Identifying the evolution of ecological poverty alleviation efficiency and its influencing factors: evidence from counties in Northeast China

Ecological poverty alleviation (EPA) is an effective strategy to address the vicious circle of poverty and environmental destruction in poor areas. However, it remains controversial whether this strategy has really succeeded in this respect. Previous research investigated the impact of a certain factor on EPA, and only few studies integrated them to explore their differential effects, thereby overlooking the complexity of EPA. Therefore, this study quantified the overall efficiency of the EPA strategies of 28 poor counties in three provinces of Northeast China from 2005 to 2018 by using a super-efficiency slacks-based measure model. This model can take into account undesirable outputs; as such, it has significant advantages in measuring the coordination among economic and social development and environmental protection. The Tobit model was used to explore the factors influencing EPA efficiency. The results show that, first, the majority of counties investigated had an EPA efficiency below the overall national average. Second, as for the factors influencing EPA efficiency, it was found that (1) GDP per capita and investment in environmental governance favored EPA efficiency, as they are conducive to stimulating regional consumption dynamics and achieving green economic development; (2) science and technology expenditure and urbanization were not conducive to EPA efficiency; and (3) industrial structure and trade had insignificant effects on EPA efficiency, due to the small scale of industry and the inadequacy of the policy system. This study assessed EPA efficiency from a holistic perspective, and addressed the controversies over EPA's influencing factors, thereby providing an effective method to conduct regional EPA assessment and improve EPA performance in poor regions of China.

Automated summary

Ecological poverty alleviation is an effective strategy to address poverty and environmental destruction in poor areas, but its success remains controversial. This study quantified the efficiency of EPA strategies in 28 poor counties in Northeast China from 2005 to 2018 and found that most counties had a below-average EPA efficiency. Factors such as GDP per capita, investment in environmental governance, science and technology expenditure, and urbanization influenced EPA efficiency, while industrial structure and trade had insignificant effects. This study provides a holistic assessment of EPA efficiency and addresses controversies over influencing factors, offering an effective method for regional EPA assessment and improvement in poor regions of China.