Logistics infrastructure carrying capacity and spatial inequality: Evidence from China

Logistics Infrastructure Carrying Capacity (LICC) is crucial for sustainable development, yet current evaluations overlook regional heterogeneity, fostering spatial inequalities, especially in the social dimension. We propose a novel heterogeneity-based Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with slack-based measurement (SBM), using meta-frontier and group-frontier frameworks, to assess LICC across economic, social, and environmental perspectives. Validated with 2007–2022 data from 30 Chinese provinces, our approach mitigates LICC polarisation. Findings reveal a pervasive deficiency in social carrying capacity (LISCC) nationwide compared to economic and environmental aspects, with Eastern regions outperforming Central and Western. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted logistics' social value, showing LISCC improvement amidst other declines. This study offers a robust framework and actionable insights for equitable and resilient logistics infrastructure development, advancing transport equality, economic geography, and sustainable development theory.