Research Article

Modeling the Impact of Innovation on Economic Quality and Environmental Pollution Change under Consideration of Environmental Regulation

Table 2

Variable definition.

Variable classificationVariable nameVariable interpretationSymbolReferences

Explained variableGreen total factor productivityMalmquist–Luenberger index based on nonradial SBM directional distanceGTFP[38, 39]
Total factor productivityDEA-Malmquist indexTFP[28]
EmissionsIndustrial wastewater discharge (IWD), industrial sulfur dioxide discharge (SO2), industrial smoke and dust discharge (ISD)CON[4044]
Explanatory variablesNumber of patents (ten thousand)Number of patents = number of invention patents + number of utility patents + number of appearance patentsINV[45, 46]

Threshold variableEnvironmental regulationEntropy weight method based on five indicators: industrial SO2 removal rate, smoke removal rate, the comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste, domestic sewage treatment rate, and domestic garbage innocuous treatment rateREGU[47, 48]

Control variableIndustrial structureThe ratio of the added value of the tertiary industry to the added value of the secondary industryIS[49, 50]
Open to the outside worldThe proportion of the output value of foreign-invested enterprises in the regional GDPFDI[51, 52]
Government actionGovernment expenditure on teaching and research as a percentage of the regional GDPGOV[53]
InfrastructureUrban road area per capitaROD[54]