Understanding the resilience of coal industry ecosystem to economic shocks: Influencing factors, dynamic evolution and policy suggestions

Owing to energy price fluctuation and global economic structure adjustment, the enhancement of coal industry ecosystem resilience (CIER) to economic shocks has become an urgent task. This study aims to explore the influencing factors and the dynamic evolution of CIER. A combined decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory interpretative structural modeling method (DEMATEL-ISM) is adopted to illustrate the intricate hierarchical relationships among influencing factors. Moreover, a dynamic model based on stochastic differential equations is proposed to demonstrate the evolutionary path of CIER under random economic shocks scenario. The results are as follows. First, 17 influencing factors of CIER are identified from four dimensions of system, industry, enterprise and government management, their hierarchical pattern is classified into three levels, i.e. direct factors, intermediary factors, and fundamental factors. Second, through the constructed evolution model of CIER to economic shocks, a numerical simulation is conducted in the case of Datong coal mining area, whose findings are that the development level of CIER and influencing mechanism of various factors are both different, it is necessary to accurately determine the evolution phase of CIER and control the corresponding key influencing factors to effectively improve resilience standing up to random economic shocks. Some policy implications are proposed to offer valuable references for resilience building and enhancement. The findings are helpful to researchers and practitioners to focus their efforts toward promoting the sustainable development of the coal industry ecosystem in the face of macroeconomic shocks.