Effectiveness and heterogeneity evaluation of regional collaborative governance on haze pollution control: Evidence from 284 prefecture-level cities in China

Abstract

• Regional collaborative governance significantly reduces haze pollution. • The 31 provinces in China are divided into 10 collaborative governance regions. • Collaborative governance on haze pollution reduction has temporal and spatial heterogeneity. • The “free-rider” effect has obvious temporal and regional heterogeneity. The impact of collaborative governance on the reduction of haze pollution has always been a hotly debated topic in environmental protection research. First, the present study aims to examine the effectiveness of collaborative governance on haze pollution control by using panel data of 284 Chinese cities during 2008–2018. Second, social network analysis is used to divide 31 provinces into 10 collaborative governance regions. Third, the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of collaborative governance on the reduction of haze pollution in each region is investigated through the GTWR model, and the underlying mechanism of the heterogeneity of collaborative governance is explained in detail through the “free-rider” effect. The results show that collaborative governance has a positive effect on haze pollution reduction, in which government effort is indispensable. The concentration of PM2.5 decreased by 5.658 μg/m 3 with every 1% increase in the collaborative governance level. The collaborative governance effect shows an obvious time trend and regional difference, and the effect of haze control in each collaborative governance region basically shows a fluctuating trend due to the updating of environmental regulations. The developed regions have better control effect in haze pollution control, and the eastern coastal regions are better than other regions. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the “free-rider” effect are similar to those of collaborative governance; the "free-rider" effect is more apparent in less-developed areas and areas with special terrain. Central government supervision is essential for enhancing regional collaborative governance and avoiding the “free-rider” effect. At the same time, it is necessary to improve regional collaborative governance through the clear division of responsibilities and regulatory rules.