Spatiotemporal characteristics of cultivated land use eco-efficiency and its influencing factors in China from 2000 to 2020

Improving cultivated land use eco-efficiency(CLUE)can effectively promote agricultural sustainability,particularly in developing countries where CLUE is generally low.This study used provincial-level data from China to evaluate the spatiotemporal evolution of CLUE from 2000 to 2020 and identified the influencing factors of CLUE by using a panel Tobit model.In addition,given the undesirable outputs of agricultural production,we incorporated carbon emissions and nonpoint source pollution into the global benchmark-undesirable output-super efficiency-slacks-based measure(GB-US-SBM)model,which combines global benchmark technology,undesirable output,super efficiency,and slacks-based measure.The results indicated that there was an upward trend in CLUE in China from 2000 to 2020,with an increase rate of 2.62%.The temporal evolution of CLUE in China could be classified into three distinct stages:a period of fluctuating decrease(2000-2007),a phase of gradual increase(2008-2014),and a period of rapid growth(2015-2020).The major grain-producing areas(MPAs)had a lower CLUE than their counterparts,namely,non-major grain-production areas(non-MPAs).The spatial agglomeration effect followed a northeast-southwest strip distribution;and the movement path of barycentre revealed a"P"shape,with Luoyang City,Henan Province,as the centre.In terms of influencing factors of CLUE,investment in science and technology played the most vital role in improving CLUE,while irrigation index had the most negative effect.It should be noted that these two influencing factors had different impacts on MPAs and non-MPAs.Therefore,relevant departments should formulate policies to enhance the level of science and technology,improve irrigation condition,and promote sustainable utilization of cultivated land.

Eco-efficiency evaluation of symbiotic network for environmental governance PPP projects

Under the goal of "double carbon " strategy,the government and enterprises collaborate to form an efficient environmental governance symbiosis network to reduce pollution and carbon.Based on the panel data of 30 provinces,the static and dynamic eco-efficiency of the symbiotic network of environmental governance PPP projects are measured by using the SBM model and Malmquist index considering the super-efficiency of non-expected output.The results show that:(1) 8 provinces,including Hebei,have efficiency values greater than 1;11 provinces,including Liaoning,have organizational technology and management levels conducive to efficiency improvement,and 12 provinces,including Zhejiang,are closest to optimal scale efficiency.(2) Redundancy of energy conservation and environmental protection expenditures,urban environmental infrastructure construction investment and new product development projects,insufficient waste gas treatment capacity,environmental emergencies and carbon emission redundancy are all significant factors affecting eco-efficiency.(3) The dynamic efficiency of 8 provinces,including Fujian,shows a decreasing trend,and the Malmquist index and its decomposition indicate that the utilization rate of environmental governance technology should be improved and environmental resources should be allocated rationally.

Assessing agricultural eco-efficiency in Chongqing,2004-2019

Agricultural eco-efficiency is an important indicator to measure the sustainable development and high-quality development of agriculture.Based on the agricultural input-output data of 37 districts(counties)in Chongqing from 2004 to 2019,this paper uses the static SBM model and the DDF-BML index method to calculate the agricultural eco-efficiency of each district and county in Chongqing and conduct a comparative analysis.The comprehensive analysis of static and dynamic calculation results shows that the agricultural eco-efficiency of Chongqing is low,the agricultural input-output efficiency of various districts and counties is insufficient,and slack variables are common,so the ability of agricultural sustainable development still needs to be improved.The main sources of agricultural eco-efficiency are the progress of agricultural green technology and the efficiency of agricultural green technology.However,as far as the actual situation of Chongqing is concerned,the efficiency of agricultural green technology shows a downward trend,which has an inhibitory effect on the improvement of agricultural eco-efficiency.Therefore,in the process of agricultural ecological development in the future,Chongqing will focus on improving the efficiency of agricultural green technology as a starting point,implement agricultural technology innovation and promotion,improve the level of farmers’science and technology and culture,and achieve"technology to the countryside,demonstration to households,and application to the country."At the same time,it is necessary to further improve the construction of agricultural and rural infrastructure,and promote the"outward migration"of frontier technologies in agricultural production to radiate agricultural development in surrounding districts and counties.

Comparative Analysis on Eco-Efficiency of Arable Land Ecological Footprint in Hubei

This paper uses the ecological footprint model to make comparison of the eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint in different years in Hubei Province, and makes comparison of that in Hubei and some countries. The results indicate that, since 1965, the eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint in Hubei has been improved year by year. However, the efficiency of arable land ecological footprint, compared with some other areas in the world, is much lower. In 1965, average eco-efficiency of world arable land ecological footprint is 3 421 US dollar/hm^2 while that of Hubei Province is 134 US dollar/hm^2, about 1/26 of the world＇s average level. The eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint for 2003 in Hubei Province, however, has become about 1/9 of the world＇s average level for the same year. Finally the author puts forward the ways to raise the eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint.

Research on Indicator System of Regional Eco-efficiency:A Case Study of Chengyang District

Eco-efficiency is a valuable tool for managing and solving issues involving resource consumption and pollution emission in current production processes.Despite the popularity of the term"eco-efficiency"in business,limited attention has been paid to measuring and reporting regional eco-efficiency for local government policy makers.Based on the concept and method of eco-efficiency,an indicator system of regional eco-efficiency is established in this study.The indicator system comprises 22 indicators,which are divided in to three categories including socio-economic development,resources consumption, environmental pressure.As a promising statistical technique, principle component analysis is used to set the weight of indicators which attempts to calculate the eco-efficiency indices of Qingdao's Chengyang District.The results show that the eco-efficiency of Chengyang District has clearly improved 35.1% with small fluctuation from 1995 to 2003.Socio-economic development index and resources consumption index also represent obvious increasing trends.The correlation coefficient between soci-economic development index and resources consumption index is 0.979,which means the social progress and economic growth of Chengyang District depend on an extravagant consumption of resources.The environmental pressure index increased slowly before 1997 and declined gradually after 1997,due to more attention being paid to environmental protection by local government in recent years.Chengyang District still keeps the traditional economic development mode with a high consumption and high production,so the emphases of future development should put on improving the improving the efficient use of natural resources and promoting environmental management sustainability.The results show that the indicators system of regional eco-efficiency is a promising method to quantitatively evaluate resources and environmental efficiency and provide an effective decision-making support for local governments.

Agricultural Eco-efficiency Evaluation in Anhui Province: An Empirical Analysis Based on DEA Method

According to the eco-efficiency theory, combined with agricultural production characteristics, I point out the environmental impact and substance energy consumption characteristics of agricultural production. Based on this, I establish the eco-efficiency evaluation indicator system for agricultural production, and conduct a comprehensive analysis on the agricultural eco-efficiency of 17 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province, using data envelopment analysis method.

Spatio-temporal Evolution of the Agricultural Eco-efficiency Network and Its Multidimensional Proximity Analysis in China

As a traditional agricultural country,China has always prioritized agricultural development,and has increasingly focused on green and sustainable agricultural development.Based on the inter-provincial panel data for China from 1997 to 2019,this study divided these data into five periods according to the Five-Year Plan(FYP)of China,measured the agricultural eco-efficiency(AEE)values using the Super-SBM model,and then determined the spatial association network of the inter-provincial AEE of China using the improved gravity model.Finally,social network analysis(SNA)was used to further analyze the evolution process of AEE,and we de-veloped a framework of how multidimensional proximity,which includes geographical,economic,technological,cognitive,and institutional proximity,made an influence on the formation of AEE spatial relation network.The findings indicated that:1)in 1997−2019,the AEE in China was present in some spatial and temporal differences characteristics at the provincial scale,and we specifically found that national macro-regulation and policy incentives played a positive role in the long-term development of AEE.2)The spatial correlation of AEE development among provincial regions were becoming closer and exhibits obvious spatial correlation and spillover effects.The evolution of the AEE network has clearly observable trends of hierarchization and aggregation,and the complexity of the correlation network continues to increase and exhibits spatial clustering characteristics that are dense in the east and sparse in the west.The network structure has changed from monocentric radiation to a multicentric network,and network nodes select the more advantageous nodes with which to connect.3)Finally,the geographical proximity had a significant negative effect;the economic,technological,and institutional proximities were all observed to contribute to the AEE network formation,and cognitive proximity did not significantly influence this network formation.

Assessment and Guidelines to Improve Eco-efficiency and Indoor Comfort at University of Passo Fundo, Brazil

The paper deals with the energy and indoor comfort on buildings of UPF （University ofPasso Fundo）, located in southern Brazil, in order to improve the eco-efficiency concepts in the university＇s building stock, reinforcing its responsibility towards sustainable development. The factors that affect thermal performance and the energy consumption of two case studies were identified, including the general characteristics of the envelope and the indoor conditions. The simulations with DesignBuilder software compare the energy and thermal performance of both cases： those results allow the identification of their positive and negative aspects, as well as making a co-relation with the students＇ sensations of comfort--obtained through PMV （predicted mean vote）. The research indicates that it will be possible to improve eco-efficiency of existing and new buildings and campuses by retrofitting and upgrading it with regard to better indoor conditions that really correspond to climate conditions （hot and humid summers, and cold and damp winters）, using passive strategies for heating and cooling and at the same time to improve rational use of natural resources and to reduce the environmental impact. Probably, giving comfortable conditions to the users will increase energy consumption, but there is a potential reduction of lighting and equipment that could minimize this impact.

Eco-Efficiency： Environmental Performance vs Economic Performance

The second half of the 20th century was characterized by an increasing interest in the pace of economic growth and its impact on the environment. As a result, the concept of eco-efficiency as a philosophy of management has arisen, which combines the excellence of the environment and business. This paper uses the distribution-free approach to provide empirical evidence in relation to the eco-efficiency paradigm by studying the relation between environmental performance （measured by the level of emissions of air-contaminating substances） and economic performance （approximated by economic efficiency）, in 199 companies from mineral manufacturing industry in Spain between 2004 and 2007. The empirical analysis shows that the results are consistent with the paradigm of eco-efficiency and therefore it can be concluded that being responsible for the environment is positively related to economic efficiency.

Analysis of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency and Influencing Factors in Henan Province

In order to improve the agricultural eco-efficiency and promote the sustainable development of agriculture in Henan Province, China, based on the footprint theory, the super-efficiency SBM model is used to scientifically calculate and analyze the agricultural eco-efficiency in Henan Province. On this basis, the influencing factors of agricultural eco-efficiency in Henan Province are quantitatively analyzed by using the grey incidence analysis model. The results show that unilaterally considering one of grey water footprints and carbon footprints will overestimate or underestimate the agricultural eco-efficiency of Henan Province in different degrees in different time periods, and the agricultural eco-efficiency obtained by comprehensively considering grey water footprint and carbon footprint (GWCAEE) is more in line with the reality of agricultural development in Henan Province. In 2000-2004, GWCAEE in Henan Province was better. During 2005-2014, GWCAEE in Henan Province showed a fluctuating decline and continued to be in an inefficient state. From 2015 to 2019, GWCAEE of Henan Province gradually increased, and it became effective in 2019. In recent years, GWCAEE has developed well. Through the grey incidence analysis between 12 influencing factors including endogenous factors and exogenous factors and GWCAEE, it is found that the six leading factors of GWCAEE in Henan Province are agricultural structure, financial input for agriculture, number of agricultural employees, crop sown area, consumption of chemical pesticide, consumption of agricultural diesel oil. According to the above research conclusions, suggestions for improving agricultural eco-efficiency in Henan Province are put forward.

Impact of eco-efficiency compensation for public welfare forests on the incomes of farmers

The strategy of rural revitalization puts ecology and economic development at the same level,in order to explore whether the eco-efficiency compensation policy for public welfare forests can achieve a“win-win”for both ecology and people livelihood.This study probed into the consideration of income structure and used OLS analysis to conduct an empirical analysis on a sample of 443 households in Shaanxi Province.It was found that the eco-efficiency compensation for public welfare forests had not only a significantly positive effect on the forestry income and the total income of farm households,but also had a constructive influence on the non-forestry income,though smaller and less significant,which was closely attributed to the original income structures of these farm households.In addition,personal and household characteristics such as age,educational level and labor force size played decisive roles to nonforestry income and total income of farm households as well.

Spatial-temporal Evolution and Its Influencing Factors of Tourism Eco-efficiency in China

Eco-efficiency is an invaluable indicator for the measurement of the relationship between production activities and environmental depletion.This study measures the tourism eco-efficiency of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2020 based on the super-efficiency SBM model,and explores its spatial-temporal evolution characteristics using the kernel density function,standard deviation ellipse,and center of gravity model.Then,the influencing factors of the tourism eco-efficiency in China are analyzed by Tobit regression model.The results show that the tourism eco-efficiency of China is generally fluctuating upwards,but has not yet reached the maximum production possibility frontier.The kernel density curve shows a unimodal-bimodal-unimodal pattern,while the inter-provincial differences have been decreasing and becoming more balanced.The center of gravity of tourism eco-efficiency is located at the junction of Henan and Hubei province and generally moves to the south(slightly to the southwest).Meanwhile,it is revealed that the level of economic development and the tourism eco-efficiency has a significant inverted U-shaped relationship.The level of economic openness,traffic conditions,and tourism eco-efficiency is positively correlated.The environmental regulations and industrial structure have a negative but limited impact on tourism eco-efficiency.Finally,recommendations and suggestions for policy formulation to promote quality and sustainable development of the tourism industry are put forward,such as increasing investment in ecological protection and governance in tourism development,improving capacity-building in allocating green and low-carbon technologies and resources,strengthening tourism infrastructure construction,and enhancing environmental governance systems and mechanisms.

Insights from i-Tree Eco-efficiency Assessment Management of Urban Trees in Oxford,UK

In the era of stock development following the acceleration of urbanization,the revitalization of urban green space has assumed an increasingly significant role.Consequently,the management of urban trees has emerged as a critical focus of urban governance,contributing to the enhancement of livability in human settlements.This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the urban tree management system in Oxford,UK,identifying that its primary objective is to optimize and maintain a harmonious balance between human activities and the natural environment through the implementation of high-quality planting practices.The system emphasizes enhanced management practices and establishes a robust framework for the development of targeted policies and management regulations,utilizing i-Tree eco-efficiency assessment and real-time feedback mechanisms.China’s urban tree management is in its nascent stages,and there is an urgent need for the development of urban green space.By adopting the refined management assessment methodologies employed for urban trees in Oxford,UK,it is possible to enhance the ecological value of urban trees,which represent a significant green resource within cities,and contribute to the creation of more livable urban spaces.

Evaluation of the eco-efficiency of four major urban agglomerations in coastal eastern China

Urban agglomerations in China have become the strategic core of national economic development and the main component of the new type of urbanization. However, they are threatened by a series of eco-environmental problems and challenges, including the severe overexploitation of natural resources. Eco-efficiency, which is defined as accomplishing the greatest possible economic benefit with the least possible resource input and damage to the environment, is used as an indicator to quantify the sustainability of urban agglomerations. In this work, a traditional data envelopment analysis(DEA) model with a slack-based measurement(SBM) model of undesirable outputs, was used to assess and compare the economic efficiency and eco-efficiency of four major urban agglomerations in eastern China(UAECs) in 2005, 2011, and 2014. The spatio-temporal characteristics of the evolution of urban agglomerations were analyzed. Based on the results of a slack analysis, suggestions for improving the eco-efficiency of the four UAECs are provided. The overall economic efficiency of urban agglomerations located in the Shandong Peninsula, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta displayed a V-shaped pattern(decreased and then increased). In contrast, the overall economic efficiency of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration declined during the study period. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration had a considerable loss of economic efficiency due to pollution, whereas the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration was less impacted. Overall, the eco-environmental efficiency of the four UAECs declined from 2005 to 2011 and then increased from 2011 to 2014. In addition, the urban eco-efficiency in the four coastal UAECs was characterized by different evolution patterns. The eco-efficiency was higher in the peri-urban areas of the core cities, riverside areas, and seaside areas and lower in the inland cities. The core cities of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations were characterized by high resource consumption, economic benefit output, and eco-efficiency. In most of cities in the urban agglomerations, the emission of pollutants declined, leading to a reduction of pollutants and mitigation of environmental problems. In addition, a differential analysis, from the perspective of urban agglomeration, was performed, and concrete suggestions for improvement are proposed.

Regional eco-efficiency evaluation and spatial pattern analysis of the Yangtze River Economic Zone

The environmental ecology of the Yangtze River Economic Zone(YREZ)faces ecological function decline,deterioration and degradation under intense human activities,long-term development and utilization and its economy has developed rapidly over recent decades.Eco-efficiency is considered as a measure of coordinated development of economy,resources,environment and ecology,and is currently considered a very important issue.In this paper,based on the slack-based measure and data envelope analysis model,we take 129 prefecture-level cities of the YREZ as the study unit and measure the eco-efficiency of the YREZ in 2000,2005,2010 and 2015,which considers undesired output.The evaluation of the status quo of the regional eco-efficiency development was carried out at provincial,prefectural and city scales.The spatial autocorrelation test model and standard deviation ellipse were used to analyze the spatially distributed characteristics and the evolutionary regularity of eco-efficiency.Our study suggested that the eco-efficiency value varied significantly at different spatiotemporal scales and the overall distribution presented an"N-shaped"pattern,the value is the largest downstream and the smallest upstream.Regional eco-efficiency presented certain volatility in growth and a clear spatial positive agglomeration trend from 2000 to 2015.The spatial distribution of each agglomeration area was also significantly different,forming some high-high agglomeration areas at the center of the shaft with Shanghai and surrounding cities,and some low-low agglomeration areas at the center with middle reaches and upstream cities.The low-high over-aggregation and high-low polarization clusters were fewer.At the same time,with the change of the research period,the degree of positive agglomeration became increasingly pronounced and the eco-efficiency gap of the neighborhoodunit reduced.The regional eco-efficiency value of the YREZ presented a spatial distribution pattern in the northeast-southwest axis and the evolutionary pattern of the regional eco-efficiency similarly showed a northeast-southwest orientation.

An Integrated DEA Model Allowing Decomposition of Eco-Efficiency:A Case Study of China

A common feature of previous studies about the application of data envelopment analysis(DEA) to determine environmental and economic efficiencies is that the two were analyzed in separate models or frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the economic efficiency and environmental efficiency with a single model. This paper proposes an integrated DEA model, based on a modification of the directional distance function, which allows us to decompose the eco-efficiency(EE) into the economic efficiency(ECE) and environmental efficiency(ENE). The ECE characterizes the ability of gaining economic benefits while the ENE characterizes the ability to control pollutant emissions in production activities. Identification of ECE and ENE can help decision makers of different regions detect what kind of factor(economic inefficiency or environmental inefficiency) is the main source of eco-inefficiency. This can help decision makers more targeted to improve EE. To illustrate the feasibility of our approach, a case study of 30 regions in China is presented. The empirical results show that almost all regions have very high economic efficiencies. The environmental inefficiency is the main source of eco-inefficiency. The differences of environmental efficiencies lead to the differences of eco-efficiencies in the east, central and west areas, while the economic efficiencies do not have significant differences among these areas. The economic efficiencies showed an opposite "V" shape and the environmental efficiencies showed a decreasing trend during the period 2010–2014.

Study of spatial patterns and spatial effects of energy eco-efficiency in China

Energy eco-efficiency is a concept integrating ecological and economic benefits arising from energy utilization and serves as a measure of efficiency in the energy-environment-economy system. Using the slacks-based measure （SBM） model considering undesirable output, this study first measures the energy eco-efficiency of provinces in China from 1997 to 2012. It then analyzes the spatial distribution and evolution of energy eco-efficiency from three aspects： scale, intensity, and grain of spatial patterns. Finally, it examines the spatial spillover effects and influencing factors of energy eco-efficiency in different provinces by means of a spatial econometric model. The following conclusions are drawn： （1） The overall energy ecofficiency is relatively low in China, with energy-inefficient regions accounting for about 40%. Guangdong, Hainan and Fujian provinces enjoy the highest energy eco-efficiency, while Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang are repre- sentative regions with low efficiency. Thus, the pattern of evolution of China＇s overall energy eco-efficiency is U-shaped. Among local regions, four main patterns of evolution are found： increasing, fluctuating, mutating, and leveling. （2） At the provincial level, China＇s energy eco-efficiency features significant spatial agglomeration both globally and locally. High-high agglomeration occurs mainly in the eastern and southern coastal regions and low-low agglomeration in the northwestern region and the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Changes in spatial patterns have occurred mainly in areas with high-low and low-high agglomeration, with the most remarkable change taking place in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. （3） There exist significant spatial effects of energy eco-efficiency among provinces in China. For the energy eco-efficiency of a given region spatial spillovers from adjacent regions outweigh the influence of errors in adjacent regions. Industrial structure has the greatest influence on energy eco-efficiency.

Spatiotemporal Differentiation and the Factors Influencing Eco-efficiency in China

Economic development,resource utilization,and environmental protection have always presented clear dilemmas for many countries at the national level.It is clear that the related concepts of eco-efficiency and the evaluation index can help in evaluating these associated issues.Thus,based on the use of undesirable output super Slacks-Based Measure models,this study evaluated the eco-efficiency of 30 Chinese provinces during the period between 2005 and 2016.This evaluation was conducted by analyzing the spatiotemporal dynamics and key factors influencing these changes using a panel regression model.The results of this analysis reveal that eco-efficiency gradually increased over the course of the study period,peaking at different levels among the regions.We used the conventional CV evolutionary method to show that inequalities in eco-efficiency gradually decreased at the national level.Indeed,our estimations of the factors affecting this variable suggest that industrial structure,degree of openness,urbanization,technical innovation,and environmental governance all exert significant positive influences,while energy consumption and traffic exert negative effects.The extent of the impacts of these factors on eco-efficiency varied between the different regions.

ndustrial eco-efficiency and its spatial-temporal differentiation in China

The aim of this paper is to study the spatialtemporal differentiation of industrial eco-efficiency in China. Using methods based on the data envelopment analysis （DEA） model and exploratory spatial data analysis （ESDA） and data from 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2008 of 30 provinces in China, the spatial-temporal pattern changes in industrial eco-efficiency are discussed. The results show that： first, the patterns of industrial eco-efficiency are dominated by clustering of relatively low efficiency provinces; second, spatial relationships between the industrial eco-efficiencies of different provinces changed slightly throughout the period and the provinces persistently exhibit spatial concentration of relatively low industrial eco-efficiency; finally, there is an obvious trend in the polarization of industrial eco-efficiency, i.e., the higher level spatial units are concentrated in eastern China, and the lower level spatial units are mainly in western and central China. （ESDA）

Quantification of energy related industrial eco-efficiency of China

Improving eco-efficiency is propitious for saving resources and reducing emissions,and has become a popular route to sustainable development.We define two energy-related eco-efficiencies:energy efficiency(ENE)and greenhouse gas(GHG)emission-related eco-efficiency(GEE)using energy consumption and the associated GHG emissions as the environmental impacts.Using statistical data,we analyze China’s energy consumption and GHG emissions by industrial subsystem and sector,and estimate the ENE and GEE values for China in 2007 as 4.871×10^(7)US·/PJ and 4.26×10^(8)US$/TgCO_(2)eq,respectively.Industry is the primary contributing subsystem of China’s economy,contributing 45.2%to the total economic production,using 79.6%of the energy consumed,and generating 91.4%of the total GHG emissions.We distinguish the individual contributions of the 39 industrial sectors to the national economy,overall energy consumption,and GHG emissions,and estimate their energyrelated eco-efficiencies.The results show that although ferrous metal production contributes only 3.5%to the national industrial economy,it consumes the most industrial energy(20%of total),contributes 16%to the total industrial global warming potential(GWP),and ranks third in GHG emissions.The power and heat sector ranks first in GHG emissions and contributes one-third of the total industrial GWP,although it only consumes about 8%of total industrial energy and,like ferrous metal production,contributes 3.5%to the national economy.The ENE of the ferrous metal and power and heat sectors are only 8 and 2.1×10^(7)US$/PJ,while the GEE for these two sectors are 9 and 4×10^(4)US$/GgCO_(2)eq,respectively;these are nearly the lowest ENE and GEE values among all 39 industry sectors.Finally,we discuss the possibility of ecoefficiency improvement through a comparison with other countries.