IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i2p1499-d1035271.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Revisiting the Impact of Environmental Regulation on Green Total Factor Productivity in China: Based on a Comprehensive Index of Environmental Regulation from a Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Lei Jiang

    (School of Geography and Remote Sensing, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
    Guangdong Provincial Center for Urban and Migration Studies, Guangzhou 510006, China)

  • Yuan Chen

    (School of Economics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510610, China)

  • Bo Zhang

    (School of Geography and Remote Sensing, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
    Guangdong Provincial Center for Urban and Migration Studies, Guangzhou 510006, China
    Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China)

Abstract

Promoting greener and sustainable development is one of the main goals of the most recent 14th Five-Year Plan (i.e., 2021–2025). Environmental regulation is seen as fundamental to green transformation and an important way for all of China to reach a high-quality and sustainable development mode. However, large spatial disparities exist across the different regions in China, so formulating region-oriented environmental regulatory policies to achieve regional high-quality and sustainable development is now a matter of great practical significance. In the present paper, we analyze this problem and begin by calculating the high development level measured through the Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) of 259 Chinese cities. Thereafter we construct a comprehensive index of environmental regulation through the linear weighted-sum method. Lastly, we investigate the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact of environmental regulation on GTFP using a Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model. We find that: (1) From the spatial dimension perspective, the impact of environmental regulation of Chinese cities on GTFP is either linear (monotonically increasing or decreasing), non-linear (U-shaped or inverted U-shaped), or nonsignificant. Most cities have a U-shaped relationship, indicating that environmental regulation first inhibits GTFP at the early stage, but then promotes it. There are also significant differences among cities in the turning points of environmental regulation; (2) From the time dimension perspective, the number of cities is on the rise having monotonically decreasing impacts of environmental regulation on GTFP. Furthermore, even for the same city, the relationship between the two variables shows different characteristics in different years; (3) The impact of five control variables on GTFP may also vary from one city to another over the sample period, also presenting spatiotemporal heterogeneity effects. Consequently, the formulation and implementation of environmental regulatory policies should not only adapt to local conditions but also choose reasonable and effective measures to achieve high-quality development targets.

Suggested Citation

  • Lei Jiang & Yuan Chen & Bo Zhang, 2023. "Revisiting the Impact of Environmental Regulation on Green Total Factor Productivity in China: Based on a Comprehensive Index of Environmental Regulation from a Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity Perspectiv," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:2:p:1499-:d:1035271
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/2/1499/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/2/1499/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Lanoie & Michel Patry & Richard Lajeunesse, 2008. "Environmental regulation and productivity: testing the porter hypothesis," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 121-128, October.
    2. Rubashkina, Yana & Galeotti, Marzio & Verdolini, Elena, 2015. "Environmental regulation and competitiveness: Empirical evidence on the Porter Hypothesis from European manufacturing sectors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 288-300.
    3. Becker, Randy A., 2011. "Local environmental regulation and plant-level productivity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 2516-2522.
    4. Dong-hyun Oh, 2010. "A global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 183-197, December.
    5. Luc Anselin & Daniel A. Griffith, 1988. "Do Spatial Effecfs Really Matter In Regression Analysis?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(1), pages 11-34, January.
    6. Jinhuang Mao & Qiong Wu & Meihong Zhu & Chengpeng Lu, 2022. "Effects of Environmental Regulation on Green Total Factor Productivity: An Evidence from the Yellow River Basin, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-21, February.
    7. Wang, Yan & Shen, Neng, 2016. "Environmental regulation and environmental productivity: The case of China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 758-766.
    8. Tone, Kaoru & Tsutsui, Miki, 2010. "An epsilon-based measure of efficiency in DEA - A third pole of technical efficiency," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 207(3), pages 1554-1563, December.
    9. Peng, Jiaying & Xie, Rui & Ma, Chunbo & Fu, Yang, 2021. "Market-based environmental regulation and total factor productivity: Evidence from Chinese enterprises," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 394-407.
    10. R. De Santis & P. Esposito & C. Jona Lasinio, 2021. "Environmental regulation and productivity growth: Main policy challenges," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 165, pages 264-277.
    11. Hancevic, Pedro Ignacio, 2016. "Environmental regulation and productivity: The case of electricity generation under the CAAA-1990," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 131-143.
    12. Zhao, Xin & Nakonieczny, Joanna & Jabeen, Fauzia & Shahzad, Umer & Jia, Wenxing, 2022. "Does green innovation induce green total factor productivity? Novel findings from Chinese city level data," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    13. Jia Li & Decai Tang & Acheampong Paul Tenkorang & Zhuoran Shi, 2021. "Research on Environmental Regulation and Green Total Factor Productivity in Yangtze River Delta: From the Perspective of Financial Development," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-24, November.
    14. Tian, Ying & Feng, Chao, 2022. "The internal-structural effects of different types of environmental regulations on China's green total-factor productivity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    15. Wang, Yun & Sun, Xiaohua & Guo, Xu, 2019. "Environmental regulation and green productivity growth: Empirical evidence on the Porter Hypothesis from OECD industrial sectors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 611-619.
    16. Kaoru Tone & Miki Tsutsui, 2010. "An epsilon-based measure of efficiency in DEA revisited -A third pole of technical efficiency," GRIPS Discussion Papers 09-21, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.
    17. Albrizio, Silvia & Kozluk, Tomasz & Zipperer, Vera, 2017. "Environmental policies and productivity growth: Evidence across industries and firms," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 209-226.
    18. Becker, Randy A., 2011. "Local environmental regulation and plant-level productivity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 2516-2522.
    19. Hamamoto, Mitsutsugu, 2006. "Environmental regulation and the productivity of Japanese manufacturing industries," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 299-312, November.
    20. Yanhong Feng & Shuanglian Chen & Pierre Failler, 2020. "Productivity Effect Evaluation on Market-Type Environmental Regulation: A Case Study of SO 2 Emission Trading Pilot in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-27, October.
    21. Lena, Daniela & Pasurka, Carl A. & Cucculelli, Marco, 2022. "Environmental regulation and green productivity growth: Evidence from Italian manufacturing industries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    22. Zhang, Dongyang, 2021. "Green credit regulation, induced R&D and green productivity: Revisiting the Porter Hypothesis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    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. Du, Minzhe & Liu, Yunxiao & Wang, Bing & Lee, Myunghun & Zhang, Ning, 2021. "The sources of regulated productivity in Chinese power plants: An estimation of the restricted cost function combined with DEA approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Lena, Daniela & Pasurka, Carl A. & Cucculelli, Marco, 2022. "Environmental regulation and green productivity growth: Evidence from Italian manufacturing industries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    3. Sangeeta Bansal & Massimo Filippini & Suchita Srinivasan, 2023. "How Regulation Might Fail to Reduce Energy Consumption While Still Stimulating Total Factor Productivity Growth," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 23/379, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    4. Xie, Yu & Wu, Desheng & Li, Xiaoyan & Tian, Suhua, 2023. "How does environmental regulation affect productivity? The role of corporate compliance strategies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    5. Xianpu Xu & Xiawan Li & Lin Zheng, 2022. "A Blessing or a Curse? Exploring the Impact of Environmental Regulation on China’s Regional Green Development from the Perspective of Governance Transformation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-24, January.
    6. Peng, Jiaying & Xie, Rui & Ma, Chunbo & Fu, Yang, 2021. "Market-based environmental regulation and total factor productivity: Evidence from Chinese enterprises," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 394-407.
    7. Guo, Shu & Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2023. "Green credit policy and total factor productivity: Evidence from Chinese listed companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    8. Gangqiang Yang & Ziyu Ding & Haisen Wang & Lingli Zou, 2023. "Can environmental regulation improve firm total factor productivity? The mediating effects of credit resource allocation," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6799-6827, July.
    9. Zhao, Aiwu & Wang, Jingyi & Sun, Zhenzhen & Guan, Hongjun, 2022. "Environmental taxes, technology innovation quality and firm performance in China—A test of effects based on the Porter hypothesis," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 309-325.
    10. Mian Yang & Yining Yuan & Fuxia Yang & Dalia Patino-Echeverri, 2021. "Effects of environmental regulation on firm entry and exit and China’s industrial productivity: a new perspective on the Porter Hypothesis," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 23(4), pages 915-944, October.
    11. Decai Tang & Zhangming Shan & Junxia He & Ziqian Zhao, 2022. "How Do Environmental Regulations and Outward Foreign Direct Investment Impact the Green Total Factor Productivity in China? A Mediating Effect Test Based on Provincial Panel Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-32, November.
    12. Lv, Chengchao & Shao, Changhua & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2021. "Green technology innovation and financial development: Do environmental regulation and innovation output matter?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    13. Jichuan Sheng & Jing Xin & Weihai Zhou, 2023. "The impact of environmental regulations on corporate productivity via import behaviour: the case of China’s manufacturing corporations," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 3671-3697, April.
    14. Huang, Youxing & Xu, Qi & Zhao, Yanping, 2021. "Short-run pain, long-run gain: Desulfurization investment and productivity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    15. Xinfei Li & Chang Xu & Baodong Cheng & Jingyang Duan & Yueming Li, 2021. "Does Environmental Regulation Improve the Green Total Factor Productivity of Chinese Cities? A Threshold Effect Analysis Based on the Economic Development Level," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-21, April.
    16. Zhang, Yijun & Li, Xiaoping & Song, Yi & Jiang, Feitao, 2021. "Can green industrial policy improve total factor productivity? Firm-level evidence from China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 51-62.
    17. Jiangfeng Hu & Zhao Wang & Qinghua Huang & Xiaoqin Zhang, 2019. "Environmental Regulation Intensity, Foreign Direct Investment, and Green Technology Spillover—An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, May.
    18. Yi Li & Lili Ding & Yongliang Yang, 2020. "Can the Introduction of an Environmental Target Assessment Policy Improve the TFP of Textile Enterprises? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the Huai River Basin in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-19, February.
    19. He, Yu & Zhu, Xiaobo & Zheng, Huan, 2022. "The influence of environmental protection tax law on total factor productivity: Evidence from listed firms in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    20. Thanh Tam Nguyen-Huu & Minh Nguyen-Khac & Quoc Tran-Nam, 2017. "The role of environmental regulations and innovation in TFP convergence: Evidence from manufacturing SMEs in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 092, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    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:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:2:p:1499-:d:1035271. 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.