Improving energy efficiency in the manufacturing sector is of great significance for enhancing the overall energy efficiency of society and achieving energy conservation and emission reduction. The impact of specialized agglomeration and diversified agglomeration in China's manufacturing industry on regional total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) still requires further empirical investigation. Based on panel data from 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2003 to 2022, this paper compares the patterns of specialized agglomeration and diversified agglomeration in manufacturing across different economic regions. The super-efficiency SBM model was employed to calculate the TFEE of each region, and a panel threshold regression model was used to test the nonlinear relationships between manufacturing specialized agglomeration or diversified agglomeration and energy efficiency. The results indicate that specialized agglomeration and diversified agglomeration exhibit distinct spatial patterns. Among China's four major economic regions, the eastern region has the highest level of specialized agglomeration, while the central region has the highest level of diversified agglomeration. The eastern region also demonstrates the highest energy efficiency, with Guangdong Province being the most energy-efficient province. The impact of manufacturing specialized agglomeration on energy efficiency shows a significant single-threshold effect. Furthermore, the impact of manufacturing diversified agglomeration on energy efficiency varies significantly across different stages of economic development. Finally, based on the empirical findings, the paper offers policy implications for optimizing regional manufacturing industrial layout and improving energy efficiency.
Man et al. (Fri,) studied this question.