Effect of market integration on green economic growth: Evidence from 30 Chinese provinces

Based on panel data for 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019, the super slacks-based measure (SBM) model combined with the global Malmquist-Lenberger (ML) index is utilized to determine green total factor productivity to measure green economic growth. Then, the impact of market integration on green economy is explored. The findings indicate that integration has a significant role in accelerating the green economy, with notable spatial, temporal, openness, and policy heterogeneity. A series of robustness tests support the conclusions. The impact mechanism test reveals that market integration bolsters the green economy via green efficiency improvements. Furthermore, a threshold effect is evident between market integration and the green economy based on rationalization and ecologicalization of industrial structure and innovation input. Based on the results, policy suggestions regarding how to further enhance the level of market integration and the green economy are proposed. © 2023 Southeast University. All rights reserved.