spatial inequality in city regions are misunderstood. This study examines the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) to determine the spatiotemporal evolution of regional inequality across prefecture-level municipalities from 1990 to 2018. It finds that regional inequality has steadily increased since the 1990s but has declined somewhat in recent years. This is associated with faster growth and higher upward mobility of central regions in the early reform period and increases in the upward mobility of the periphery in recent years. The gradient-distance curve of the Shanghai-centered economy sharpened and then flattened, indicating the polarization of growth in the core regions, followed by the diffusion of development and improved regional integration. However, the core-periphery remains stronger within provinces between provincial capitals and other regions. Despite regional integration and peripheral development, the problem of spatial exclusion and core-periphery structures persists. More attention needs to be given to the core-periphery relationship and the development of peripheral regions to promote regional integration and reduce spatial polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Development of urban-rural integration is essential to fulfill sustainable development goals worldwide, and comprehension about urban-rural integration types has been highlighted as increasingly relevant for an efficient policy design. This paper aims to utilize an unsupervised machine learning approach to identify urban-rural integration typologies based on multidimensional metrics regarding economic, population and social integration in China. Design/methodology/approach: The study introduces partitioning around medoids (PAM) for the identification of urban-rural integration typologies. PAM is a powerful tool for clustering multidimensional data. It identifies clusters by the representative objects called medoids and can be used with arbitrary distance, which help make clustering results more stable and less susceptible to outliers. Findings: The study identifies four clusters: high-level urban-rural integration, urban-rural integration in transition, low-level urban-rural integration and early urban-rural integration in backward stage, showing different characteristics. Based on the clustering results, the study finds continuous improvement in urban-rural integration development in China which is reflected by the changes in the predominate type. However, the development still presents significant regional disparities which is characterized by leading in the east regions and lagging in the western and central regions. Besides, achievement in urban-rural integration varies significantly across provinces. Practical implications: The machine learning techniques could identify urban-rural integration typologies in a multidimensional and objective way, and help formulate and implement targeted strategies and regionally adapted policies to boost urban-rural integration. Originality/value: This is the first paper to use an unsupervised machine learning approach with PAM for the identification of urban-rural integration typologies from a multidimensional perspective. The authors confirm the advantages of this machine learning techniques in identifying urban-rural integration types, compared to a single indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing the per capita incomes of urban and rural households reveals a sizable income disparity in the latter, as well as an uneven distribution of income across China's regions. This article discusses and ranks the drivers that affect rural development. Among the most critical are farmer support factors, transportation infrastructure development, information and communication technology development, and rural entrepreneurship. The decline in the Engel coefficient, which reflects changes in welfare and income elasticity estimates of food demand, and income elasticity itself, indicates that food demand for Chinese farmers has become extremely inelastic. The ranking of China's regions in terms of per capita income growth shows that the intended policy of wealth equalisation of the country's population is being followed. The objective is to modernise agriculture and reduce regional disparities for China to achieve the status of a moderately developed country shortly, which will require state assistance. The emphasis is on farmer welfare, rural areas, and agriculture. In the face of massive population densities, regional disparities, and vast heterogeneous territory, the land consolidation practice is demonstrated in various regions as a platform and lever for rural life revitalisation. Rural tourism development is defined as a means of generating additional jobs and ensuring the long‐term viability of villages. The rural elite's decisive role in leading the agricultural sector's restructuring is emphasised. Central and local governments can use the results to strengthen the legislative framework, develop plans and programmes, and identify rural development models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has emerged as a major player in marine fish aquaculture, contributing significantly to economic, social, and environmental development. Analyzing the competitive evolution pattern of regional marine aquaculture is critical to promote the synergistic development of this industry. The "vertical and horizontal" scatter degree method was employed to examine the dynamic evolution trend and spatial non-equilibrium of the competitiveness level of marine fish aquaculture in nine Chinese provinces and cities. Using the σ-convergence model and absolute β-convergence model, the evolution of absolute differences was characterized. The study reveals the existence of stage and regional characteristics of marine fish aquaculture in the nine provinces and cities, with an observable gradient effect. The overall difference is observed to decrease, indicating a trend towards regional synergistic development in the marine fish aquaculture industry. This finding holds practical significance and theoretical value in promoting the growth of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying energy transition (E T) and evaluating energy policies are crucial for global sustainable development. This study measures the energy transition index (E T − C C D) at the prefecture-level city level in China and evaluates the synergistic effects of the dual-pilot energy policy of New Energy Demonstration City (NEDC) and Low Carbon City Pilot (LCCP) based on the energy trilemma (E T R) of coordinated development in terms of security (E S), justice (E J) and sustainability (E S U). The results show that the overall E T − C C D is increasing, with the eastern and central regions leading, the western region growing significantly, and the northeast fluctuating upward, indicating regional disparities. Compared to single policies, the dual-pilot energy policies have a more significant promoting effect on energy transition, especially in eastern, western, non-central cities, resource-based cities, and cities with high carbon emission reduction potential. Mechanism analysis reveals that the dual-pilot energy policies significantly promote E S and E J , but have a negative impact on E S U in the short-term. Improvements in E S , E J and E S U all significantly promote energy transition, with E S serving as a complete mediator, while E J and E S U serving as partial mediators. Additionally, the findings remain stable in robustness tests and provide data support for a flexible mix of policy instruments to facilitate energy transition. • Novel framework integrating Energy Trilemma with dual-policy impacts. • Analysis reveals synergistic effects enhancing energy transitions. • Study focuses on city-level policy impacts on sustainable development. • Uses advanced methods like DID and DML to validate findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quantify the impacts of urban ecological land transition on high-heat exposure. • China's urban ecological land transition shows regional and scenario heterogeneity. • Urban ecological land transition impacts high-heat exposure over 90 million people. • Urban ecological land evolution patterns have a higher impact than area. • Optimizing landscape patterns is a top priority in urban planning in urban core. Urban ecological land (UEL) is an important nature-based solution for mitigating human exposure to extreme heat (i.e., high-heat exposure, HHE), but the impacts of future UEL transition remain unclear. This study developed a high spatial-temporal resolution dataset (30 m) of urban land cover in China during the 21st century under the shared socioeconomic pathway and the representative concentration pathway (SSP-RCP) to quantify the contribution of UEL transition to HHE. Results showed that UEL transitions will influence 0.12–0.26 °C of the HHE from 2021 to 2100 and is the dominant driver in 10.2–22.8 % of cities (including 95.1 million to 181.2 million people in 2100), with substantial regional disparities. Moreover, UEL landscape pattern is a more important factor than area. Specifically, the UEL evolution pattern will dominate the exposure of 8.02 to 10.77 million people to extreme heat within the urban cores (i.e., predominant urban areas) in the SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5 scenarios, especially in the eastern cities. Under the SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, the UEL evolution pattern will dominate the exposure of 2.44 to 5.34 million people to extreme heat on the expansion surfaces (i.e., areas transitioning from rural to urban), especially in the western cities. The optimization of UEL landscape patterns should be a top priority as an urban heat adaptation strategy to maximize urban resilience to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Spatial autocorrelation shows China's COD emissions: higher in East, lower in West. • Geodetector shows nitrogenous and chemical fertilizers are main COD emission drivers. • The interplay of COD emission drivers boosts the explanatory power for discharges. The advancement of industrialization and urbanization has exacerbated global water pollution. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) serves as a crucial metric for assessing organic contamination in aquatic environments. Consequently, the spatiotemporal characteristics and driving factors of COD emissions have emerged as a significant area of current research interest. This study employs spatial autocorrelation and geodetector methods to rigorously analyze the spatial–temporal patterns and principal drivers of COD emissions in China's wastewater, drawing on eleven geographic and socio-economic datasets spanning from 2011 to 2019. This study indicates that COD emissions in China's wastewater have consistently decreased annually between 2011 and 2019, with a marked reduction observed post-2016. Regarding spatial distribution, COD emissions in the eastern region significantly surpass those in the western region, highlighting pronounced regional disparities. The analysis of the global Moran's Index indicates that the COD emissions across China's provincial regions demonstrate spatial clustering of similar values, with this clustering intensifying annually. Furthermore, the local Moran's Index identifies the precise locations of these spatial clusters. Geodetector analysis identified that the consumption of nitrogen fertilizers and the consumption of chemical fertilizers had substantial impacts on COD emissions, whereas the proportion of urban population at year-end and the number of granted inventions exerted lesser effects. Furthermore, the interaction between two factors notably enhances the explanatory power regarding COD emissions. This research underpins the formulation of efficacious pollution control and environmental protection strategies, contributing vital insights for the stewardship of water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the regional inequality of resident income in local China at the county or district level, and Zhejiang Province is set as the empirical case. It takes a geographic approach to detect the spatial distribution pattern of resident income, and explore the relationship with regional-specific socio-economic factors. The analytical framework proposed by us has been proved appropriate by the case study. Our study results show that in terms of the resident income level, there exists great regional gap in Zhejiang with the northeast wealthy cluster and much poorer cluster in the southwest. The disposable income of residents is mainly determined by commerce prosperity, urban intensity and technological capacity of local areas, while the effect of regional income, household deposits and industrial production are much less or no significant. Our findings for Zhejiang lead us to suggest that those local states seeking to improve people's livelihood and income should not solely rely on the industrial or manufacturing expansion, but pay more attention to business environment, urban construction and indigenous innovation. Also, to narrow the significant regional gap of resident income, extra efforts should be made to push the regional cooperation system in economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's government launched the Targeted Poverty Alleviation (TPA) program in 2015 as a part of a multipronged framework to lift every Chinese above the national poverty line by 2020. This study is devoted to examining the effects of the TPA program on household welfare indicators. To this end, the China Family Panel Studies data for the period 2010–2018 are analyzed. The propensity score matching and difference-in-difference (PSM-DID) method is employed to address the sample selection bias and endogeneity inherent in program participation. The results show that TPA program participants earn significantly higher incomes than non-participants. However, the program's effect on consumption expenditure is insignificant, suggesting that the program has contributed to lifting people out of poverty mainly by increasing incomes. Furthermore, even though the program seeks to deliver precisely targeted interventions, it is more effective in some regions than in others. Removing regional disparities is an area of opportunity for improving the efficacy of the TPA program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban public buildings carbon emissions exhibit an upward trend and have a large potential in carbon emission reduction. The analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics and driving factors for urban public buildings carbon emissions is essential in formulating effective policies for carbon reduction, meeting commitments to peak carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. This study takes China’s urban public buildings carbon emissions as the research object, employing methods such as spatial autocorrelation analyses, kernel density estimation analyses, and the LMDI decomposition methods to explore the spatiotemporal characteristics and regional disparities in carbon emissions from 2006 to 2019. Furthermore, it quantifies the contributions of driving factors to the spatiotemporal changes in urban public buildings carbon emissions. The results show the following: (1) Urban public buildings carbon emissions among provinces are consistently increasing, indicating an overall upward trend. The spatial distribution highlights significant regional disparities. (2) The spatial characteristics of urban public buildings carbon emissions were basically stable. The eastern coastal regions demonstrate a high-high cluster, while the western regions exhibit a low-low cluster. The overall cluster evolution showed a decreasing trend from east to west. (3) Per capita urban public building area, economic density, urbanization rate, and population size serve as driving factors for carbon emissions from urban public buildings, while energy efficiency and energy consumption intensity act as inhibitory factors. The findings of this research can assist policymakers in getting a deeper comprehension of urban public buildings carbon emissions and providing a scientific basis to formulate appropriate carbon emission reduction policies.

Rapid urban expansion and energy transformation are two major challenges facing China. Many researchers have explored urban compactness and energy efficiency, but there is little literature on the coordinated development of the two. Therefore, this paper takes 35 cities in China as research object: The urban compactness evaluation index system is established, and the score is calculated using the entropy weight method; considering the bad output, SBM is used to calculate the green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE); and the coupling coordination degree model is used to calculate their coordinated degree. The following conclusions can be inferred: (1) Although China's urban compactness has increased, it has not maintained a steady upward trend. Some more developed cities have the phenomenon of compactness rising first and then falling; (2) The overall GTFEE shows a continuous upward trend, but there is still much room for improvement, and regional disparities are significant; (3) The degree of coordination between the two maintains a steady upward trend, and the city's compactness lags behind GTFEE. Based on the findings of the study, this paper proposes policy recommendations that can serve as a reference for key decision-makers and are critical in promoting China's urbanization and energy transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extremely persistent heavy rainfall (EPHR) is characterized by high rainfall intensity and long durations, which can cause destructive natural disasters. In this study, hourly merged precipitation data for 2009–2019 are used to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of EPHR over China. Reanalysis data are used to classify synoptic patterns related to EPHR. Observations show that the EPHR process is substantially asymmetrical, occurring mostly in South China, whereas its strongest intensity takes place in North China. There is a tendency for EPHR to occur near coastal and mountainous areas, basins, and urban agglomerations. Monthly and diurnal patterns of EPHR exhibit complex regional disparities in frequency and cumulative precipitation. EPHR exhibits a bimodal structure during summer in South and Southwest China, whereas a unimodal structure is observed in Huang‐Huai valleys, and early morning peaks are substantial elsewhere. Furthermore, the synoptic patterns associated with EPHR also differ by region. Using an objective synoptic classification method, typical synoptic patterns are classified in each region. Combining the effect of land‐sea contrast, the low vortices system, low‐level jets (LLJs), and shear lines play a key role in supporting EPHR in South China. The location of EPHR south of the Yangtze River is substantially controlled by the intensity of southwest vortex, LLJs, and the shear line, while the southwest vortex dominates in Southwest China. The effects of the low vortex, shear lines, and terrain are prominent in Jianghuai region. Furthermore, EPHR in the northern region is closely related to western Pacific subtropic high and local vortices. Key Points: Heavy rainfall lasting more than 5 hr is regard as extremely persistent heavy rainfall and its maximum duration can reach 12 hrThe diurnal patterns of extremely persistent heavy rainfall event have obvious regional differences, but frequently in the early morningThe synoptic patterns of extremely persistent heavy rainfall are closely related to the low‐level jets, local vortex, and shear line [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research considers the effects of air transport on economic growth and asks how airport development affects regional convergence across three Chinese macro‐regions. A growing body of research has examined national aviation‐growth relationships in developing countries over the last decade. Yet few studies have sought to determine whether air transport boosts regional development, especially in developing and emerging economies. Using a dataset spanning from 2005 to 2017, and drawing on panel data regression and instrumental variable analyses, we provide empirical evidence that air transport drives economic growth in China and its macro‐regions. However, we find no major synergy across air, high‐speed rail, and waterway transport as drivers of economic growth at national and regional levels. Furthermore, air transport has a significant effect in widening China's per capita income disparity. On that basis, we suggest Chinese local governments should carefully consider equity‐efficiency trade‐offs and provincial and municipal conditions and regional contexts when planning new airports, increasing airport services, or extending aviation connectivity. Others elsewhere may derive insights from these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we first detect the uneven distribution of regional inequality in rural China with the per capita net income data at county level, and then diagnose the various factors that contribute to this as well as its driving mechanisms using the four-dimension transitional framework. The results suggest that rural inequalities are clustered at the province level, and those most unequal regions tend to be geographically gathered. Stemming from the framework, the study reveals that the spatio-temporal disparity in rural inequality is deeply embedded in the quadruple-transition process of marketization, globalization, decentralization and urbanization. Employing both the pooled OLS and spatial regime models, the study further unfolds that influences of the transition processes are diversified across regions and study periods. We finally argue that human investment rather than economic growth plays the key role in reducing the rural inequality in eastern provinces, and that the formulation of policies in line with regional characteristics would be helpful to address or alleviate rural inequality. • The uneven distribution of regional inequality in rural China is detected. • Major contributors and impetus of the disparities of rural inequality is diagnosed. • Rural inequalities tend to be geographically gathered. • Spatio-temporal disparity in rural inequality is deeply embedded in China's transitional process. • Human investment plays the key role in reducing the inequality in eastern provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are large heterogeneities in the logistics development of urban agglomerations in western China due to the low compactness and spatial stability of urban agglomerations. Using the statistical yearbook and logistics industry data of 135 cities in western China from 2003 to 2018, we analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of logistics enterprises using kernel density and cold–hot spot analysis. Simultaneously, economic development level, industrial structure of circulation, and the logistics industry are identified as influencing factors of logistics industry evolution. The comparative and integration analysis of spatial autocorrelation models and geographically weighted regressing models are implemented on the influencing factors of logistics enterprises' spatial-temporal evolution. Our study revealed that the number and density of logistics enterprises in western China have continually increased in the past 20 years, factors such as per capita gross domestic product, population quantity, population density, the proportion of the tertiary industry, and density of logistics enterprises are all key factors supporting the evolution of the logistics industry in western China. The logistics industry in the western provinces has had outstanding development in the past 20 years; however, there are still obvious regional inequalities due to factors such as infrastructure and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]