Government Behavior Research Articles

Can government green discourse-behavior congruence mitigate carbon emissions? A polynomial regression with response surface analysis

As global climate change intensifies, the efficacy of governmental environmental policies and their implementation is pivotal for carbon emission control. The alignment between governmental green initiatives and their actions not only affects authority credibility but also determines the success of environmental governance outcomes. Therefore, investigating the congruence between government green discourse and behavior in achieving “dual carbon” objectives is critical for addressing climate change and facilitating systemic reforms. Applying panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2022 based on polynomial regression and response surface, this study summarizes three main pathways through which government green discourse-behavior congruence influences carbon emissions: the state of congruence or incongruence, the degree of congruence, and the direction of incongruence. Congruent government green discourse and behavior more effectively reduce carbon emissions intensity than incongruent ones, while a higher degree of congruence leads to more significant reductions. The direction of incongruence also impacts carbon emissions intensity, particularly when government behaviors fall short of its discourses, leading to a higher carbon intensity growth rate. Furthermore, the moderating role of non-governmental entities' green innovation vitality is considered. The results reveal that the green innovation of non-governmental entities can partly substitute for the need for government discourse-behavior congruence in achieving carbon reduction. Specifically, green innovation of research institutions primarily enhances the positive environmental effects of increased government discourse-behavior congruence degree, while corporate green innovation mainly mitigates the negative environmental impacts of government incongruence direction. Consequently, the deep integration of government environmental initiatives and actions is advocated, along with the stimulation of green innovation among various entities, to more effectively combat global climate change. This study not only extends traditional congruence research from the micro level to the meso and macro levels and fills a theoretical gap, but also provides new insights into the process of government green governance worldwide.

The impact of biased land resource allocation on local behaviour and subnational service provision: evidence from China

ABSTRACT Land resources are crucial yet limited inputs in economic activities, with significant implications for both economic development and public sector behaviour. This study investigates how land resource supply affects local government actions, using the place-biased land supply policy (PBLP) introduced in 2004 as a quasi-natural experiment. Through a propensity score matching and difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) approach, this study finds that cities facing land supply restrictions under PBLP experienced slower GDP growth alongside higher pollutant emissions. These effects remain robust across alternative variable measures, accounting for other policies, and varying matching techniques. The slowdown in economic growth is primarily driven by reduced fixed assets and foreign investment, prompting local governments to relax environmental regulations to boost short-term growth. These findings highlight the unintended consequences of administrative land policies on social welfare, revealing the complex dynamics between land supply, government behaviour, and socio-economic outcomes.

Author Correction: Effect of ecoliteracy on farmers’ participation in pesticide packaging waste governance behavior in rural North China

Author Correction: Effect of ecoliteracy on farmers’ participation in pesticide packaging waste governance behavior in rural North China

Cash or crash? The diversification game and corporate cash holdings in India

Purpose This paper aims to explore how corporate diversification influences corporate cash holdings (CCH) in India. It also assesses CCH behavior and its determinants during crisis, stability and recovery periods. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the system generalized method of moments (System GMM) on 1684 non-financial firms listed on the National Stock Exchange during 2002–2022. Further analyses are carried out for group-affiliated firms based on investment cash flow sensitivity, agency costs and debt capacity. Findings The findings show that firm diversification (at the group level) results in a roughly 6% fall in cash ratio, thereby implying that diversified firms (diversified business groups) hold lower cash levels than specialized firms. The reduced cash balances are attributed to the financially unconstrained nature of diversified business groups, higher debt capacity, good governance behavior and active internal markets. Additionally, the authors observe a time-varying cash policy for diversified firms, with mean cash holdings being 2% higher during crisis periods. Moreover, the findings reveal that the inverse relationship between diversified firms and CCH is less pronounced for unrelated diversified firms (2% fall in cash ratio) than related diversified firms (5% fall in cash ratio). Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between corporate diversification and CCH in India during both crisis and non-crisis periods. The authors’ research uniquely uses System GMM on a large sample and differentiates between related and unrelated diversification.

The social gradient of trust in government: An empirical analysis based on the 2019 wave of the Chinese Social Survey

Recent research on trust in the Chinese government has increasingly focused on whether it can be seen as the civic foundation of political stability. Differing from previous studies discussing the authenticity of the high mean level of trust in China, this paper responds to this discussion by examining how trust in the government varies across different social classes. By analyzing data from the Chinese Social Survey, our research revealed a gradient in trust towards both central and local governments across social classes, with notably lower trust observed in the lower classes. The social gradient was more pronounced in trust towards local governments compared to the central government. Furthermore, we found that the implementation of equity-oriented policies was effective in bridging the gap in trust between classes. These findings not only indicate that highly stratified trust may lead to potential risk to political stability, but also provide valuable insights into government behavior and its consequences, which are essential for guiding the transformation of governmental functions in the future.

Strategic States: The Congressional Roots of Federal Grant Applications

Abstract While a large body of research explores the federal-level influences over distributive politics decisions, very little attention has been given to the active role state and local governments play in the geographic distribution of federal funds. Before presidents, legislators, and agency leaders can influence the selection of federal grants, state and local governments must expend time and resources to submit grant proposals. We focus on grant applications as our unit of analysis and advance a theory that congressional representation influences the grant application behavior of state and local governments. We analyze US Department of Transportation grant applications and awards from 2009 to 2022 and find evidence that congressional representation meaningfully influences state-level grant application behavior. States apply more aggressively for federal transportation grants when represented by senators in the Senate majority party, and states apply more efficiently for grants when represented by a senator holding an advantageous committee leadership post.

Combating the rent-seeking among enterprises in China's emissions trading system

Enterprises engage in rent-seeking with third-party verification authorities (TPs) falsify carbon data has seriously distorted the order of emissions trading system (ETS). Methods of effectively regulating rent-seeking in ETS remain unclear. Based on the analysis of the formation mechanisms of rent-seeking, a tripartite evolutionary game is constructed to explore the interactive behavior of enterprises, TPs, and governments. The important factors affecting the players' behavior were verified using simulation. The results revealed the following: 1) there is a significant correlation between the probability of rent-seeking, probability of acceptation by TPs and the probability of active supervision. 2) based on the evolutionary stability strategy in the game, two kinds of governance mode of rent-seeking are proposed, the market-oriented mode is more efficient than government-led mode; 3) the initial willingness of the tripartite stakeholders, relaxed cost, the penalties for rent-seeking, and the rewards were determined to be critical factors that influence evolutionary results. Finally, the practical countermeasures are recommended to strengthen the collaborative governance of ETS.

Credit ratings and corporate ESG behavior

This study examines the effect of credit rating concerns on corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) behavior. We use the plus or minus test on a large sample of ESG scores and S&P credit ratings of U.S. publicly traded firms from 2003 to 2017. We find that firms with credit rating concerns often increase their ESG activities. This finding holds even after we control for various factors affecting ESG practices. Moreover, firms on the boundary between investment- and speculative-grade ratings significantly improve their ESG performance compared to other cases. Finally, we find evidence that the positive effect of credit rating concerns on ESG activities is pronounced during the global financial crisis and then strengthens further. Overall, our study highlights the impact of credit ratings on corporate ESG behavior. (JEL G24, G32, M14)

Distrust and reflexive impotence in the net zero transition: findings from a longitudinal deliberative mini-public

Responding to climate change requires that people engage in different forms of climate citizenship. These span from individual consumption choices, to taking part in forms of collective action to steer the behaviour of governments and in the private sector. Here we analyse data from the Net Zero Diaries project to explore how attitudes to different forms of climate citizenship develop as people become more aware about the scale of societal change required to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Net Zero Diaries project was a deliberative mini-public, composed of 41 citizens broadly representative of the UK adult population, which convened over five months between 2021 and 2022 to debate the UK policies for reaching net zero emissions by 2050. We show that people identify government as the prime actor needed to drive the transition, but doubt that they will act due to a range of constraints vis-à-vis the public and private sector. This tension provides a novel explanation for why some people prioritise forms of individual and consumption focused climate citizenship, whilst also doubting the efficacy of such actions. We conclude by suggesting that efforts to drive more engaged forms of climate citizenship need to attend to underlying feelings about state efficacy, rather than focus on just how the issue of climate change is framed.

What influences the development of wine-producing regions? New economic opportunities in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in China

The formation and development of wine regions require unique natural conditions and hundreds of years of technical and cultural accumulation. The development of the wine industry at the eastern foot of Helan Mountain in China, in addition to the appropriate geographical environment, the technical migration, and talent flow supported by consistent policies, have improved the allocation ability of resource factors and conversion efficiency, making it a world-renowned new wine-producing region in just 40 years. This particular mechanism deserves attention as new industries develop in other parts of the world. Using the methods of spatial autocorrelation, hot spot analysis, and geographic detector, this paper comprehensively analyzes the growth and spatial evolution characteristics of wineries in the eastern foot of Helan Mountain in China and deeply discusses the mechanism of the interaction between the localization of global floating capital and China's unique regional economic policies. It is found that the local selection of global floating capital has a spatial locking effect on the formation of CHMWR, and the rolling support policies of China's central and local governments promote the rapid expansion and regional spread of the number and scale of wineries, with significant spatial agglomeration and spatial diffusion. The profound mechanism of such changes lies in the dual interaction of the local selection of global liquid capital and the Chinese government's wine-producing policies adapted to the geographical environment. In this process, a series of internal and external factors such as the innovation of grape planting and wine-making technology, consumer market, and government behavior have accelerated the continuous growth of the wine-producing region at the eastern foot of Helan Mountain in Ningxia. This paper adds a new understanding and deep understanding of the interaction between the local implantation of economic globalization and the macro-control policies of the Chinese government.

Does funding sources’ regulation affect Chinese local governments’ financing behavior?

In China, where urban investment and development companies (UIDCs) established by local governments have issued an excess of urban investment bonds (UIBs), the central government has sought to reduce risk in the UIB market. In empirical testing, we specifically examined how restrictions on UIDCs’ use of land revenues have affected the financing behaviors of local governments. Our results revealed that, following the restriction, the issuance of UIBs dropped, whereas the issuance of local bonds rose, which indicates that the regulation indeed improved local governments’ financing behaviors.

Spatiotemporal evolution and development path of healthcare services supply in China

ObjectPromoting the accessibility and equity of healthcare services, as well as enhancing service capacity, are crucial for building a sound healthcare system. Particularly in the past two years of the normalized COVID-19 situation, this issue has garnered widespread attention in the academic community. This study aims to investigate and analyze the characteristics and trends of the spatial-temporal evolution of healthcare service supply levels in China. It also seeks to explore the influencing factors and pathways for development, with the goal of optimizing the allocation of healthcare resources.MethodsThis article uses the entropy weight TOPSIS method combined with Dagum Gini coefficient and Kernel density to evaluate the supply level of healthcare services in 31 provinces and cities in China from 2012 to 2020, and explores its development and spatial pattern characteristics. Then, through Moran index, panel regression model and spatial econometric testing, the spatial correlation problem and its influencing factors are further analyzed, and targeted policy recommendations are proposed based on it, laying the foundation for further promoting the balanced development of healthcare service supply capacity.Results(1) Healthcare services supply levels in various provinces and cities in China have significantly increased, with a shift in spatial distribution from ‘higher in the east and lower in the west’ to ‘convergence between east and west, with lower levels in the central regions.’ (2) Relative differences among regions are narrowing annually, primarily due to interactions between the four regions rather than within each region, with expanding impact of overlapping regions. (3) Absolute differences among regions are also decreasing, moving towards uniformity with a contraction of extension and a restraint on the trend towards multipolarization. (4) Spatial correlation between adjacent regions is weakening, eventually becoming non-significant, with fading spatial effects. (5) The correlation between local economic development, population factors, institutional arrangements, and the current state of supply is significant, and the research design and conclusions remain robust even after thorough consideration of spatial effects. The study explores the development pathways based on the objective existence of regional development and the controllable government actions.ConclusionThe overall level of healthcare service supply in China has improved, but regional differences still exist. The objective level of regional development and the subjective behavior of local governments have a significant impact on the supply of healthcare services. Therefore, it is recommended that each region adapt to local conditions, identify its own strengths and weaknesses, coordinate resource supply and demand, consider the impact of key factors, and optimize the allocation of healthcare development resources.

Research on the evolutionary game of government and enterprises in carbon emission reduction under multi-market coordinated trading

The three primary markets for carbon emission reduction trading are green certificate, green power, and carbon emission right markets. This paper suggests utilizing game theory to analyze the behaviors of government and enterprises in multi-market synergistic trading. The main participants in the game are the government, electricity consuming enterprises, traditional power generators, and new energy power generators. The game model will be simulated using system dynamics, and recommendations and measures will be proposed. The findings indicate that: (1) the government's ultimate strategy is to “act” when the losses resulting from government inaction exceed the gains from government action. (2) Behavioral evolution is consistent when market participants refrain from adjusting their cost inputs in response to fluctuations in market prices. (3) The market price is not as high as possible, but too high a price inhibits emission reduction. The behavioral evolution of carbon emission reduction in multiple markets is revealed in this study, which is of great importance in the promotion of carbon emission reduction.

The Impact of Carbon Emissions Trading on Corporate Environmental Performance--A Hybrid Study Based on PSM-DID and Dual Machine Learning

In the context of "dual carbon", the green economy has gradually become the mainstream trend of economic development. As the main force of social production, the environmental governance behaviour of enterprises is crucial to China's economic transformation. Based on the panel data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2021, this study empirically examines, analyses the mechanism of action, and analyses the heterogeneity of enterprises using the PSM-DID model and the dual machine learning DML model. It is found that the carbon trading pilot policy significantly and positively affects firms' environmental performance, especially for non-state-owned enterprises, non-high-tech and manufacturing industries. In terms of spatial distribution, enterprises in the eastern and central regions are more significantly affected by the carbon trading pilot policy. In addition, the study also finds that executives' green awareness plays a partial mediating role in carbon trading's influence on firms' environmental performance through mediation effect analysis. Finally, the article puts forward recommendations for the government, enterprises and executives to promote the further application and effect of the carbon trading pilot policy in the enhancement of corporate environmental performance.

Measuring Professional Governance: The Swedish Version of the Verran Professional Governance Scale©.

To translate the Verran Professional Governance Scale© (VPGS©) into Swedish, adapt it to the Swedish context, and validate it. Magnet ® -recognized hospitals have proven successful in reversing negative trends regarding nursing shortage. A change in organizational and management structures is required, and professional governance is fundamental. However, in a Swedish context, there are no validated instruments to measure professional governance. The instrument was translated from English to Swedish and synthesized into a unified version. It was back translated, discussed in an expert panel, and pilot tested with cognitive interviews of nurses. A new Swedish version of the VPGS© was developed. The expert group reached a consensus, and the scale-level Content Validity Index value shows high relevance. Some words and sentences were revised, and an introduction was added. The study generated a Swedish version of the VPGS©, which can be used to measure nurses' perceptions of professional governance behaviors.

Pancasila sebagai Sistem Etika Politik dan Etika Pemerintahan di Indonesia

The study aims to examine Pancasila as an ethical system in politics and government in Indonesia. Pancasila, which consists of five principles, is not only the foundation of the state but also a moral guideline that directs political and governmental behavior. This study uses a qualitative type of library research with a descriptive approach, which is a type of research that focuses on a phenomenon with data obtained in the form of literature that is naturally described in the form of words or writing. The results of the study obtained are in the context of political ethics, Pancasila functions as a moral identity that guides citizens and the government to act in accordance with ethical principles that are fair, wise, and in accordance with the values ​​of humanity, unity, and people's sovereignty. The implementation of political ethics based on Pancasila ensures that political actions are not only focused on power, but also morally and socially responsible to society. In government, Pancasila is the main guideline that ensures that the government acts for the welfare of all Indonesian people, by respecting the values ​​of humanity, justice, and unity. Every decision and policy taken by a leader must reflect the values ​​contained in Pancasila, such as divinity, humanity, democracy, and social justice. Pancasila is not only the basis of the country's constitution, but also an ethical system that guides the government in carrying out its duties with integrity, morality, and commitment to the interests of the people and the state.

Confucian culture, public education expenditure, and economic growth

Confucian culture has been found to have significant effects on economic outcomes, yet current studies seldom delve into its impact on regional economic growth in China and the role of government behavior as a mechanism. From the perspective of government response to public demands for education, this paper examines whether Confucian culture fosters economic growth by driving up public education expenditure. Using panel data at the prefecture-level over 2003–2018 and taking the historical population density of jinshi in the Ming and Qing Dynasties as the proxy of the Confucian culture, the empirical analysis is done mainly through pooled OLS and IV analysis. Results show that Confucian culture has a significant and positive effect on economic growth, which can be partially explained by its positive influence on public education expenditure. The channel still holds after controlling human capital in regression. Further discussion of the clan culture and local governors’ cultural backgrounds suggests that higher public education expenditure results from the local government’s passive response to public demands for education. Thus, local governments are suggested to widen and improve the channels for expressing public demands and increase public education expenditure while balancing public demands and the need to boost economic growth.

Identification and Spatial Characterization of suburban areas in Chengdu

As transitional territories where urban and rural functions interpenetrate, suburban areas have multiple values such as recreation, ecology, agriculture and landscape. Promoting their benign development is the key to realizing global sustainable development of urban and rural areas. Planning control is based on precisely defining the spatial extent of suburban areas, and understanding suburban area differentiation and its driving forces scientifically is a key component in raising the bar for focused planning. However, there are currently few research on fine-scale quantitative identification of suburban regions because of their spatial complexity, ambiguous boundaries, and structural dynamic features. Based on this, this paper develops a multi-dimensional identification index system for suburban areas by using multi-source big data and remote sensing information technology, employs the random forest model and the K-Medoids clustering algorithm, identifies the distribution of suburban areas and their subdivided types, analyzes spatial differentiation characteristics, and conducts empirical research using Chengdu City as an example. The findings demonstrate that: (1) The majority of suburban areas in Chengdu City are concentrated in groups or belts surrounding the urban centers of various districts and counties, and the higher the functional class of a district or county, the denser the distribution of suburban areas. (2)The distribution pattern of suburban areas in Chengdu basically conforms to its planned urban hierarchy system.(3)Urban-oriented, suburban-interacted and rural-oriented suburban areas have their own characteristics in land use level, economic development and regional population characteristics.(4)Regional openness, government behavior, social development and geographical location are the core driving factors of spatial differentiation of suburban areas in Chengdu, and the interaction between urban and rural systems, the flow of social resources and the transformation of development models are the spatial mapping dimensions that affect its differentiation.(5)Chengdu can draw up detailed regulatory planning of suburban units to standardize and guide the overall development of suburban areas. In support of the global sustainable development goals, this study offers a methodology for precisely and impartially defining suburban areas, assisting in the implementation of integrated urban-rural development globally.

Effect of ecoliteracy on farmers’ participation in pesticide packaging waste governance behavior in rural North China

Farmers’ participation in pesticide packaging waste (PPW) governance is important for improving agricultural pollution and achieving sustainable agricultural development. By incorporating the theory of planned behavior, value-belief-norm theory, cognition and behavior theory etc., we construct a theoretical model comprising “ecoliteracy–farmers’ WTP in PPW governance–participation in PPW governance behavior.” This study investigates how ecoliteracy affects farmers’ participation in PPW governance and explores the mediating effect of farmers’ willingness to participate (WTP) in PPW governance. We use structural equation modeling to analyze data collected from a questionnaire survey including 1118 samples of Chinese farmers. The results show that (1) Ecoliteracy significantly affects farmers’ WTP in PPW governance. Ecological cognition, emotion, values, and knowledge and skills positively affect WTP in PPW governance, while ecological cognition and ecological knowledge and skills significantly affect participation in PPW governance behavior. (2) Farmers’ WTP in PPW governance mediates ecoliteracy and governance participation behavior. (3) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that different planting scales, different planting categories, and receiving/not receiving government project support have different effects on farmers’ participation in governance behavior. Farmers in the large-scale group are more likely to participate in governance than those in the medium- and small-scale groups, and farmers in the mixed grain and economic category are more likely to participate in governance than those in the economic and grain categories. Furthermore, farmers who receive government support are more likely to participate in governance than those who do not. Our results can serve as a policy making reference for promoting PPW governance in various regions.

Financing urban land development in underdeveloped small cities in western China: The role of earmarked funds

Previous studies suggest that market forces and the strategic behavior of local governments regarding land development jointly contribute to rapid urban expansion in China. In underdeveloped small cities in Western China, the market is weak, and local governments lack the conditions required to promote land-centered urbanization. Surprisingly, these cities have experienced an expansion of urban space faster than the national average. This study presents a significant funding model of urban land development within the framework of the project system. Within this model, central and provincial governments are key providers of land development funds. Local governments design, apply for, package, and implement land development projects. Private developers cooperate with local governments rather than functioning as real initiators of and investors in land development projects. The findings provide new and supplementary evidence about how rapid urban expansion occurs in China, particularly in underdeveloped areas.