Regional Environmental Efficiency Research Articles

Environmental regulation, industrial structure and energy efficiency: Evidence from 30 provinces in China.

The government's environmental protection policy can significantly contribute to alleviating resource shortages and curbing environmental pollution, but the impact of various policy instruments implemented by the government on energy efficiency is unclear. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2021, this paper analyses the impact of environmental regulation and the industrial structure on energy efficiency from the perspective of resource taxes. The U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and energy efficiency and between the optimization of industrial structure can significantly improve energy efficiency, and the optimization of industrial structure is conducive to weakening the initial inhibitory effect of environmental regulation. In addition, the analysis of regional heterogeneity showed that the impact of environmental regulation was stronger in the central and western regions, while the impact of industrial structure was stronger in the eastern and western regions. The conclusions of this study can help to expand the understanding of the relationship between environmental regulation and industrial structure on energy efficiency, provide policy enlightenment for the realization of green development and high-quality development, and provide Chinese examples and experiences for developing countries to improve energy efficiency.

Assessing the carbon mitigation impact of energy choices in China: a focus on renewable energy and thermal efficiency improvement

ABSTRACT This study estimates the carbon mitigation effects of various energy choices, focusing on renewable energy (RE) adoption and thermal efficiency improvement. We compiled a comprehensive panel data covering 2,641 counties from 2003 to 2017 and employed a dynamic panel model for the analysis. Our results suggest that the adoption of wind power and thermal efficiency improvement, with the latter indicated by the adoption of large thermal power plants, significantly reduces carbon emissions. Notably, increasing wind power capacity exhibits a more substantial marginal reduction effect than increasing large thermal capacity. Moreover, the mitigation impact of RE is more substantial in regions with diverse renewable power types and higher renewable capacity. These results provide robust evidence regarding thermal efficiency improvement’s role in carbon mitigation and underscore the growing environmental benefits of RE as its share in installed capacity increases. Our findings emphasize the necessity of policies that incentivize the utilization of various RE types and target regional environmental efficiency gaps, which are crucial for achieving enhanced carbon mitigation during the energy transition.

Evaluation of Atmospheric Environmental Efficiency and Spatiotemporal Differences in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China

The scientific measurement of regional atmospheric environmental efficiency is an important prerequisite for achieving energy conservation and haze reduction and regional green and high-quality development. Taking the cities in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2012 to 2021 as the research object, the atmospheric environmental efficiency is measured from both static and dynamic perspectives using the three-stage DEA model and the Malmquist index to analyze the characteristics of spatial and temporal differences. The study finds that the real atmospheric environmental efficiency of the Yangtze River Delta region is 0.915, and the elimination of environmental factors and random errors is crucial to the assessment of the efficiency. The atmospheric environmental efficiency of the Yangtze River Delta region is not 1, and there is still room for improvement, in which the pure technical efficiency is the main factor that leads to the overall low efficiency. Different environmental variables have different impacts on the atmospheric environmental efficiency, in which the positive impact of the industrial structure is the most significant. Urban agglomerations can be categorized into “high–high–high”, “high–low–high”, “low–low–high”, and “low–high–low”. The total factor productivity of the atmospheric environment showed a gradual growth trend during the study period, in which technological progress played the most important role. Based on this, countermeasures are proposed to better enhance the level of atmospheric environment management in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Impacts of digital finance on energy efficiency: does environmental regulation matter?

The paper examines how digital finance affects energy efficiency in China using a dynamic panel model and data from 282 cities between 2011 and 2019. The study is based on the hypothesis which is related with digital finance, environmental regulation, and energy efficiency. The results indicate that: (1) Digital finance significantly improves energy efficiency, and this finding is consistent after several tests; (2) Digital finance has a positive effect on energy efficiency in non-resource-based cities, recession and regeneration resource-based cities, and old industrial base cities, but no significant effect on energy efficiency in growth and maturity resource-based cities and non-old industrial base cities; (3) Environmental regulation positively influences how digital finance affects energy efficiency; (4) The impact of digital finance on energy efficiency depends on the degree and tools of environmental regulation. This research offers valuable insights to local governments in China for promoting financial digitization and enhancing energy efficiency.

Environmental regulation, land use efficiency and industrial structure upgrading: Test analysis based on spatial durbin model and threshold effect

Environmental regulation promotes industrial structure change and regional economic transformation through land use adjustment, which gets a new way to explore the path of reforming traditional industrialization and urbanization. Based on the panel data of 128 prefecture-level cities in China 's Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2000 to 2020, this paper uses the spatial Dubin model to analyze the impact of environmental regulation and land use efficiency on the upgrading of industrial structure, and sets the panel threshold model to examine the impact of environmental regulation on the upgrading of industrial structure by affecting land use efficiency. The results show that formal environmental regulation has a significant positive spatial effect on the rationalization and upgrading of industrial structure, which are 0.1734 and 0.2854 respectively. Informal environmental regulation has a negative spillover effect on neighboring provinces but not significant. Heterogeneous environmental regulation has obvious “double threshold effect” on industrial upgrading by affecting land use efficiency. When the threshold of environmental regulation intensity is 0.0315–0.0886, environmental regulation still inhibits land use efficiency and industrial structure upgrading. When the threshold value is greater than 0.0886, environmental regulation has a positive impact on land use efficiency but not significant. With the intensity of environmental regulation from weak to strong, it will produce a double threshold effect of “strong inhibition-weak inhibition-interaction promotion” on the upgrading of manufacturing structure through the adjustment of land use efficiency.

Environmental regulation and carbon emission efficiency: Evidence from pollution levy standards adjustment in China.

China's economy experienced great growth, which also induces large carbon emission. Facing the target of "Carbon peak, Carbon neutrality" in China, it is vital to improve the carbon emission efficiency. Employing the spatial Difference-in-Differences model, this paper investigates the impact of environmental regulation on carbon emission efficiency with a quasi-natural experiment of Pollution Levy Standards Adjustment in China. Our empirical results show that the environmental regulation can significantly improve the carbon emission efficiency. moreover, two impact channels are explored: green innovation and industrial upgrading. More specifically, the green innovation increases with environmental regulation, and the increased green innovation improves carbon emission efficiency. The industry upgrading increases with environmental regulation, and the increased industry upgrading improves carbon emission efficiency. Finally, in terms of city heterogeneity, we find that the impact of environmental regulation will be more pronounced for larger cities and resource-based cities. Our findings suggest that the environmental regulation must be enhanced for both smaller cities and non-resource-based cities. Moreover, to promote the green innovation of firms, since green innovation is risky and costly, governments should provide more subsidies or grants on corporate green technologies, thus firms will be motivated to invest in green technologies to reduce carbon emission.

Environmental regulation and green innovation efficiency: a revisit of the porter hypothesis based on Chinese cities

Environmental regulation and green innovation efficiency: a revisit of the porter hypothesis based on Chinese cities

Environmental regulation, technology density, and green technology innovation efficiency

From the perspective of the innovation value chain, this study divides the innovation efficiency of green technology into two stages: R&D efficiency and achievement transformation efficiency. Technology density is introduced as a threshold variable to examine the influence of environmental regulation on the efficiency of green technology innovation at both stages. The findings reveal that China's overall green technology innovation efficiency (GTIE) is improving. R&D efficiency initially declined, then increased, while the efficiency of achievement transformation experienced a three-stage pattern: rise-fall-rise. The GTIE distribution across the two stages progressively increases from the northwest to the southeast, resulting in a concentrated, contiguous “line-shaped” and “block-shaped” pattern. High-efficiency areas are primarily found in the eastern coastal regions. Nationally, Environmental regulation and R&D efficiency share an inverted U-shaped relationship, with a double threshold effect of technology density. Environmental regulation does not significantly affect achievement transformation efficiency, but there is a single threshold effect due to technology density.

The effect of information disclosure on low-carbon innovation

Using policies to stimulate low-carbon innovations is vital for a more sustainable and low-carbon economy. While the importance of information disclosure policies, considered as a third-wave regulation, has been increasingly recognized by governments, research exploring its effect on low-carbon innovation, especially in developing countries, remains limited. Using patent data from the IncoPat database as a proxy for innovation, this study examines the impact of the Environmental Information Disclosure Decree (EID) on low-carbon innovation in China. The results show that the EID policy encourages low-carbon innovation and that this effect strengthens over time. Specifically, the EID policy induces more low-carbon innovations by alleviating information asymmetry, as evidenced by improved efficiency in governments' traditional environmental regulation, enhanced firms' involvement, and increased public participation. Further heterogeneity analyses conclude that the effect of EID on low-carbon innovation varies depending on the firm types and city attributes.

Environmental Regulation and Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: China as Case Study

China's economy has shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality development, and the constraints of high consumption, high pollution, and low efficiency in urban land use on sustainable urban economic development have gradually emerged. In the process of urban land resources development, it is urgent to get rid of the traditional “sloppy” utilization method and shift to the green utilization of urban land with low consumption, low pollution, and high efficiency, which can adapt to the requirements of economic and social development in the new era. Based on this, this paper investigates the effect of environmental regulations (ER) on urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE) by using SBM model, two-way stationary panel regression and threshold regression model. The results show that: (1) The connection between ER and ULGUE is strongly U-shaped. (2) Within the bounds of land use structure optimization effect, technology innovation effect, industrial structure optimization and upgrading effect, ER significantly impacts ULGUE. Still, its threshold impact coefficient has a gradient-decreasing characteristic. (3) In the heterogeneity analysis, the effect of ER on ULGUE is more evident in eastern cities, low-pollution cities, Type II, and large cities of Type I scale. Hence, in order to maximize the effectiveness of land use, it is essential to understand the environmental restrictions that cover a realistic spectrum, play the interactive and synergistic role of "combination box", and adjust the intensity of dominant environmental regulations dynamically and flexibly according to the time and place.

Analysis of spatial correlation characteristics and key factors of regional environmental governance efficiency in China

Analysis of spatial correlation characteristics and key factors of regional environmental governance efficiency in China

Exploring the Impact of Heterogeneous Environmental Regulations on Green Innovation Efficiency: Evidence from China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt

Enhancing environmental regulation (ER) is an effective way to improve the green innovation efficiency (GIE) of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and the key to achieving the target of carbon peaking and neutrality. Using the data of 103 cities in YREB in 2013–2019, this paper explores the effect of heterogeneous ER on GIE. The results of the study are as follows: first, we categorize environmental regulations into formal and informal environmental regulations and explore their impact on green innovation efficiency separately. The results show that both formal and informal environmental regulations can effectively promote GIE in the YREB urban agglomeration. Second, the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) model is used to analyze the spatial effect. The results show that there are spatial effects between heterogeneous environmental regulations and GIE, and environmental regulation can significantly strengthen GIE through positive spatial effects. Third, this paper uses the threshold model to explore the non-linear relationship between environmental regulation and green innovation efficiency. The results show that as ER increases, the positive effect on GIE increases, and this interesting finding holds for both formal and informal environmental regulations. Fourth, the mediating effect model is used to examine whether green technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading exert mediation effects on how environmental regulations affect GIE. The research results can provide effective policy recommendations to promote the green development of the cities in YREB.

Environmental regulation and green technical efficiency: A process-level data envelopment analysis from Chinese iron and steel enterprises

Environmental regulation and green technical efficiency: A process-level data envelopment analysis from Chinese iron and steel enterprises

Regional differences and spatio-temporal convergence of environmental regulation efficiency in the Yellow River Basin, China

Regional differences and spatio-temporal convergence of environmental regulation efficiency in the Yellow River Basin, China

Environmental regulation and energy efficiency: empirical evidence from the low-carbon city pilot program in China

Environmental regulation and energy efficiency: empirical evidence from the low-carbon city pilot program in China

Environmental regulation, industrial agglomeration, and marine green development efficiency: an empirical analysis from China's coastal provinces.

Environmental regulation (ER) and industrial agglomeration (IA) are important factors that affect green development efficiency (GDE). However, there is a lack of studies on their relation in the context of the marine economy. This paper integrates ER, IA, and marine GDE (MGDE) into a unified analytical framework and uses balanced panel data from China's 11 coastal provinces during 2008-2019 to quantify the linear, nonlinear, and spatial spillover effects between the three using the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and threshold effect model. The results show that ER has a negative impact on local and surrounding MGDE through the direct and spatial spillover effects. IA has a positive impact on local and surrounding MGDE through direct and spatial spillover effects. The synergistic impact of ER and IA can significantly boost local and surrounding MGDE. When ER surpasses a certain threshold, it amplifies the positive impact of IA on MGDE. These findings offer theoretical and practical references for the Chinese government to formulate marine environmental governance and industrial development policies.

Environmental Regulation, Environmental Policy Complexity and Technological Innovation Efficiency

Abstract Previous studies on the relationship between environmental regulation (ER) and technological innovation efficiency of defence industry (TIE-DI) mainly focus on variability and complexity, while few empirical studies have incorporated environmental flexibility into models, and most of them are based on questionnaires. Therefore, this paper takes environmental regulation and environmental policy complexity (EPC) as the entry point, so as to discuss the feasibility of improving the technological innovation efficiency of China’s defence industry enterprises (CDI), which aims to empirically test the mechanism of ER and EPC on improving the efficiency of applied technological innovation of China’s defence industry enterprises. The research conclusion provides sufficient theoretical basis and empirical support for strengthening the technical innovation efficiency support, standardising the market order and the market leading, establishing the information disclosure mechanism and improving the internal control of industrial enterprises.

Local government competition, environmental regulation, and green development in China: Empirical analysis based on regional heterogeneity and path mechanisms

AbstractUsing China's interprovincial panel data from 2007 to 2019, this paper empirically investigates the relationship between environmental regulation and green development efficiency (GDE) by examining the local governments competition behavior. The main instruments of local government competition, involving taxation, government spending and attracting investment, are considered as well as the institutional context. Following the “performance‐output‐performance” to clarify the role of local government competition and environmental regulation on GDE, it is found that fiscal spending competition increases GDE, while tax and capital attraction competition play the opposite role; performance promoted inter‐governmental competition makes local governments' strategic choices between economic catch‐up and environmental protection volatile, and this volatility brings about fluctuations and losses in GDE. The study by regions finds that government competition and environmental regulation have a greater impact on GDE in the eastern and developed regions, while the impact on other regions is relatively small. Further, the mechanism setting and institutional improvement of environmental governance achieved significant results after 2013, but the function of local government competition mechanisms in improving environmental quality has not yet emerged in China. The findings based on the heterogeneity of regional economic development and path mechanisms provide a reference for social planners to carry out top‐level design in taxation, fiscal spending, and investment attraction, as well as to formulate differentiated regional environmental regulation policies.

Environmental regulation efficiency analysis by considering regional heterogeneity

Facing the increasingly severe environmental problems, Chinese government takes environmental regulation as an important way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and control pollution. For the role of environmental regulation, many scholars have done a lot of research. However, there are few articles on the efficiency of environmental regulation at the regional level. Regional heterogeneity also brings obstacles to the analysis of environmental regulation efficiency (ERE). We propose the meta-frontier Malmquist-Luenberger (MML) index to analyze China's regional ERE by considering the regional heterogeneity. Empirical results show that the ERE of the whole country and each region increase year by year from 2014 to 2018. From the viewpoint of regional heterogeneity, the eastern region contributes the most to ERE gains, while the midwestern region have a relatively low contribution. The decomposition results of MML index indicate that national ERE gains come mainly from the contribution of BPC. However, the main contributors to the change in the MML index across the period are not unique for the three regions.

Role of green finance and regional environmental efficiency in China

High-quality green finance development and environmental efficiency are made possible through economic growth. This study examines the factors affecting investments in green finance and regional environmental efficiency in China from 2008 to 2020, using the GMM model. Results show that green financing positively impacts energy usage restructuring at the national level. However, the impact is limited, despite positive coefficients between financial growth, energy prices, and energy usage patterns. In the central area, green financial development benefits energy usage structure, while in the eastern region, economic and industrial development have little effect. The study provides strategic recommendations for China's green funding to support the adaptation of energy use structures.