AUTHOR=Guo Chunyu 

TITLE=The impact of land finance dependence on green economic efficiency: evidence from China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1659821

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2025.1659821

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=China’s reliance on land finance poses challenges to green economic efficiency. This study examines how local governments’ land finance dependence affects green economic efficiency, using panel data from prefecture-level cities and a super-efficiency SBM model. Findings show that land finance dependence significantly reduces green economic efficiency, particularly in non-resource-based, environmentally protected, and urban agglomeration cities, by diverting fiscal resources to short-term development and increasing debt risks. Policy reforms are recommended to reduce land finance dependence and promote sustainable fiscal incentives.