The nexus between misallocation of land resources and green technological innovation: a novel investigation of Chinese cities

As an important production factor, land resources significantly impact green technology innovation. However, the misallocation of land resources caused by the government's "second-hand" land supply strategy has become increasingly prominent, which will adversely affect green technology innovation by affecting the allocation of innovative elements. Based on the research data of 252 cities in China from 2008 to 2017, this paper uses panel space measurement estimation and panel threshold estimation empirical methods to test the theoretical hypothesis of the impact of misallocation of land resources on green technology innovation. The study finds that local or neighboring land resources' misallocation has a hindering effect on local green technology innovation. Furthermore, the misallocation of land resources has a threshold effect on the impact of green technology innovation. The relatively high level of local economic development and environmental regulation reduces the restraining effect of the misallocation of land resources on green technology innovation, and vice versa. Therefore, local governments should optimize the allocation of innovative elements, accelerate the construction of an efficient and market-oriented green technology innovation system, reduce the excessive intervention in land resources, and enhance the vitality of innovation entities to improve the level of green technology innovation.