ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Complex Network Construction and Pattern
Recognition of China’s Provincial Low-Carbon
Economic Development with Long Time Series:
Based on the Detailed Spatial Relationship
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1
School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China
2
Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute, Guangzhou 510060, China
3
Guangdong Marine Development Planning Research Center, Guangzhou 510220, China
4
Urumqi Land Reserve Center (Urumqi Land Consolidation Center), Urumqi 830091, China
Submission date: 2021-05-23
Final revision date: 2021-09-21
Acceptance date: 2021-10-23
Online publication date: 2022-02-14
Publication date: 2022-04-06
Corresponding author
Xiaohui Chen
School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(3):2131-2148
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ABSTRACT
Low-carbon economic development has become the orientation of high-quality economic
construction in the era of climate change. Because it involves multi-dimensional elements and is driven
by the concept of regional integration and common development, the development pattern among
China’s provinces should show the characteristics of complex networked spatial correlation. However,
most of the existing research are for is based on attribute data and combined with traditional spatial
econometric models, which cannot describe the complex networked spatial correlation. Concurrently,
the network construction is mainly based on undirected-unweighted sparseness, which makes
it difficult to truly restore the asymmetric detailed spatial relationship, making the related research about
development pattern recognition and its evolution based on the detailed spatial relationship relatively
lacking. Therefore, based on the perspective of relational data, this study constructs a multi-dimensional
gravity model by using the comprehensive quality of China’s provincial low-carbon economic
development, measured by the multi-dimensional evaluation index system and dynamic weight method,
and the comprehensive distance based on geography, society, economy, and adjacency. And then
the spatial correlation strength among China’s provincial low-carbon economic development
is determined, and constructs a directed-weighted complex network. Then, it further explores
the inter-provincial detailed spatial relationship of low-carbon economy development from the three
dimensions of overall, individual and group, to recognize the development patterns and evolution
rules of low-carbon economic development in different provinces, and clarify the development
orientation. The results show that, during the study period, the spatial correlation of China’s provincial low-carbon economic development has become increasingly close, showing a complex networked
correlation structure with multi-linearity, asymmetry, and geographical proximity as a whole.
The division of general structure is consistent with China’s regional economic development strategy.
The unbalanced development of China’s provincial low-carbon economy is the result of multi-center
drive in the eastern and central regions, and the distance from the network center in the western regions.
In general, China’s provincial low-carbon economic development patterns can be roughly divided
into spillover, main bridge, auxiliary bridge, and benefit type. In the future, we should make full use
of the power source role of spillover provinces, and the bridge support role of bridge provinces to
drive the development of benefit provinces. Among them, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Hebei and Sichuan are
expected to become new regional growth poles. The research on the inter-provincial spatial correlation
effect and development pattern recognition of low-carbon economic development is expected to provide
guidance for the sustainable development of low-carbon economy in China.