Abstract

This study investigated how green finance affects the total factor productivity (TFP) of firms in heavily polluting industries. In 2017, the People's Bank of China (PBC) issued a policy of incorporating green finance into its macroprudential assessment system. Applying this event as a quasi-natural experiment to identify causality, we used a difference-in-differences approach to show that the PBC's green finance policy can improve the TFP of firms in heavily polluting industries, thus confirming the Porter hypothesis of environmental regulations. While exploring mechanisms, we showed that the PBC's policy can tighten credit to firms in such industries, forcing them to engage in green innovation and reduce their agency costs, thereby improving their TFP. In addition, the PBC's green finance policy mainly promotes TFP in large-scale and nonzombie firms in heavily polluting industries and in firms in regions with weak bank competition.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.