Urbanization and urban energy eco-efficiency: A meta-frontier super EBM analysis based on 271 cities of China

This study quantifies urban energy eco-efficiency (UEEE), examines the technological gap ratio (TGR) in regional energy use, and analyzes the impact of China's urbanization on UEEE. We propose a hybrid model that combines the Meta-frontier Super Epsilon-based Measure (Super-EBM) model and a Tobit model, using data from 271 Chinese cities between 2003 and 2020. The results indicate that the overall UEEE is ecologically inefficient throughout the study period. TGR has a positive impact on UEEE, with notable regional differences. However, the marginal effect of TGR on UEEE in the east region is lower than that in the other three regions. In addition, the urban population growth and UEEE exhibit a U-shaped relationship in the east and central regions, while an inverted U-shaped relationship is observed in the west region. The relationship between urban economic growth and UEEE is positive, accompanied with diminishing marginal effects in the central and west regions, whereas fixed asset investment negatively affects UEEE in the four regions, showing different marginal effects. These findings highlight the importance of considering technology and local urbanization in policy making.