Document Type
Research-Article
Journal Name
Sustainability (Switzerland)
Keywords
economic development, environmental quality, industrial structure
Abstract
Utilizing dynamic panel data from 29 Chinese regions (2012–2022) and a system GMM approach, this study investigates the nexus between industrial structure, economic development, and rural environmental quality. The findings indicate a U-shaped relationship for agriculture and real GDP per capita (supporting the EKC hypothesis), but an inverted U-shaped relationship for the secondary and tertiary industries. Additionally, a faster regional economic growth rate is significantly associated with better environmental quality, implying that economic growth has facilitated rural environmental improvement. © 2025 by the authors.
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