Research on eco-efficiency evaluation and influencing factors of Five Urban Agglomerations in China

This research uses the SBM-DEA model to measure the economic efficiency and eco-efficiency of the cities in China’s five major urban agglomerations of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration and the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration in 2007-2016, and further analyzes the factors affecting eco-efficiency by using the Tobit model. The results show that: (1) The economic efficiency of the five urban agglomerations is at a medium to upper level. The economic efficiency among urban agglomerations still shows some differences, but the efficiency gap has shrunk. (2) The eco-efficiency of the five urban agglomerations is slightly lower than the economic efficiency, and the difference of the two efficiencies has significantly expanded after 2011. Eco-efficiency still shows significant regional difference among urban agglomerations. The nuclear density curves of five urban agglomerations show different distribution states and development trends. Environmental pollution is the determining factor for the eco-efficiency of the five urban agglomerations. (3) From the perspective of factors affecting eco-efficiency, economic development, industrial structure, investment in science and technology, environmental regulation, and population size have different effects on the overall and different urban agglomerations.