Exploring the Element Integration of Urban and Rural“Space of Flows”in the Context of Consumption Upgrading:A Case Study of Changsi Village in Anhui Province

The mobility and interaction between urban and rural areas are becoming more and more intensive,and their links and exchanges are increasingly closer due to constant flow of factors such as information,capital,personnel and technology.In this context,the element integration of urban and rural“space of flows”can promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas,improve the consumption environment and experience,and promote the industrial upgrading and technological progress.To realize the element integration of urban and rural“space of flows”,it is necessary to explore and innovate in infrastructure construction,information technology application,industrial cooperation and cultural exchanges.Government departments,enterprises and social organizations also need to work together to give play to their respective advantages and jointly promote the process of element integration of urban and rural“space of flows”.

Can Digital Village Construction Help Upgrade Rural Household Consumption?An Empirical Examination Based on China’s Rural Household Survey Data

Digital village construction opens a new vista for fulfilling consumption capabilities and optimizing consumption patterns in rural areas.For this research,we used the microdata on rural households from the 2019 China Household Finance Survey(CHFS)to conduct an empirical examination of the impact of digital village construction on the upgrading of rural household consumption and its possible influence mechanisms in the endogenous switching regression(ESR)model.Our research findings can be summarized in three points.First,digital village construction has significantly contributed positive contributions to the improvements and upgrading of rural household consumption.Second,digital village construction can help upgrade rural household consumption by increasing their participation in online shopping and expanding online shopping channels.Third,digital village construction means different things to rural households at different levels of risk exposure,with its facilitation to consumption upgrades in proportion to income risks facing rural households.Our research findings,which came from an extensive,in-depth exploration of the factors influencing rural household consumption,are of practical significance and policy value to the stimulating and fulfilling of consumption potentials among rural households.

Effective Supply,Consumption Upgrade,and Expanding Domestic Demand

Addressing the prolonged stagnation in household consumption growth in China is crucial for the successful implementation of the strategy to expand domestic demand.By constructing the upgrading index of consumption structure from 2002 to 2018,it is found that the overall upgrading trend of household consumption structure in China is accelerated after 2014.Theoretical analysis and empirical results indicate that,as household consumption structures rapidly upgrade with rising incomes in China,the primary factor limiting reasonable growth in household consumption is the insufficient effective supply resulting from a mismatch between the supply structure and the demand structure.As the adjustment of the supply structure depends on the continuous optimization of investment flow,expanding effective investment is the key driving force to improve effective supply,and it is also the existing component of expanding domestic demand.Further research shows that weakening investment convergence can significantly alleviate the insufficient effective supply caused by consumption upgrading.Enhancing the scientific anticipation of policy regulations and increasing the effectiveness of investments will be beneficial for realizing the strategy of expanding domestic demand.

Research on the development and innovation of retail trade in China

China's retail industry is developing well,and strong market demand also provides a great guarantee for its development.In the new era,effective innovation is needed in the development of the retail industry,which has been a basic choice.In recent years,the retail industry has been innovating in development,and has achieved some good results.However,the development and innovation of the retail industry will be affected and restricted by various factors.Under such influence,many problems are likely to appear in the development and innovation of the retail industry,which increases the degree of responsibility of both.This article will specifically analyze the problems in retail development and innovation,and put forward more effective development and innovation countermeasures.

Quality of Life and Relative Household Energy Consumption in China

Increasing household energy consumption, mainly due to consumption upgrading, will create tough challenges for China if that country is to achieve peak carbon emissions in 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060. However, this critical issue has not been explored comprehensively in the literature. Using China Family Panel Studies data and the distribution dynamics approach, this article is the first study to examine the relationship between quality of life (QOL) (proxied by consumption upgrading) and relative household energy consumption (RHEC). The results show that convergence clubs exist in all QOL groups for the RHEC, but they are more evident in the groups with lower middle and low QOL. This is encouraging because they suggest that an improvement in QOL does not necessarily lead to a higher level of energy consumption. The dataset was then divided into rural-urban and regional subgroups to further explore the impacts of these different characteristics on energy consumption. Significant disparities are found among the same QOL groups between urban and rural households and among different regions. The results derived from this study lead to pragmatic policy suggestions in areas including energy saving, emissions reduction, and particularly alleviation of inequality.

The Problems and Countermeasures of China’s Consumption Development

Since the Chinese economy eutered the New Normal,the contribution rate of consumption has exceeded investment,becoming an important driving force for economic development.Due to the insufficient supply and imperfect consumption infrastructure,however,consumption growth is confronted with many constraints.On the basis of reviewing the current situation and characteristics of consumer market development,this paper analyzes the main problems faced by consumer growth at present,and then puts forward some suggestions on system design,adjustment and expansion of effective supply and improvement of supervision mode for better promoting the role of consumption as the“stabilizer”and“ballast”of economic growth.

Theoretical Logic and Empirical Facts of Consumption Structure Upgrade and Domestic Value Chain Circulation under the New Development Pattern

Under the new development pattern,this paper explores the characteristic tendencies and intergenerational changes of consumption structure upgrade(CSU)as well as the theoretical logic and empirical paradigm affecting the domestic value chain circulation.This paper constructs a region-industry decomposition framework for domestic value chain circulation based on backward demand to explore the impact of CSU on domestic value chain circulation.The results show that:first,CSU can optimize the structure of domestic value chain circulation and strengthen inter-regional value chain linkage;second,CSU promotes domestic value chain circulation through innovation drive,resource optimization and industrial coupling;finally,the domestic value chain circulation effect caused by CSU may be constrained by market segmentation,and accelerating regional economic integration across a country can help build up the main position of domestic value chain.

The Relationship between Patterns of Economic Development and Increasing Carbon Emissions in Western China

With the implementation of the ＂Development of Western China＂ strategy, this region has become the fastest growing economic area in China. However, rapid economic growth has resulted in a substantial increase in carbon emissions and affected energy reduction goals. In order to effectively control the rapid increase in carbon emissions across western China, we need a comprehensively analyze the main factors causing these increases. Here, we analyze the relationship between economic development patterns and carbon emissions. The findings suggest that consumption upgrades and industrial transformation have a positive correlation with carbon emissions in this region. We then conducted an econometric FGLS analysis on the relationship and its transmission mechanism between economic growth and CO2 emissions with cross-province panel data from 1991 to 2009. A positive correlation was found, and the relationship is more significant after the implementation of the western development strategy. The influence coefficient of change in primary, secondary and tertiary industries is 16.4. The influence coefficient of increased share of heavy industry and extractive industry in the secondary industry is 14.3, and the influence coefficients of per-capita living expenditure and per capita traffic expenditure are 5.6 and 6.5. Traditional population size and income scale have a weak impact on carbon emissions, and the influence coefficients of population size and income scale are only 0.73 and 0.86. GDP increases have a second major impact on the carbon emissions. Energy intensity has a negative relationship with carbon emissions and urbanization level has a positive relationship （coefficients are -8.2 and 4.65）.