IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v15y2025i5p451-d1595646.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How the “Village Merger and Resettlement” Policy Reshapes Agricultural Carbon Emissions: An Analysis of Effects and Mechanisms from Chinese Rural Practices

Author

Listed:
  • Yafei Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China)

  • Luyao Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China)

  • Jing Yan

    (School of Economics and Management, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China)

  • Shiyuan Cheng

    (Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9DP, UK)

  • Junnan Liu

    (School of Economics and Management, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China)

  • Min Zhong

    (School of Economics and Management, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China)

Abstract

The “Village Merger and Resettlement” policy, as an adjustment of rural living arrangements and spatial organization, addresses the rural population outflow against the backdrop of global urbanization and industrialization. It has profound impacts on agricultural resource allocation, technological innovation, and carbon emissions, playing a significant role in achieving green and low-carbon development alongside high-quality agricultural advancement. This paper conducts an empirical analysis based on panel data from 30 provincial regions in China from 2001 to 2022 (excluding Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) to examine the impact of the “Village Merger and Resettlement” policy on agricultural carbon emissions. It explores the mediating effects of agricultural informatization and the integration of agricultural industries and analyzes the moderating roles of government environmental regulations and public environmental participation. The findings indicate that the “Village Merger and Resettlement” policy significantly suppresses agricultural carbon emissions, with the effects being more pronounced in major grain-producing areas, regions with flat terrain, convenient transportation, and higher levels of technology and labor, as well as on the east side of the Hu Huanyong Line, where the degree of agricultural industrial restructuring is lower and government policy enforcement is stronger. The mediation analysis reveals that the processes of agricultural informatization and industry integration both play positive transmission roles in the policy’s impact on reducing agricultural carbon emissions. The moderation analysis shows that compulsory government environmental regulations have a negative moderating effect on the policy’s carbon emission suppression, while public environmental participation has a positive moderating effect. Therefore, in implementing the “Village Merger and Resettlement” policy, it is necessary to tailor strategies to local conditions, make full use of agricultural informatization resources, reasonably plan the integration of agricultural industries, and accurately grasp the roles of environmental regulations to promote the positive effects on green, low-carbon, and high-quality agricultural development.

Suggested Citation

  • Yafei Wang & Luyao Zhang & Jing Yan & Shiyuan Cheng & Junnan Liu & Min Zhong, 2025. "How the “Village Merger and Resettlement” Policy Reshapes Agricultural Carbon Emissions: An Analysis of Effects and Mechanisms from Chinese Rural Practices," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-33, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:5:p:451-:d:1595646
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/5/451/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/5/451/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tanaka, Kenta & Managi, Shunsuke, 2021. "Industrial agglomeration effect for energy efficiency in Japanese production plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    2. Krugman, Paul, 1991. "Increasing Returns and Economic Geography," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(3), pages 483-499, June.
    3. Morgenstern, Richard D. & Pizer, William A. & Shih, Jhih-Shyang, 2002. "Jobs Versus the Environment: An Industry-Level Perspective," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 412-436, May.
    4. Lin, Fei & Li, Jisheng & Wu, Chen, 2025. "Social networks, environmental literacy, and farmers' clean low-carbon farming behaviors: Evidence from villages in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    5. Azariadis, Costas, 1996. "The Economics of Poverty Traps: Part One: Complete Markets," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 1(4), pages 449-496, December.
    6. Gene M. Grossman & Alan B. Krueger, 1995. "Economic Growth and the Environment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 353-377.
    7. Jules Pretty & Craig Brett & David Gee & Rachel Hine & Chris Mason & James Morison & Matthew Rayment & Gert Van Der Bijl & Thomas Dobbs, 2001. "Policy Challenges and Priorities for Internalizing the Externalities of Modern Agriculture," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(2), pages 263-283.
    8. Pan Rao & Xiaojin Liu & Shubin Zhu & Xiaolan Kang & Xinglei Zhao & Fangting Xie, 2022. "Does the Application of ICTs Improve the Efficiency of Agricultural Carbon Reduction? Evidence from Broadband Adoption in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-19, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yan, Sen & Sun, Xinyu & Zhang, Yurong, 2024. "High-speed railway ripples on the greenness: Insight from urban green vegetation cover," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    2. Mariani, Fabio & Pérez-Barahona, Agustín & Raffin, Natacha, 2010. "Life expectancy and the environment," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 798-815, April.
    3. Yunpeng Fu & Zixuan Wang, 2024. "The Impact of Industrial Agglomeration on Urban Carbon Emissions: An Empirical Study Based on the Panel Data of China’s Prefecture-Level Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-26, November.
    4. Cutrini, Eleonora & Mendez, Carlos, 2023. "Convergence clubs and spatial structural change in the European Union," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 167-181.
    5. Huang, Guobin & Zhang, Jie & Yu, Jian & Shi, Xunpeng, 2020. "Impact of transportation infrastructure on industrial pollution in Chinese cities: A spatial econometric analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Natacha Raffin, 2009. "Environmental health and education: Towards sustainable growth," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 09026, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    7. Ling-Yun He & Xiao-Feng Qi, 2021. "Environmental Courts, Environment and Employment: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Natacha Raffin, 2012. "Childrens environmental health, education, and economic development," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 45(3), pages 996-1022, August.
    9. Liu, Yazhou & Ren, Tiantian & Liu, Lijun & Ni, Jinlan & Yin, Yingkai, 2023. "Heterogeneous industrial agglomeration, technological innovation and haze pollution," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    10. Quaas, Martin F. & Smulders, Sjak, 2008. "Pollution and the Efficiency of Urban Growth," Sustainability Indicators and Environmental Valuation Working Papers 44225, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    11. Marcus Berliant & Takatoshi Tabuchi, 2025. "Market size, trade, and productivity reconsidered: poverty traps and the home market effect," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 13(1), pages 99-124, April.
    12. Wen, Yuyuan & Yu, Zilong & Xue, Jingjing & Liu, Yang, 2024. "How heterogeneous industrial agglomeration impacts energy efficiency subject to technological innovation:Evidence from the spatial threshold model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    13. Yu Hao & Yunxia Guo & Haitao Wu, 2022. "The role of information and communication technology on green total factor energy efficiency: Does environmental regulation work?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 403-424, January.
    14. Daisuke Ikazaki & Tohru Naito, 2008. "Population, technological conversion, and optimal environmental policy," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 42(3), pages 705-724, September.
    15. Spyros Niavis & George Vlontzos, 2019. "Seeking for Convergence in the Agricultural Sector Performance under the Changes of Uruguay Round and 1992 CAP Reform," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-13, July.
    16. Hao, Yu & Guo, Yunxia & Li, Suixin & Luo, Shiyue & Jiang, Xueting & Shen, Zhiyang & Wu, Haitao, 2022. "Towards achieving the sustainable development goal of industry: How does industrial agglomeration affect air pollution?," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 1(1).
    17. Renfeng Ma & Congcong Wang & Yixia Jin & Xiaojing Zhou, 2019. "Estimating the Effects of Economic Agglomeration on Haze Pollution in Yangtze River Delta China Using an Econometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, March.
    18. Xiang, Tao & Malik, Tariq H. & Nielsen, Klaus, 2020. "The impact of population pressure on global fertiliser use intensity, 1970–2011: An analysis of policy-induced mediation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    19. Martin F. Quaas & Sjak Smulders, 2018. "Brown Growth, Green Growth, and the Efficiency of Urbanization," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 71(2), pages 529-549, October.
    20. Peirong Chen & Ruhe Xie & Mingxuan Lu, 2020. "“Resource Conservation” or “Environmental Friendliness”: How do Urban Clusters Affect Total-Factor Ecological Performance in China?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-28, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:5:p:451-:d:1595646. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.