| In the process of synchronous development of promoting new-type industrialization,informatization and urbanization,some prefecture-level cities become the new hub city or bench-marking city which benefited from the effective agglomeration of elements and resources,there exist competitions between cities in terms of economic growth and environmental protection.It is of great theoretical and practical significance to study how the impact of urban competition on the achievement of regional sustainable development.Using the panel data of 191 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2015,we measure the high-order pressure and low-order suction of spatial spillovers from the economic growth and environmental protection,respectively.This paper also studies the impacts of the competitions of economic growth and environmental protection within inter-city on eco-efficiency.Our main findings show that,firstly,the high-order pressure and low-order suction of spatial spillovers in terms of economic growth and environmental protection in the adjacent areas are different in the direction of improving eco-efficiency,the former promotes while the latter restrains,and the effects of ‘throw the handle after the blade' and ‘progress in dominant' are the most prominent respectively.Secondly,when the distance threshold is 750 km,the eco-efficiency growth rate will be decreased by 14.5% and increased by 9.7% for each additional unit of high-order pressure and low-order suction of economic growth,while the eco-efficiency growth rate will be decreased by 0.6% and increased by 4.5% for each additional unit of low-order suction of environmental protection.Thirdly,estimation results of the sub-samples document that the effect of ‘throw the handle after the blade' is still prevailing in the impact of the economic growth competition of each group on promoting eco-efficiency,and the effect of ‘progress in dominant' is still prevailing in the impact of the environmental protection competition of each group on promoting eco-efficiency.Fourthly,compared with the resource-based(RB)and non-key environmental protection(KEP)cities,the non-RB and KEP cities are more likely to be affected by the neighboring cities which are more restrictive in terms of environmental regulation,and the performance of their environmental regulation presents significant ‘progress in dominant' effect.The conclusions of the study suggest that it is necessary to introduce the healthy competition between cities in the process of regional sustainable development.The local governments should also attach great importance to the positive spatial spillovers of economic growth and environmental regulation,eco-efficiency growth pole areas should exert their demonstration effects and spillover effects.To enhance the eco-efficiency rapidly and effectively and realize green development,different cities should be adopted different restriction mechanisms,persisting in classify guidance and developing uniquely. |
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