Female leaders as environmental saviors: Tackling urban pollution in Chinese cities

Abstract

In the Chinese political context, local government officials have substantial influence over the implementation of policies. The approach to urban environmental management varies significantly between female and male officials, which in turn affects governance outcomes differently. Consequently, the gender of local officials plays a crucial role in shaping urban environmental conditions. This study investigates the impact of female officials on urban environmental pollution in China over the period from 2003 to 2018. Utilizing data from the China Urban Statistical Yearbook combined with individual profiles of officials at the prefecture level, the analysis reveals a notable decrease in urban environmental pollution associated with female leadership. Notably, the effect is more pronounced among younger female officials compared to their older counterparts, and those with higher education levels are particularly effective in curbing pollution emissions. The pollution abatement effect of female officials is found to be stronger in the central regions compared to the eastern and western regions. The robustness of these findings is confirmed through checks against alternative explanatory variables, permutation tests, and treatment effect analyses. Overall, this research contributes new perspectives on management strategies that can sisgnificantly improve urban environmental quality in China.