Assessing eco-performance of transport sector: Approach framework, static efficiency and dynamic evolution

摘要

As main undesirable outputs of transport sector, controlling traffic accidents and carbon dioxide (i.e., CO2) emissions are the key points for sustainable development in highway transport sector. This paper proposes an extended Data Envelopment Analysis (i.e., DEA), namely the unified Bounded-adjusted Measure (BAM), to measure the variable-specific technical inefficiency and the corresponding productivity change of highway transport sector during 2006-2015 in China. Note that, through the analysis of total factor decomposition, this paper seeks the key points for the safe operation and emissions reduction of provincial highway transportation sector in China. The results show that the quantity of traffic accidents, CO2 emissions from highway transport sector, along with investment constitute important source leading to the inefficiency of highway transport sector in China. The static inefficiency values associated with conventional provinces whose value added growth relies on transportation is high. Regarding Luenberger productivity indicator, the reduction of traffic accidents has had a significant positive effect on total factor productivity (TFP), and has been slightly better than the weak positive effect of CO2 emissions reduction since 2006. Thus, in the latter stage, Chinese highway transportation policy should address the regulation on CO2 emissions. From the perspective of decoupling theory, China's overall road transport output value is coordinated with the quantity of traffic accidents and CO2 emissions, but the internal differentiation appears.