Evaluating the Regional Green Innovation Efficiency in China: A DEA-Malmquist Productivity Index Approach

摘要

Green innovation has been the most important strategy for countries to gain sustainable development because of the popular environmental protection trend. By application of DEA-Malmquist productivity index approach, this paper evaluates the green innovation efficiency from the year 2005 to 2010 on the national, regional, and provincial level in China. The empirical results reveal that the green innovation efficiency at national level increases steadily, but differs a lot between the eastern, middle and western areas, eastern area best, western area worst and middle areas in the middle. Technological progress is the main enabler which promotes the green innovation efficiency of provinces, while the technological efficiency decline is the main barrier which blocks the green innovation efficiency of provinces. Based on the empirical results, this paper proposes the countermeasures to different development level provinces.