Research On The Impact Of Urbanization On Green Total Factor Productivity

Since the reform and opening up,China’s total economic volume has continued to rise,and the development of urbanization has advanced rapidly.However,although the extensive urbanization development model has accelerated the process of economic development,it has also brought serious environmental pollution problems.Shortage of resources and intensified environmental pollution all affect people’s production and life.It is important to solve environmental problems and promote green and healthy economic development.In recent years,scholars have constructed green total factor productivity indicators,introduced environmental factors into the evaluation index system,and more comprehensively evaluated the level of green development.The role of technological innovation in the growth of green total factor productivity has become increasingly prominent.The agglomeration effect of cities and the improvement of transaction efficiency are conducive to the generation and diffusion of technological innovation.Existing research has verified the impact of urbanization on green total factor productivity,but the mechanism and way of influence between the two have not yet been clearly concluded.This article believes that urbanization can promote the growth of green total factor productivity through the mediating effect of technological innovation..At the same time,environmental regulation is an important tool for controlling environmental pollution,which may have a regulating effect on the intermediation of urbanization,technological innovation and green total factor productivity.Based on this,this paper selects 30 panel provinces,autonomous regions,and municipalities in China(excluding Hong Kong,Macau,Taiwan,and Tibet)from 2000 to2015 using Generalized matrix estimation to study the impact of urbanization and green total factor productivity,and introduces Technological innovation as an intermediary variable,with environmental regulation as a moderating variable,combined with existing literature,construct a theoretical model to verify the main effect of urbanization on green total factor productivity,the mediating effect of technological innovation between the two,and environmental regulation on urbanization,The mediating effects of technological innovation and green total factor productivity,and an in-depth analysis of the impact of urbanization on green total factor productivity.With reference to Wen Zhonglin and Ye Baojuan’s(2014)mediation effect test process and adjusted mediation effect test procedure,and based on empirical regression results,the conclusions of this paper are drawn:(1)Urbanization is not conducive to the growth ofgreen total factor productivity,that is,Green total factor productivity is inhibiting.(2)Technological innovation has an intermediary effect between urbanization and green total factor productivity,and it is also a partial intermediary.Specifically,in the study of urbanization and green total factor productivity,the median variable technology innovation was added,and the inhibition effect of urbanization on green total factor productivity weakened.(3)Environmental regulation positively regulates the relationship between technological innovation and green total factor productivity,and there are regulatory effects between urbanization,technological innovation,and green total factor productivity.The Bootstrapping method was further used to test the mediating effects under different regulatory effects,and it was found that environmental regulation at a low level and a high level has a regulatory effect on the indirect effects of urbanization on the level of green total factor productivity through technological innovation.Finally,combined with the results of empirical tests,corresponding policy recommendations are proposed to promote the development of urbanization,improve the level of technological innovation,and strengthen environmental regulations.