Against the backdrop of global green transformation and sustainable development goals, this study aims to explore how economic agglomeration influences green logistics development, fill the gap in understanding their complex interplay and provide empirical evidence for policy design to foster regional economic agglomeration and environmental sustainability synergies.
The study employs a mediation model with Technological Innovation (TI) and a threshold model with science and education expenditure (ESE) to analyze the influence of economic agglomeration on green logistics development.
Economic agglomeration promotes green logistics via tech innovation (e.g. IoT, big data). Tech innovation mediates this effect. ESE has a dual-threshold role: agglomeration’s impact on green logistics first strengthens, then weakens with rising ESE, showing stage characteristics.
The study highlights targeted subsidies for tech innovation and optimized ESE allocation. However, it may not fully account for regional governance structures or diverse green logistics metrics, limiting cross-study comparability.
The study uniquely reveals the nonlinear dual-threshold role of science and education expenditure (ESE) in economic agglomeration’s impact on green logistics, extending traditional linear analyses. It integrates TI as a mediator, offering novel empirical evidence for policy design to optimize ESE allocation and foster sustainability synergies.
