Industrialization and energy use : an empirical study of China's township and village enterprises / Zhihong Zhang.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Microformat

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Zhang, Zhihong.

Contributor:

Adams, F. Gerard (Francis Gerard), 1929-2011, advisor.

University of Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Penn dissertations--Energy management and policy.

Energy management and policy--Penn dissertations.

Local Subjects:

Penn dissertations--Energy management and policy.

Energy management and policy--Penn dissertations.

Physical Description:

x, 198 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm

Production:

1997.

Summary:

Among the most remarkable phenomena of the Chinese economic boom since the late 1970s is the emergence of township and village enterprises (TVEs), established in rural and peri-urban areas and owned by local governments and citizens. Energy demand by TVEs has grown rapidly, but has lagged considerably behind economic growth. Such decoupling of energy and economic activity has led to a remarkable decline in energy intensity. This dissertation employs a two-prong approach, namely, the econometric method, to study the energy-output relationship and the determinants of energy demand, and the index number method, to decompose the factors that contribute to the decline in energy intensity. Results from pooled regressions indicate that the elasticity of energy use with respect to output ranges from 0.71 to 0.89 depending on model specification, and varies significantly between coastal and inland provinces and between energy-rich and energy-poor provinces. The striking differences in industrial structure among different regions underlie the wide gaps in energy demand and energy intensity. Decomposition analysis shows that energy savings in the late 1980s were almost exclusively due to the decrease in sectoral energy intensities, while in the early 1990s both structural change and sectoral energy efficiency improvements contributed to the drastic reduction in aggregate energy intensity. Dissemination of improved technologies in the energy-intensive industries, such as coking and brickmaking, appears to have accounted for most of the total energy savings. The large gains in energy productivity among TVEs have been achieved in the context of dynamic growth, overall productivity improvement, technological renovation, and, to a certain extent, structural betterment.

Notes:

Supervisor: F. Gerard Adams.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Energy Management and Policy) -- University of Pennsylvania, 1997.

Includes bibliographical references.

Local Notes:

University Microfilms order no.: 98-00948

OCLC:

244970600