The core of agricultural development depends on agricultural production efficiency improvement, and total-factor productivity growth is its significant embodiment. Hence, it is essential to address the question of “how to improve China’s agricultural productivity and efficiency in order to achieve growth and sustainability of agriculture in the future”. This paper estimates indices of China’s agricultural technical efficiency (TE) scores, total-factor productivity (TFP), and its two components, technological change/progress (TC) and technical efficiency change (EC), using provincial-level panel data of 30 provinces from 2002 to 2017 by applying a stochastic frontier approach (SFA). The paper also identifies determinants of TE, TC, and TFP using selected indicators from four hierarchical levels of the economy, i.e., farm level, production environment level, provincial level, and the state level, by applying a system-GMM method. Results reveal that agricultural labor, machinery, agricultural plastic film, and pesticides are the significant drivers of agricultural productivity, with no significant role of land area under cultivation. Constant returns to scale exist in China’s agriculture. The agricultural technical efficiency level fluctuated between 80% and 91% with a stable trend and a slight decline in later years, while TFP improved consistently over time, mainly driven by technological progress. Among the determinants, government investment in agricultural development projects significantly drives TC and TE, while the experienced labor force significantly increases TE. The disaster rate significantly reduces TE but promotes TC and TFP. The literacy rate significantly improves TC and TFP. However, government expenditures in “agriculture, forestry, and water” significantly reduce TE, TC, and TFP. Policy recommendations include (1) increased levels of mechanization and agriculture film use while avoiding an increase in pesticide use, (2) a continued increase in government expenditure in agricultural development projects, R&D to improve technological progress, and diffusion of modern agricultural technologies, and (3) investment in education targeted at the farming population in order to continue the growth in the productivity and sustainability of China’s agriculture.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has inspired more and more discussion about the relationship between urbanization and emerging infectious diseases (EID). This paper aims to examine the spatial effect of urbanization on EID incidence, such as hepatitis, syphilis and gonorrhea in China. Taking into account geographical and economic factors, the estimation results of the Spatial Error Model (SEM) show that urbanization has increased the risks of EID transmission from 2003 to 2019 in China. The spatial effects of urbanization are slightly different due to different types of infectious diseases, with a larger effect on syphilis comparing with hepatitis and gonorrhea. The regional heterogeneity test shows that the impact of urbanization on EID in eastern China is stronger than that in the Midwest especially when considering spatial correlation. Policy implications that include health must be integrated into urban planning, attaching more importance to ecological construction, improving regional joint prevention and control mechanisms, and more attention being paid to vulnerable groups. Considering the frequent occurrence of COVID-19 among cities in China, we emphasize the importance of enhancing the coordinated anti-crisis capacity of urban clusters and highlight the leading role of central cities.

Corporate governance is an important mechanism to ensure the normal operation of a company and protect the interests of investors. The quality of accounting disclosure is one of the core contents of corporate governance and an important way for investors to obtain information. This study comprehensively analyzes the relationship between corporate governance and the quality of accounting disclosure, and explores the influencing factors of corporate governance on the quality of accounting disclosure. Corporate governance factors such as board independence, board size, and incentive mechanisms for senior management can have a positive impact on the quality of accounting disclosure; However, factors such as excessive concentration of board power, the quality and integrity of board members, and equity structure have a negative impact on the quality of accounting disclosure. The research aims to provide decision-making basis for investors, regulatory agencies, and company operators, improve investors' understanding and trust in the company's financial situation, and promote the long-term stable development of enterprises and the healthy operation of the market.