Share:


Convergence analysis of environmental efficiency from the perspective of environmental regulation: evidence from China

    Suling Feng Affiliation
    ; Haoyue Wu Affiliation
    ; Guoxiang Li Affiliation
    ; Liping Li Affiliation
    ; Wenting Zhou Affiliation

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of environmental regulation on regional environmental efficiency convergence using the fixed effects model and threshold regression model. The results show that the differences in environmental efficiency have a convergence trend in China, as well as in the eastern, central and western regions. The effect of environmental regulation on regional environmental efficiency is inhibition first and then promotion, research and development investment and outward foreign direct investment have a positive transmission effect; when environmental regulation intensity exceeds a certain threshold, the growth rate of environmental efficiency in the central and western regions will be significantly higher than that in the eastern regions.

Keyword : environmental regulation, environmental efficiency, outward foreign direct investment, convergence

How to Cite
Feng, S., Wu, H., Li, G., Li, L., & Zhou, W. (2020). Convergence analysis of environmental efficiency from the perspective of environmental regulation: evidence from China. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 26(5), 1074-1097. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2020.13233
Published in Issue
Aug 28, 2020
Abstract Views
998
PDF Downloads
699
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Alford, W. P., & Shen, Y. (1997). Limits of the law in addressing China’s environmental dilemma. Stanford Environmental Law Journal, 99(1), 49–54.

Auffhammer, M., & Kellogg, R. (2011). Clearing the Air? The effects of gasoline content regulation on air quality. American Economic Review, 101(6), 2687–2722. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.6.2687

Bai, J., & Liu, Y. (2020). Is market integration conducive to spatial convergence of regional innovation. Finance & Trade Economics, (1), 1–14. http://doi.org/10.19795/j.cnki.cn11-1166/f.20200103.008

Camarero, M., Castillo, J., Picazo-Tadeo, A. J., & Tamarit, C. (2013). Eco-efficiency and convergence in OECD countries. Environmental and Resource Economics, 55(1), 87–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-012-9616-9

Cao, K., Zhang, W., Liu, S., Huang, B., & Huang, W. (2019). Pareto law-based regional inequality analysis of PM2.5 air pollution and economic development in China. Journal of Environmental Management, 252(24), 109635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109635

Chakraborty, P., & Chatterjee, C. (2017). Does environmental regulation indirectly induce upstream innovation? New evidence from India. Research Policy, 46(5), 939–955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.03.004

Chen, C., Lan, Q., Gao, M., & Sun, Y. (2018a). Green total factor productivity growth and its determinants in China’s industrial economy. Sustainability, 10(4), 1052–1078. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041052

Chen, Z., Kahn, M. E., Liu, Y., & Wang, Z. (2018b). The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 88(3), 468–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2018.01.010

Cheng, Z., Li, L., & Liu, J. (2017). The emissions reduction effect and technical progress effect of environmental regulation policy tools. Journal of Cleaner Production, 149(4), 191–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.105

China Environmental Statistics Yearbook. (2009–2018). https://data.cnki.net/yearbook/Single/N2019030257

China Science and Technology Statistical Yearbook. (2009–2018). https://data.cnki.net/yearbook/Single/N2020030067

China Energy Statistics Yearbook. (2009–2018). https://data.cnki.net/yearbook/Single/N2019080025

Churchill, S. A., Inekwe, J., & Ivanovski, K. (2018). Conditional convergence in per capita carbon emissions since 1900. Applied Energy, 228(10), 916–927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.06.132

Cole, M. A., & Elliott, R. J. R. (2003). Do environmental regulations influence trade patterns? Testing old and new trade theories. The World Economy, 26(8), 1163–1186. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9701.00567

Duman, Y. S., & Kasman, A. (2018). Environmental technical efficiency in EU member and candidate countries: A parametric hyperbolic distance function approach. Energy, 147(3), 297–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.01.037

Fredriksson, P. G., & Millimet, D. L. (2002). Is there a “California effect” in US environmental policy making. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 32(6), 737–764. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-0462(01)00096-5

Gehrsitz, M. (2017). The effect of low emission zones on air pollution and infant health. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 83(5), 121–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2017.02.003

Gray, W. B., & Shadbegian, R. J. (2003). Plant vintage, technology, and environmental regulation. Journal of Environmental Economics & Management, 46(3), 384–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0095-0696(03)00031-7

Greenstone, M., List, J. A., & Syverson, C. (2012). The effects of environmental regulation on the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. Social Science Electronic Publishing, 93(2), 431–435. https://doi.org/10.3386/w18392

Guo, L., Qu, Y., & Tseng, M. (2017). The interaction effects of environmental regulation and technological innovation on regional green growth performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 162(27), 894–902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.210

Hao, Y., Deng, Y., Lu, Z., & Chen, H. (2018). Is environmental regulation effective in China? Evidence from city-level panel data. Journal of Cleaner Production, 188(7), 966–976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.003

Hering, L., & Poncet, S. (2014). Environmental policy and exports: Evidence from Chinese cities. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 68(2), 296–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2014.06.005

Herrerias, M. J. (2012). World energy intensity convergence revisited: A weighted distribution dynamics approach. Energy Policy, 49(10), 383–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.06.044

Jin, W., Zhang, H., Liu, S., & Zhang, H. (2019). Technological innovation, environmental regulation, and green total factor effciency of industrial water resources. Journal of Cleaner Production, 211(6), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.172

Jin, Y., Andersson, H., & Zhang, S. (2016). Air pollution control policies in China: A retrospective and prospects. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 12(13), 1219. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13121219

Kaneko, S., & Managi, S. (2004). Environmental productivity in China. Economics Bulletin, 17(2), 1–10.

Li, L., & Hu, J. (2012). Ecological total-factor energy efficiency of regions in China. Energy Policy, 46(3), 216–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.03.053

Li, N., Zhang, X., Shi, M., & Hewings, G. (2019). Does China’s air pollution abatement policy matter? An assessment of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on a multi-regional CGE model. Energy Policy, 127(4), 213–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.12.019

Long, X., Sun, M., Cheng, F., & Zhang, J. (2017). Convergence analysis of eco-efficiency of China’s cement manufacturers through unit root test of panel data. Energy, 134(9), 709–717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.05.079

Lu, X., & Xu, C. (2019). The difference and convergence of total factor productivity of inter-provincial water resources in China based on three- stage DEA-Malmquist index model. Sustainable Computing: Informatics and Systems, 22(6), 75–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.suscom.2019.01.019

Ivanovski, K., Churchill, S. A., & Smyth, R. (2018). A club convergence analysis of per capita energy consumption across Australian regions and sectors. Energy Economics, 76(11), 519–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2018.10.035

Maximilian, A., & Kellogg, R. (2011). Clearing the air? The effects of gasoline content regulation on air quality. American Economic Review, 101(6), 2687–2722. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.6.2687

Miao, C., Fang, D., Sun, L., Luo, Q., & Yu, Q. (2018). Driving effect of technology innovation on energy utilization efficiency in strategic emerging industries. Journal of Cleaner Production, 170(1), 1177–1184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.225

Miao, Z., Baležentis, T., Tian, Z., Shao, S., Geng, Y., & Wu, R. (2019). Environmental performance and regulation effect of China’s atmospheric pollutant emissions: Evidence from “Three Regions and Ten Urban Agglomerations”. Environmental and Resource Economics, 74, 211–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-018-00315-6

National Bureau of Statistics of China. (n.d.). http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/

National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2017). China Statistical Yearbook 2017. http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2017/indexch.htm

Palmer, K., Oates, W. E., & Portney, P. (1995). Tightening environmental standards: the benefit-cost or the no-cost paradigm. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9(4), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.9.4.119

Pan, X., Ai, B., Li, C., Pan, X., & Yan, Y. (2019). Dynamic relationship among environmental regulation, technological innovation and energy efficiency based on large scale provincial panel data in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 144(7), 428–435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.12.012

Peng, B., Tu, Y., Elahi, E., & Wei, G. (2018). Extended Producer Responsibility and corporate performance: Effects of environmental regulation and environmental strategy. Journal of Environmental Management, 218(7), 181–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.068

Piao, S., Li, J., & Ting, C. (2019). Assessing regional environmental efficiency in China with distinguishing weak and strong disposability of undesirable outputs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 227(22), 748–759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.207

Porter, M. E. (1991). Toward a dynamic theory of strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 12(S2), 95– 117. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250121008

Porter, M. E., & Linde, C. (1995). Toward a new conception of the environment competitiveness relationship. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9(5), 97–118. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.9.4.97

Ren, S., Li, X., Yuan, B., Li, D., & Chen, X. (2018). The effects of three types of environmental regulation on eco-efficiency: A cross-region analysis in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 173(4), 245–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.113

Rubashkina, Y., Galeott, M., & Verdolini, E. (2015). Environmental regulation and competitiveness: empirical evidence on the Porter Hypothesis from European manufacturing sectors. Energy Policy, 83, 288–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2015.02.014

Shi, X., & Xu, Z. (2018). Environmental regulation and firm exports: evidence from the eleventh FiveYear Plan in China. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 89(2), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2018.03.003

Song, M., An, Q., Zhang, W., Wang, Z., & Wu, J. (2012). Environmental efficiency evaluation based on data envelopment analysis: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(7), 4465–4469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.04.052

Stern, D. I. (2012). Modeling international trends in energy efficiency. Energy Economics, 34(6), 2200– 2208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2012.03.009

Sueyoshi, T., & Yuan, Y. (2017). Social sustainability measured by intermediate approach for DEA environmental assessment: Chinese regional planning for economic development and pollution prevention. Energy Economics, 66(8), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2017.06.008

Suh, S., & Huppes, G. (2005). Methods for Life Cycle Inventory of a product. Journal of Cleaner Production, 13(7), 687–697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2003.04.001

Tian, G., Miao, C., Hu, Z., & Miao, J. (2018). Environmental regulation, local protection and the spatial distribution of pollution-intensive industries in China. Acta Geographica Sinica, 73(10), 1954–1969.

Wang, X., & Shao, Q. (2019). Non-linear effects of heterogeneous environmental regulations on green growth in G20 countries: Evidence from panel threshold regression. Science of The Total Environment, 660(14), 1346–1354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.094

Wang, X., Zhang, C., & Zhang, Z. (2019). Pollution haven or porter? The impact of environmental regulation on location choices of pollution-intensive firms in China. Journal of Environmental Management, 248(20), 109248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.07.019

Wang, Y., & Shen, N. (2016). Environmental regulation and environmental productivity: The case of China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 62(9), 758–766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.05.048

Wang, Y., & Yao, Y. (2001). Source of China’s economic growth, 1952–1999: incorporating human capital accumulation. China Economic Review, 14(1), 32–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1043-951X(02)00084-6

Wolff, H. (2014). Keep your clunker in the suburb: Low-emission zones and adoption of green vehicles. The Economic Journal, 124(578), 481–512. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12091

Yang, Q., & Liu, H. (2012). Regional heterogeneity and convergence of carbon intensity distribution in China: Based on the empirical research of provincial data between 1995 and 2009. Contemporary Finance & Economics, (2), 87–98.

Yang, X., He, L., Xia, Y., & Chen, Y. (2019). Effect of government subsidies on renewable energy investments: The threshold effect. Energy Policy, 132(9), 156–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.05.039

Yu, Y., Huang, J., & Zhang, N. (2018). Industrial eco-efficiency, regional disparity, and spatial convergence of China’s regions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 204(35), 872–887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.054

Zhang, J., Wu, G., & Zhang, J. (2004). Estimation of China’s inter provincial material capital stock: 1952–2000. Economic Research Journal, (10), 35–44.

Zhang, N., Kong, F., & Choi, Y. (2014). The effect of Size-control policy on unified energy and carbon efficiency for Chinese fossil fuel power plants. Energy Policy, 70(4), 193–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.03.031

Zhang, W., Li, G., Uddin, M. K., & Guo, S. (2020). Environmental regulation, Foreign investment behavior, and carbon emissions for 30 provinces in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248(7), 119–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119208

Zhang, Y., Shen, L., Shuai, C., Bian, J., Zhu, M., Tan, Y., & Ye, G. (2019). How is the environmental efficiency in the process of dramatic economic development in the Chinese cities. Ecological Indicators, 98(3), 349–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.11.006

Zhang, Z., Xue, B., Chen, X., & Li, Y. (2015). Convergence in spatial difference of industrial environmental efficiency in China. China Population, Resources and Environment, 25(2), 30–38.

Zhu, Y., & Wang, Z. (2013). Study on emission reduction control based on R&D investment under stable economic growth. Studies in Science of Science, 31(04), 554–559.

Zhuo, C., & Deng, F. (2020). How does China’s Western Development Strategy affect regional green economic efficiency. Science of The Total Environment, 707(8), 135939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135939