Technological Innovation and Regional Ecological EfficiencyA Comparative Study Based on the Central and Eastern Regions

Resource depletion and environmental pollution are the “bottlenecks” restricting the social and economic development. Scientific and technological innovation is the key to regional sustainable development. It is helpful to compare the differences between the central and eastern regions in terms of ecological efficiency and scientific and technological innovation. The panel data econometric model built on the basis of scientific evaluation is an effective tool to analyze the impact mechanism of scientific and technological innovation on regional ecological efficiency. The model takes the panel data of 16 provinces in the middle and east of China as samples. The results show that the level of ecological efficiency and scientific and technological innovation in the central region is significantly lower than that in the eastern region; the overall sample estimation results of the middle and eastern regions show that technology input, science and technology output, and science and technology efficiency have significant impact on regional ecological efficiency level, but the significance and elasticity coefficient of the influence are different between the eastern and central regions. Therefore, in order to realize regional green development through innovation drive, the central region needs to “optimize the allocation of scientific and technological resources, develop high-tech industries, and give play to the demonstration role of the eastern region”.