Study on the Measurement of high-quality development Efficiency and Influencing Factors in the Yellow River Basin, China

Abstract Pollution of the environment and a lack of resources and energy are the hallmarks of the Yellow River Basin. Therefore, maximizing resource allocation and fostering the Yellow River Basin’s high-quality development depend heavily on increasing high-quality development efficiency. However, it is unclear what factors affect the high-quality development efficiency in the Yellow River Basin and how spatially relevant they are. This study used the SUPER-EBM model and the Malmquist index model to measure the high-quality development efficiency, spatial correlation, and its affecting elements in the Yellow River Basin. The results show: (1) Overall, the efficiency of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin shows an overall trend of low in the east and high in the west. Growth in high-quality development efficiency relies mainly on technological progress and less on the degree of technology utilization. (2) Overall, the spatial correlation of the high-quality development efficiency of cities in the Yellow River Basin has been weakening annually, and the high-quality development of cities has been diversified. The higher portions of the basin have a notable concentration of high-efficiency cities. In contrast, the middle and lower reaches of the confluence have a nearby distribution of high and low-efficiency cities. (3) Negative geographical spillovers of high-quality development efficiency between high-efficiency and low-efficiency regions. The overall high-quality development efficiency of cities in the Yellow River Basin is positively correlated with the level of economic advance, urbanization, factor endowment, financial support, and education support. However, they are negatively correlated with energy consumption, industry structure (the share of the second industry), the level of utilization of foreign capital, and environmental pollution.