IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v178y2025i3d10.1007_s10584-025-03889-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Synergy or siphoning: does the low-carbon city pilot policy enhance green economic efficiency?

Author

Listed:
  • Zhixuan Ji

    (University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

  • Baoliu Liu

    (Beijing University of Technology
    Beijing University of Technology)

Abstract

Achieving efficient economic growth in a low-carbon manner is becoming a crucial aspect of sustainable development. Meanwhile, promoting coordinated development to achieve synergistic carbon reduction and efficiency enhancement across cities from a holistic perspective holds significant practical importance. Based on panel data from 282 Chinese cities spanning 2005 to 2019, this study employs staggered difference-in-differences (DID) and spatial Durbin DID models to investigate the direct and spatial spillover effects of China’s low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy on green economic efficiency. The findings reveal several key insights: First, the LCCP policy significantly enhances green economic efficiency, primarily through advancements in green transportation, employment, and technology. Second, a notable spatial correlation exits in the green economic efficiency of Chinese cities, with spatial agglomeration generally trending upward over time. Third, local low-carbon city pilots can create a “siphoning effect” through technology and population concentration, inhibiting improvements in neighboring areas and impeding coordinated sustainable development among cities. Therefore, adopting a holistic perspective, establishing coordination mechanisms among cities, and promoting the optimal overall green economic efficiency within the region are essential for effective policy outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhixuan Ji & Baoliu Liu, 2025. "Synergy or siphoning: does the low-carbon city pilot policy enhance green economic efficiency?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 178(3), pages 1-27, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:178:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s10584-025-03889-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-025-03889-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-025-03889-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-025-03889-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:178:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s10584-025-03889-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.