Has Korean growth become greener? Spatial econometric evidence for energy use and renewable energy
利用韩国省级数据，分析经济增长对能源使用和可再生能源的影响，发现规模效应和结构效应增加了能源消耗，而技术效应推动了可再生能源增长，但2009年绿色增长战略后未显著改变。
Abstract Using province-level data for South Korea, we analyze the dynamic relationship between economic growth and several energy parameters. Specifically, we decompose the growth effect into scale, composition, and technique effects, and control for regional spillovers through the use of a dynamic GMM estimator for spatial panel data models. The analyzed period, ranging from 2000 to 2017, allows us to look for changes in the regional growth effects following the implementation of the National Strategy for Green Growth in 2009. Our estimates show that the scale and composition effect tended to increase both per capita final energy use and energy intensity, outweighing reductions through the technique effect. In contrast, when considering renewable energy production, the scale and technique effect increased and the composition effect decreased the corresponding figures. Thereby, the technique effect was the main driver of increases in renewable energy production. Despite the larger, yet comparatively small share of renewables in Korea’s energy mix, no considerable change of the growth effects can be observed since 2009. Therefore, to reduce the risks for the economy and achieve the political objectives of the green growth strategy throughout the whole country and in a timely manner, a stronger commitment seems to be required.