Government Intervention and Resource Dependence

Abstract

As the global resource pressure intensifies and environmental problems become increasingly prominent, the government plays a vital role in regulating the market economy, guiding industrial upgrading and promoting green technology innovation. Through effective policy intervention, the government can not only improve the efficiency of resource use but also encourage the development of green consumption patterns and a circular economy, thus encouraging the social economy and ecological environment to develop in tandem. This analysis was based on panel data of 265 prefecture-level cities from 2006 to 2022. First, this paper uses the baseline regression model to explore the direct effects of government intervention on regional resource dependence. Secondly, the mediation effect model is used to explore the mechanism and path of government intervention on resource dependence. The results show that government intervention has a significant positive direct effect on resource dependence, and the effect shows the characteristics of "East > Midwest"; The government can indirectly restrain regional resource dependence by improving energy consumption and economic agglomeration, and breaking the "resource curse". This study offers a theoretical framework and scientific foundation for achieving resource efficiency and avoiding the "curse" of resources.