Food circulation systems and economic growth: Transmission mechanisms and regional heterogeneity in China

Abstract

Under the conflict between food security and economic growth, this paper examines the impact of China's food circulation system and its changes on economic growth. Through the combination of model and panel regression, we draw the following conclusions. The conclusions are as follows: the intrinsic transmission mechanism affects growth by influencing total factor productivity (TFP), and it is regionally heterogeneous. The empirical analysis uses TFP as a mediating variable and divides the sample into two periods. The results show that the food circulation system in different periods affects economic growth through specific and different paths of action; there is a significant and non-linear relationship between changes in the food circulation system and TFP, and the transmission or mediating effect of TFP on economic growth is significant; the market-oriented reform of the food circulation system has a significant impact on economic growth in the north and south. The impact of market-oriented reforms of the food distribution system on economic growth is heterogeneous across regions, whether they are major food-producing regions or not, with different degrees of marketisation. Finally, some policy recommendations are made.