The Impact of Green Finance on Industrial Land Use Efficiency: Evidence from 279 Cities in China

Abstract

Improving the efficiency of industrial land use is of great significance to the sustainable development of cities. Based on a financial perspective, this paper studies the relationship between green finance and urban industrial land use efficiency (UILUE). First, the epsilon-based measure model was used to calculate the UILUE of 279 cities in China from 2011 to 2020, and then an empirical model is constructed to test the impact and path mechanism of green finance on UILUE. The research results show that green finance can improve the UILUE. The mediation effect test shows that the optimization of industrial structure and technological innovation are the key paths for green finance to affect UILUE. In addition, land finance inhibits the positive effect of green finance on the UILUE. This study provides new evidence for the role green finance plays in improving the efficiency of industrial land use and promoting the sustainable development of cities.