The Nonlinear Impact of Economic Growth Pressure on Urban Land Green Utilization Efficiency—Empirical Research from China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I carefully reviewed this article. The authors discuss the impact of Economic Growth Pressure (EGP) on Urban Land Green Utilization Efficiency (ULGUE) in China. The article analyzes how EGP affects ULGUE through internal institutional factors under China's unique economic growth target system, and reveals the non-linear relationship between the two and its potential mechanism. The selected topic of the article has some practical significance and the research methodology is reasonable, however, there are still some details to be improved in terms of theoretical derivation, model construction and policy recommendations. In addition, I found to iThenticate report shows that the repetition rate of the manuscript reaches 26%, and attention should be paid to reduce the repetition rate to improve the originality of the article. My specific suggestions are as follows:
1. The introduction describes the importance of EGP to ULGUE in the context of rapid urbanization in China, with sufficient background information to lead to the research question well. The first paragraph mentions the rapid growth of China's urbanization rate, but does not mention the data source, which needs to be supplemented with data sources or references to enhance the persuasiveness.
2. The introduction introduces the research background of economic growth pressure and urban land green utilization efficiency, but lacks critical overview. In addition, factors about urban land use, urbanization , government policies, etc. should be added. The following references are suggested to enhance the synthesis. -Multi-Scenario Simulation of Land Use Change and Ecosystem Service Value Based on the Markov-FLUS Model in Ezhou City, China. China; Synergistic impacts of carbon emission trading policy and innovative city pilot policy on urban land green use efficiency in China; Promoting inclusion in urban land use planning using participatory planning. Inclusion in urban land use planning using participatory geographic information system (PGIS) techniques: A systematic review
3. When discussing the effect of EGP on ULGUE, it is mentioned that “different regions have different stages of economic development”, but it is not explicitly stated how to control this heterogeneity. It is suggested that regional variables be added to the model or subgroup analyses be conducted to verify this idea.
4. Although the mediating variables mentioned in Hypothesis 2a-2c (land marketization, green technology innovation and industrial structure upgrading) have a theoretical basis, there is a lack of discussion on the interaction between these variables. Additional correlation analysis is needed to explore whether these mediating variables interact with each other.
5. In the discussion of the moderating mechanisms, the moderating effects of environmental regulation and fintech inputs on the relationship between EGP and ULGUE are mentioned, but it is not explained why these two mechanisms have opposite moderating effects, and the theoretical logic behind them should be further elaborated.
6. In the benchmark model, the squared term of EGP (EGP²) is used to test the inverted U-shaped relationship, but it is not explained why the quadratic term is chosen instead of other nonlinear forms (e.g., cubic or logarithmic), and it is necessary to add explanations for the choice of model form in the text.
7. In the results of the benchmark regression, the coefficient of EGP is 0.067 while the coefficient of EGP² is -0.057, but the actual economic significance of these coefficients is not explained in detail. It is recommended that the interpretation of the coefficients be supplemented, e.g., at what level of EGP does ULGUE reach its maximum value.
8. In the analysis of mediating effects, although the mediating roles of land marketization, green technology innovation and industrial structure upgrading are verified, the relative importance of these mediating variables is not compared. Is it possible to consider using the mediating effect share analysis to explore which mechanism has a greater impact on ULGUE?
9. In the analysis of moderating effects, the moderating roles of environmental regulation and financial and technological inputs are significant, but their heterogeneity in different levels of economic development or city types is not further analyzed.
10. The results of the heterogeneity analysis show that the effect of EGP on ULGUE is more significant in resource-dependent cities and cities with stronger goal constraints, but the differences in the mechanisms behind them are not explored. The reasons for these differences need to be elaborated, such as whether they are related to the industrial structure of resource-dependent cities or the strength of policy implementation.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors, congratulations for the paper. I have some suggestions that I expect to help.

Methodology

I missed a section introducing the study area.

Regarding the choice of the SBM model, there is a lack of clarity about the criteria for selecting the variables.

Some control variables are mentioned, but it is not clear how they were selected. A justification for each one should be added.

It would be helpful to have a detailed explanation of how to use the "U-test" to verify the nonlinear relationship between EGP and ULGUE.

3. Results and Discussion

The heterogeneous analysis section is interesting, but there are no explanations regarding the possible reasons for the differences between resource-dependent and non-resource-dependent cities.

The robustness analyses are well presented, but a graphical visualization of the inverted-U curve could help make the findings more comprehensible.

4. Conclusion and Implications

The conclusion effectively summarizes the findings, but the policy implications could be further explored. How can these discoveries be applied to urban policies?

If possible, present the study's limitations and future research directions.

5. References and Formatting

Some references are not correctly formatted according to the journal's standards.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author carefully revised the article according to the feedback, and I recommend publishing this version.