The Spatial Determinants of Environmental Quality in Central Java, Indonesia: Evidence from a Geographically Weighted Regression Approach
Keywords:
Poverty, HDI, Rice, Productivity, IKLH, GWRAbstract
Central Java Province, the fifth most populous province in Indonesia, with a density of 1,113 people per km², faces mounting pressure on environmental quality despite moderate current conditions. This study aims to examine the spatial influence of poverty, Human Development Index (HDI), and rice productivity on the Environmental Quality Index (EQI) across regencies and cities in Central Java in 2023. The uniqueness of this research lies in the use of the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model, which enables a spatially nuanced analysis beyond conventional global regression, thereby capturing regional variations more accurately. In the long term, this approach can support the formulation of more targeted and region-specific environmental policies. The study employs a quantitative approach using secondary data from regencies and cities in Central Java, analyzed through the GWR model. The results indicate that the effect of poverty on the Environmental Quality Index is spatially uneven, with three regions showing a significant negative relationship while the other 32 regions show no significant effect. HDI exhibits mixed influences: seven regions demonstrate significant relationships, consisting of one positive and six negative, while 28 regions remain insignificant. Rice productivity also displays spatial variability, with three regions showing significant positive effects, one region showing a negative effect, and most regions showing insignificant. These findings highlight the importance of adopting adaptive and spatially-informed environmental management strategies. Policies should integrate poverty reduction with environmental protection, strengthen human development through environmental literacy, and encourage sustainable agricultural practices. Such measures are essential to improve environmental quality in Central Java while balancing the challenges of high population density and rapid economic growth.
Downloads
References
Anselin, L. (1988). Spatial Econometrics: Methods and Models. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Agency, K. R. E. (2023). Kebumen Regency Environmental Program Report 2023.
Agusalim, L., Karim, M., Irfany, M. I., & Pebrianti, H. (2025). Economic development and climate change: insights from religious countries. International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 15.
Al-Maadid, A., Ali, M. S. Ben, & Mohammed, K. S. (2025). The effect of Climate risk on the Human Development Index Using the Panel Time-Varying Interactive Fixed Effects. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 100757.
Awan, A., Hossain, M. E., Ngoc, B. H., Yusoff, N. Y. bte M., & Tiwari, A. K. (2025). Investigating the time-invariant impact of agriculture on environmental degradation: focusing on pesticide use, human capital, and green energy. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 1–26.
Bahr, G., Hammer, B., & Luse, A. (2025). ICT4D and the capability approach: understanding how freedom of expression on ICTs affect human development at the country-level. Information Technology for Development, 31(1), 33–56.
BPS, C. J. (2023a). Human Development Index (HDI) of Central Java 2023.
BPS, C. J. (2023b). Poverty profile in Central Java March 2023.
Butarbutar, P. F., Ananda, C. F., & Prasetya, F. (2023). The determinants of environmental quality in Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Applied Economics, 11(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.jiae.2023.011.01.3
Chhoun, L., & Casper, R. (2025). Sustainable Furniture Manufacturing: Exploring Challenges and Opportunities in the Cambodian Market. AIJR Proceedings.
Cui, H., Wang, Y., & Zheng, L. (2025). Livelihood sustainability of rural households in response to external shocks, internal stressors and geographical disadvantages: empirical evidence from rural China. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 27(8), 18221–18250.
Diartho, H. C., Fitriani, R (2025). Economics of Wellbeing and Environmental Sustainability: Evidence from the Happy Planet Index in Indonesian Conservation Zones. Economics and Environment, 3(98), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.34659/eis.2025.98.3.817
Diartho, H. C. (2021). A Theoretical Framework in Environment Improvement Policy. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 25(6), 16789–16801.
Fan, Y., & Li, H. (2022). Industrialization and regional environmental inequality in coastal economies. Journal of Environmental Management, 317, 115456.
Fotheringham, A. S., Brunsdon, C., & Charlton, M. (2002). Geographically Weighted Regression: The Analysis of Spatially Varying Relationships. Wiley.
Ferraz, D., Mariano, E. B., & Hartmann, D. (2025). Transforming Gross Domestic Product into Human Development: Concept and Determinants of Social Efficiency. Social Indicators Research, 1–32.
Fitriani, R., Diartho, H. C., & Hadiningrum, S. (2020). Growth Externalities on the Environmental Quality Index of East Java Indonesia: Spatial Econometrics Model of STIRPAT. Indonesian Journal of Statistics and Its Applications, 4(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.29244/ijsa.v4i1.628
Guo, F., Chen, Y., & Liu, Z. (2024). Spatial analysis of environmental governance and sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 32(4), 2112–2128.
Ghosh, E., & Pearson, L. J. (2025). Rethinking Economic Foundations for Sustainable Development: A Comprehensive Assessment of Six Economic Paradigms Against the SDGs. Sustainability, 17(10), 4567.
Goelzer, D. P., Riedel, R. P., & Berlese, D. B. (2025). Mapping of Furniture Industries and Their Possible Impacts on the Rio dos Sinos Watershed. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental.
Government, K. R. (2023). Kebumen Regency Regulation Number 14 of 2023 concerning Environmental Management.
Garcés Velástegui, P. (2020). Urban environmental quality and human development interactions. Sustainable Cities and Society, 62, 102381.
Grossman, G. M., & Krueger, A. B. (1995). Economic growth and the environment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 110(2), 353–377.
Gupta, S. Das, Baudino, M., & Sarkar, S. (2025). Does the environmental Kuznets curve hold across sectors? Evidence from developing and emerging economies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 211, 115201.
He, J., Wang, P., & Zhou, M. (2024). Agricultural productivity and ecological sustainability in Asia. Agricultural Systems, 220, 103812.
Heffi, C. R. (2023). Influence of environmental quality for sustainable development in Indonesia. Influence of Environmental Quality for Sustainable Development in Indonesia, 9(1), 98–111.
Jahanger, A. (2022). Human development and environmental sustainability nexus: Empirical evidence from Asia. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(14), 20544–20558.
Jauhari, S., Minarsih, S., Hindarwati, Y., Pramono, J., Susila, A., Sudarto, S., Basuki, S., Hariyanto, W., Utomo, B., & Suhendrata, T. (2025). Rice yield enhancement and environmental sustainability with precision nutrient management. Glob. J. Environ. Sci. Manag., 77–92.
Kelly, A. M., & Nembot Ndeffo, L. (2025). Understanding the nexus: economic complexity and environmental degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 27(1), 423–437.
KLHK, P. (2023). Indonesian Environmental Quality Index Report 2023.
Kumar, P., Kaur, R., Radulescu, M., Kalaš, B., & Hagiu, A. (2025). Drivers of environmental sustainability, economic growth, and inequality: A study of economic complexity, FDI, and human development role in BRICS+ Nations. Sustainability, 17(9), 4180.
Kumar, R., Singh, P., & Shahbaz, M. (2025). Human development and environmental sustainability nexus in emerging economies. Ecological Economics, 228, 108114.
LeSage, J., & Pace, R. K. (2009). Introduction to Spatial Econometrics. CRC Press.
Leung, Yee, Mei, Chang-Lin, & Zhang, Wen-Xiu. (2000). Statistical Tests for Spatial Nonstationarity Based on the Geographically Weighted Regression Model. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 32(1), 9–32. https://doi.org/10.1068/a3162
Luo, X., Niu, S., Li, X., Jing, L., Qin, J., & Tang, Y. (2025). Urban Spatial Blessing: Effect of Land Use Intensity on Human Development Index. Land, 14(5), 1085.
