Effects of the promotion pressure of officials on green low-carbon transition: Evidence from 277 cities in China

Abstract

Local governments are essential in enabling regional green transformation. Local officials are a key factor in government behavior. Using panel data from 277 cities at the prefecture level in China from 2009 to 2019, this study investigates the role of officials' promotion pressure on green and low-carbon transition and its mechanisms. The pressure of officials' promotions significantly inhibited the green low-carbon transition, and this inhibitory effect was greater before implementing the environmental inspection system. Regarding the influence mechanism, officials' promotion pressure leads to a dependence on resource factors, industrial structure, and investment in regional development, which restricts regional green low-carbon transformation. Furthermore, an additional moderating effect analysis was conducted to examine the impact of government green attention on the relationship between civil servants' promotion pressure and the green low-carbon transition. The results of this study are significant for optimizing officials' promotion mechanisms and facilitating green low-carbon transition in developing countries.