Modernizing one-size-fits-all policy for haze pollution from enterprise registration big data: Spatial effects of industry activities

Abstract

Haze pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in China. In order to promote economic development and protect the environment, the Chinese government has made many attempts. One of them is the one-size-fits-all policy adopted by some local governments in the face of haze pollution, which has disrupted the normal operation of the economy. This study attempts to use the enterprise registration information of Chinese enterprises from 2005 to 2018 to explore the relationship between industrial activities and haze pollution through a spatial econometric model. From a macro perspective, the manufacturing industry and service industry have a significant impact on haze pollution. From sub-industry perspective, manufacture has a significant impact on haze pollution. The service industries such as accommodation and catering, wholesale and retail, and real estate have a positive impact on haze pollution. We further investigate the sub-manufacture industry and find not all sub-industries increase haze pollution. The one-size-fits-all policy should be modernized into one-industry-one-treatment approach, instead of blindly reducing manufacturing and increasing the service industry. In addition, the urbanization rate has an inverted U-shaped relationship with haze pollution, which supports the EKC hypothesis.