Distributive difference, dynamic evolution and spatial convergence of the supply capacity of ecological products in China

As the demand for enhanced ecological conditions grows, supply shortage has become a prominent feature of the development of ecological products (EP) in China. The aim of this research is to systematically understand the dynamic evolution and spatial convergence characteristics of the Chinese supply capacity of ecological products (SCEP), which holds immense importance for safeguarding the environment, fostering green industry development, and advancing sustainable economic progress. Therefore, starting from the concept and connotation of ecological products, this paper introduces an innovative SCEP index system and employs the entropy weight method to quantify SCEP across 30 provinces (autonomous regions or municipalities) and eight economic zones in China, spanning from 2011 to 2022, and analyzes the differences in regional development. The nonparametric estimation method, coefficient of variation, Moran index, and spatial convergence model were utilized to examine the distribution dynamics, σ convergence, spatial correlation and β convergence characteristics of the SCEP throughout the nation and its eight economic zones. The research shows that the SCEP in the study areas have been continuously improved, the spatial distribution is unbalanced, and the regional differences are obvious. The regional σ convergence between different regions is not the same, but both absolute β-convergence and conditional β-convergence are statistically highly significant with a p-value of less than 0.01, with evidence of spatial β-convergence trends in certain regions. This paper has formed a systematic evaluation of SCEP, which offers a factual basis for gaining a comprehensive understanding of regional development disparities, the spatial pattern and the convergence trend of the national and eight economic regions.