Search Results (17)

The land price reflects the supply and demand relationship in the land market and plays an important role in regulating land use. Improving land auction rules is of great significance for avoiding abnormal fluctuations in the land market and promoting the sustainable use of land resources. To regulate the abnormal fluctuations in the state-owned land use rights’ auction prices, Chinese local governments have implemented a “sealed one-time bidding, average price wins” rule. However, limited theoretical and empirical research that assesses its policy impact exists. This study examines the policy motivations behind this rule, constructing three game models; namely, static complete information, static incomplete information, and multiperiod repeated games. By deducing bidding strategies and equilibrium results, hypotheses are formulated. A baseline difference-in-differences (DID) and a dynamic policy effect model are designed, and the Python crawler is used to obtain 1182 microland auction samples in Suzhou. This study evaluates the impact of the one-time bidding rule on the starting prices, transaction prices, and premium rates. The empirical results underwent multiple robustness tests, eliminating potential endogeneity issues and biases. The results show that while the policy is effective in restraining the premium rate, indicating the bidding intensity in single-land auctions, it proves challenging to curb the long-term rise in land prices through continuous bidding auctions. Moreover, the policy may stimulate local governments to increase auction starting prices. Full article

Japan’s susceptibility to and severity of floods have necessitated flood control policies by the government. “Overflowing flood control”, in which the floods due to torrential rains are systematically diverted to agricultural lands in the upper to middle reaches, is one of them. More information is needed on the public assessment of the overflowing flood control policy, and this research seeks to bridge this gap. Data evaluating rice affected by the policy were collected from a random nth-price auction using a developed online system. The sample consisted of 47 consumers living in the downstream areas of the Edogawa River, one of Japan’s first-class, or prime, rivers. Data on their attitudes toward the policy were collected with a questionnaire. Multiple ordered probit models are used for regression analysis. The results show that the sample respondents were willing to pay an average of JPY 1578 for 5 kg of rice, slightly higher than the national average rice production cost, and that 36% of the sample agreed with the flood control policy, which is positively associated with large families or owning many assets. Full article

In recent decades, the breeding populations of the yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis (YLG) have increased significantly, primarily due to the increase in open refuse dumps and discards from fisheries. Portugal’s largest YLG breeding colony is located on Berlenga Island, where population numbers have been monitored since 1974. The population grew exponentially until 1994, prompting the implementation of population control measures, including culling adult birds and eggs. A long-term data base including number of breeding birds (since 1974), breeding parameters (since 2002), and trophic niches (using stable isotopes since 2011) of YLG breeding on Berlenga was related with oceanographic parameters, fish landings and quantity of urban waste. Trophic ecology showed strong relationships with oceanographic parameters (wNAO, Chl-a, and SST) and fisheries landings (the 10 most frequently consumed species by the YLG, traded at fish auctions in the main fishing harbour nearby). The results indicated significant relationships between reproductive performance and fisheries landings, particularly with demersal species that gulls primarily access through fisheries discards. However, population control measures played a pivotal role in stabilising and even reducing the population, despite sporadic events of poor oceanographic productivity in the past decade having a consistent impact on the reduction in breeding individuals. Full article

Land finance has become an important way of generating fiscal incomes in developing countries, while the urban–rural income gap (URIG) in developing countries remains high. However, existing research has not paid much attention to the connection between land finance and the URIG. Therefore, this study used a fixed-effects model to test this relationship for 275 prefecture-level cities in China from 2014 to 2017. To identify the effects of the potential omitted variables, this study conducted additional robustness checks using placebo tests. The results showed that land finance significantly widened the URIG, and this finding was maintained after a set of tests. Further study found that the effect of land finance on the URIG showed significant heterogeneity. Land grants by tender, listing, and auction significantly widened the URIG, while land grants by agreement did not affect the URIG; the effect of land finance on the URIG was more significant in Eastern and Middle regions, but not marked in Western regions; and land finance had no impact on the URIG in large and medium-sized cities, while it had a significant impact in small cities. Based on the above results, this study offers recommendations to improve land fiscal policy and urban-biased development strategies, which aim to promote the equalization of the basic rights and interests of urban and rural residents and reduce the URIG. Full article

This paper explores the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of the impact of industrial land transfer on urban air quality using the air quality index (AQI) and primary land market transaction data of 284 cities from 2015 to 2019 in China. Based on a three-dimensional conceptual framework including scale, price and style effect of industrial land transfer, we find that: (1) The scale effect shows an obvious characteristic of spatial agglomeration, and the agglomerations transfer from central and northern China to the western and southeast coastal regions. (2) Industrial land transfer price has a greater impact on air quality than transfer scale no matter whether the effect is positive or negative, which may be because the expansion scale of construction land is restricted strictly by indicators. (3) The scale of industrial land transferred by agreement in the west and northeast will reduce the air quality. (4) The impact of industrial land price transferred by bidding, auction and listing on AQI is gradually decreasing, but that of land transferred by agreement is still high in the northwest and northeast regions. Finally, we put forward policy recommendations based on the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of these effects, which will help alleviate or avoid environmental problems caused by land resources mismatch and industrial development. Full article

As an important part of comprehensively implementing the new development concept and accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, the market-oriented allocation of land elements plays an important role in promoting high-quality economic development. This paper first constructs a theoretical model of the multi-channel impact of land transfer marketization on the high-quality development of urban economy under the framework of two departments and reveals the impact of land transfer marketization on the high-quality development of urban economy from the theoretical mechanism. Secondly, taking the panel data of China’s prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2020 as a research sample, the proportion of land bidding, auctioning, and listing area in the total area of land transfer was used to measure the marketization level of land transfer in prefecture-level cities, and the high-quality development of urban economy was measured by drawing on the regional development and people’s livelihood index released by authoritative institutions, and the impact and mechanism of land transfer marketization on the high-quality development of urban economy were analyzed based on multiple measurement models and multi-dimensional empirical analysis. Finally, the paper constructs a moderating effect model to investigate the role of economic growth target constraints and environmental target constraints on the relationship between the two. The study found that: (1) There is a significant U-shaped nonlinear relationship between the marketization of land transfer and the high-quality development of urban economy. When the market-oriented development of land transfer is at a low level, it will inhibit the high-quality development of the urban economy. With the gradual improvement of the level of market-oriented development of land transfer, it will promote the high-quality development of the urban economy. (2) The dual goal constraint plays a significant regulatory role in the relationship between the marketization of land transfer and the high-quality development of the urban economy. Instead of moderate economic growth targets constraining the positive adjustment of the impact of land transfer marketization on the high-quality development of urban economies, strict environmental target constraints are more conducive to strengthening the high-quality economic development effect of land transfer marketization. (3) There are obvious heterogeneities in the impact of land transfer marketization on the high-quality development of urban economy in terms of urban location, urban scale, urban resource endowments, and the characteristics of the city itself. Based on this, it is proposed to deepen the market-oriented reform of land elements and give full play to the high-quality economic and development effect of land transfer marketization, explore the combination of scientific and reasonable economic growth goals and environmental target constraints, and give play to the positive role of dual target constraints in promoting the high-quality development of urban economy in the marketization of land transfer. According to the objective facts that the characteristics of the city itself are quite different, the market-oriented development of land transfer is scientifically released according to local conditions and brings about high-quality development effects. Full article

Allis shad (Alosa alosa L.) populations have suffered declines and even regional extinction across their distribution range, mainly due to river impoundment, overexploitation, and pollution. In Portugal, the species is classified as Endangered (EN). This fish is regarded as a valuable delicacy, and commercial fisheries dedicated to this species in Portugal are found in rivers in Minho, Lima, Cávado, Douro, Vouga, Mondego, Tagus, and Guadiana. Official landings state that, in the last 10 years, around 10 t of allis shad were sold annually at the Figueira da Foz fish market. Fisheries are selective since the allowed mesh size for the nets employed does not capture smaller fish. Moreover, larger fish are more desirable, attaining higher prices per kg at fish auctions and thus generating higher revenue for the fishermen. The fishing pressure on this threatened resource in the Mondego is significant and bound to impact its population structure. With the present work, we assess the impact of fishing pressure and gear selectivity on the dimensional structure of the Mondego’s shad spawning population, one of the last strongholds for allis shads, and identify possible consequences for the future of the species. The dimensional structure and gender proportion of over 800 shads sampled at Figueira da Foz fish auction from 2015 to 2019 was analyzed. All shads sampled were between 400 mm and 745 mm in total length, with an average of 592 mm. Simultaneously, we used images recorded in the monitoring window at Açude-Ponte Dam’s fishway in Coimbra to study the shads reaching the upstream spawning areas in order to check for differences in the dimensional structure possibly related to fishing pressure. The results obtained aim to increase the existing biological knowledge of this population and the human pressure it is subjected to, thus contributing to future management efforts. Full article

Land use change has become the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after fossil energy combustion. In the context of developing a low-carbon economy, it is important to study how to achieve energy savings and emission reduction by adjusting land prices, and transforming land trading methods and land use types. Utilizing a balanced panel dataset about 291 sample cities in China, during the period of 2010–2016, this paper divided land transactions into three dimensions: land transaction price, land transaction modes, and land transfer structure; then employed a fixed-effect model to investigate the relationship between land transactions and carbon emissions. On top of this, we further analyzed the moderating role of economic development level and emission reduction policy. This study found that land transaction price can significantly inhibit carbon emissions; the amount of land sold by auction and listing has a stronger inhibitory effect on carbon emissions than by bidding; the higher the transfer proportion of industrial land, the higher the carbon emissions, while the transfer proportion of residential land is significantly negatively correlated with carbon emissions; the moderating mechanism shows that the level of economic development and emission reduction policy can play a moderating role in the relationship between land transactions and carbon emissions, but the moderating effect of emission reduction policy is limited, only existing in the relationships between land transaction price, the amount of listed land, and carbon emissions. Full article

The influence of land granting on green total factor productivity (GTFP) and its mechanisms remain under-explored. Based on dynamic spatial panel data of 30 provincial administrative regions in China from 2007 to 2017, this study attempts to establish the framework of a transmission mechanism among land granting, manufacturing agglomeration and technological innovation, and green total factor productivity, and measures their interactions by the mixed directional distance function and Global Malmquist–Luenberger index model containing undesirable output. Then, this paper empirically estimates the impacts of land granting, industrial agglomeration and technological innovation on green total factor productivity in China with a dynamic spatial mediating effect model. The results show that the development paradigm of China’s industrial green economy is characterized by path dependence, and industrial GTFP has a significant spatial effect. Local governments rely on low-price competition to obtain cost advantages and facilitate the agglomeration of local manufacturing industries, and promote the impact of negotiation on industrial GTFP through the mediating effect of manufacturing agglomeration. There exists a non-linear relationship between manufacturing agglomeration and industrial GTFP. The land acquired through negotiation has a promoting effect on green technology innovation, and will foster industrial GTFP through the intermediary effect of technological innovation. No obvious non-linear relationship is observed between technological innovation and industrial GTFP. The grant of “Tender, Auction and Listing” has no significant influence on the industrial GTFP, and the mediating conduction effect on the GTFP of industry is not established. Industrial structure, government management and infrastructure will significantly promote the improvement of industrial GTFP, while the level of transportation will inhibit the improvement of industrial GTFP. Through administrative intervention in low-production capacity departments, local governments can integrate regional resource endowments, give play to the comparative advantages of industries, and achieve industrial structure upgrades and core competitiveness, which will be conducive to the improvement of industrial GTFP. High-level transportation conditions increase energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in transportation operation, which makes no contribution to the enhancement of industrial GTFP. Full article

In 2007, China started the market reform of industrial land, with the aim of establishing a more effective industrial land market and promoting the effective allocation of land. For this study, we want to explore what strategic choices local governments and enterprises will make under the background of market-oriented reform, and whether there are still some implicit land price subsidies. In this context, based on matching micro land transfer data (2007–2013), we examined the policy effect in the seven years since the reform. Then, we further analyzed the land transfer strategies of local governments and the differences they made to enterprises’ land purchasing decisions against the background of the reform. The following were found: ① With the deepening of market reform, the effect has gradually become clear. The proportion of industrial land transferred through market modes increases year by year. Furthermore, due to marketization, the price of industrial land has increased significantly, and land purchases among enterprises have become more competitive. ② Against the background of the reform, local governments tend to adopt listing as an alternative to negotiation, so as to attract investment from preferred enterprises. ③ Local governments tend to give state-owned and large or medium enterprises more subsidies by way of listing, which reduces the land purchase price for these enterprises. Based on the results, the market-oriented reform of land should be adhered to, and the selection mechanism of tender, auction, and listing transfer methods should be further standardized and refined. Besides, a variety of ways to meet the needs of enterprises for land use (such as lease first and then transfer) should be proposed to compensate for the existing insufficiency. Full article

In recent years, market-oriented allocation of land has been promoted to support rural revitalization and urban–rural integrated development. To follow the path of sustainable development, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of resource utilization and to rationally allocate and use resources on the premise of ensuring the sustainable use of resources. This study aims to measure the degree of land marketization in Shaanxi Province, China during the period 2008–2019 and analyze its driving forces. The methods used include Gray Relation Analysis and Hot Spot Analysis. The MK trend method was used to analyze the average area of land acquired through Bidding–Listing–Auction (B-L-A), protocol, and allocation methods. The results show that the land marketization level in Shaanxi declined from 2008 to 2014 and fluctuated upwards from 2014 to 2019. In addition, B-L-A transactions increased across the province. There was little spatial heterogeneity of land marketization, but southern Shaanxi had less land marketization than the other key areas. Urbanization, non-agricultural output, and foreign direct investment were found to be the main driving factors of land marketization, while the influence of fixed asset investment and per capita disposable income declined each year. Based on these findings, we suggest that there is a need for land management reforms and urbanization efforts to encourage land marketization in southern Shaanxi. Further, we suggest that northern Shaanxi would benefit from optimizing the land use structure and focusing on the energy land market. This study also provides theoretical support for realizing the reform of the marketization of national land elements, the healthy operation of urban land marketization, and sustainable urban and rural development. Full article

This study examined 19 urban land consolidation areas in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, as well as cost-equivalent lands auctioned off from 2013 to 2019. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for analysis, in which the Level 1b variables pertained to cost-equivalent land and the Level 2 variables pertained to land consolidation areas. According to the empirical results, in terms of the estimation results, there were significant differences between the mean price of each urban land consolidation area. Therefore, HLM is suitable for the subsequent analysis. A total of 76.7% of the differences in the mean land consolidation area price were contributed by the differences between the land consolidation areas. Therefore, it is important to consider the differences generated by the particular features of each area. Full article

Compared to inland areas, coastal areas display more frequent economic activity in China. Unfortunately, they also have the greatest impact on the coastal environment. Among the economic activities in coastal areas, industrial land conveyance not only has a profound impact on local economic growth, but also poses a greater threat to coastal water. Using panel data collected from 45 coastal cities during the period 2007–2017, this study constructed a spatial Durbin model to investigate the effects of industrial land conveyance on coastal marine pollution. Results show that the expansion of two-lagged agreement-based industrial land conveyance areas in a coastal city can increase coastal marine pollution. Meanwhile, the positive impacts of the two-lagged industrial land conveyance and the industrial land conveyance areas, through bidding, auction, and listing, on coastal marine pollution are statistically significant but economically insignificant. Furthermore, the two-lagged industrial land conveyance areas have a spatial spillover effect on coastal marine pollution. Specifically, the expansion of such areas from a coastal city can increase the marine pollution of other coastal cities. Full article

Biogas development is expected to contribute to the National Recovery and Resilience plan to overcome the COVID-19 shock. Estimation of the agricultural biogas potential in economic terms can contribute to refining policies inciting effective sector development. In this paper, we attempt to do so by modeling a biogas chain from dedicated crops and livestock waste. This was achieved by coupling farming models to the biogas industry in a partial equilibrium framework. This allows for a comprehensive investigation of alternative measures in technology, size, spatial distribution and land use change. The integrated model was implemented in Lubelskie for the previous policy (green certificates) and the current policy (auction market). In both cases, the bottom-up profit driven optimization resulted in approximately 40 MWel, which shows a robust economic potential more than four times the biogas sector’s actual capacity in the region, also providing the detailed structure of the sector. When focusing on the industry structure, both scenarios give similar results regarding 1–2 MWel plant size close to the observed situation. The model also suggests a large number of new facilities <250 kWel, twice as important under scenario 2, indicating that other conditions beyond economy profitability should be fulfilled for further sector development. Full article

Myanmar remains one of the few exceptions to the rapid diffusion of solar photovoltaics (PV) in power generation mixes. This is surprising considering that Myanmar is one of the countries with the largest technical potential for solar energy among Southeast Asian nations. Solar energy can complement the existing hydropower generation to address endemic energy crisis during the dry season. A continuation of paralysis on investments in solar energy could affect the security and sustainability of the sector in one of the most rapidly growing countries in the region. In this paper, we aimed to identify the barriers preventing solar energy to flourish in Myanmar and to identify policy options to unlock them. We conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis with inputs from relevant stakeholders from the government, private sector, and civil society organizations. Our analysis suggested a consensus on the merits of solar energy among all factors; however, a policy framework to spur investments that contribute both to the national energy system and local development needs to be developed by considering some particularities of Myanmar, such as securing rightful land ownership and limited experience with market mechanisms (e.g., energy auction), for the promotion of investments in the energy sector. Full article