[Optimization Path Selection for the Synergy of "Four Waters" in the Yellow River Basin from a Configurational...

Based on the theory of co-evolution of composite systems development， this study constructs a technology-organization-environment （TOE） framework and chooses 60 cities at the prefecture level within the Yellow River Basin spanning the years 2014 to 2023 for analysis. It also utilizes the entropy-weighted TOPSIS approach to evaluate the advancement of the "four waters" concept （water resource， water environment， water ecology， and water disaster） in each city， employs the Haken model to analyze the co-evolutionary laws of the "four waters" in the cities of the Yellow River Basin， and uses the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis （fsQCA） technique to investigate the most effective trajectory for the synchronized development of the "four waters" within the Yellow River Basin. The findings indicated that between 2014 and 2023， the co-evolutionary level of the "four waters" has experienced an overall upward movement with fluctuations， notably with the downstream regions exhibiting a more advanced degree of co-evolution compared to that of the upstream and midstream areas. From the analysis of necessary conditions， none of the seven antecedent variables were necessary conditions for a high level of "four waters" co-evolution， indicating that the improvement of the co-evolution level of the "four waters" in the Yellow River Basin requires a comprehensive consideration of the linkage effects of multiple conditions. Through fsQCA analysis， three main paths of co-evolution were identified： "Technology-Organization-Environment" type， "Technology-Organization" type， and "Organization-Environment" type. These paths showed different characteristics in different regions： The upstream area showed an "environment-driven" development， the middle reaches showed an "organization-driven" development， and the downstream area showed a "technology-environment dual-track" development. This study provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the co-evolution of the "four waters" in the Yellow River Basin， which is of great significance for promoting the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.