IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i3p466-d1597945.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Does Land Finance Influence Vegetation Dynamics in China?

Author

Listed:
  • Siqi Yan

    (College of Public Administration, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Jian Wang

    (College of Public Administration, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China)

Abstract

Land-based financing plays an essential role in urbanization in the developing world, and it is widely recognized to have profound environmental effects. However, there have been relatively few research endeavors on the impact of land finance on vegetation dynamics. This study applies fixed effects models and an instrumental variable approach to examine the impact of land finance on vegetation status and mechanisms of influence, using data for 286 Chinese cities between 2011 and 2022. The nonlinear relationship between land finance and vegetation conditions at different levels of economic development is investigated by estimating panel threshold models. The findings show that land finance exerts an inhibiting impact on vegetation conditions. The restraining effect of land finance on vegetation status tends to be more pronounced in western China or in secondary industry-led cities. The analysis of mechanisms of influence indicates that land finance negatively affects vegetation conditions by speeding up urban expansion, suppressing innovation, reducing land use efficiency, and distorting the fiscal expenditure structure. The analysis of the threshold effect suggests that land finance exerts a stronger curbing effect on vegetation status as the economic development level rises. The findings have significant policy implications for deepening reform of the fiscal system and promoting vegetation protection and restoration.

Suggested Citation

  • Siqi Yan & Jian Wang, 2025. "How Does Land Finance Influence Vegetation Dynamics in China?," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:3:p:466-:d:1597945
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/466/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/466/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Yuan & Hui, Eddie Chi-man, 2017. "Are local governments maximizing land revenue? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 196-215.
    2. Gyourko, Joseph & Shen, Yang & Wu, Jing & Zhang, Rongjie, 2022. "Land finance in China: Analysis and review," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    3. Chen, Danling & Li, Yuying & Zhang, Chaozheng & Zhang, Yunlei & Hou, Jiao & Lin, Yaoben & Wu, Shiman & Lang, Yan & Hu, Wenbo, 2024. "Regional coordinated development policy as an instrument for alleviating land finance dependency: Evidence from the urban agglomeration development," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    4. Ahmad, Najid & Youjin, Liu & Žiković, Saša & Belyaeva, Zhanna, 2023. "The effects of technological innovation on sustainable development and environmental degradation: Evidence from China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Jianhong Cao & Siong Hook Law & Desheng Wu & Xiaodong Yang, 2023. "Impact of Local Government Competition and Land Finance on Haze Pollution: Empirical Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(13), pages 3877-3899, October.
    6. Zhang, Yihao & Liu, Yong & Yang, Qiaoran & Yue, Wenze, 2024. "Assessing performance and disparities in China’s land finance transition: Insights from neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    7. Peng Wang & Zinan Shao & Jian Wang & Qun Wu, 2021. "The impact of land finance on urban land use efficiency: A panel threshold model for Chinese provinces," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 310-331, March.
    8. Feng, Chen & Tao, Yunqing & Zhang, Yan & Zhu, Xingshu, 2024. "Local land regulatory governance and land transaction prices: Micro evidence from land audits," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 1133-1150.
    9. Sun Zhang & Wei Chen & Yanan Wang & Qiao Li & Haimeng Shi & Meng Li & Zhongxiao Sun & Bingrui Zhu & Gezahegne Seyoum, 2024. "Human interventions have enhanced the net ecosystem productivity of farmland in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    10. Li, Hanteng & Qin, Yun, 2024. "Land financialization and regional innovation dynamics: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    11. Hu, Fox Z.Y. & Qian, Jiwei, 2017. "Land-based finance, fiscal autonomy and land supply for affordable housing in urban China: A prefecture-level analysis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 454-460.
    12. Du, Jinfeng & Peiser, Richard B., 2014. "Land supply, pricing and local governments' land hoarding in China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 180-189.
    13. Xiaodong Yang & Weilong Wang & Xufeng Su & Siyu Ren & Qiying Ran & Jianlong Wang & Jianhong Cao, 2023. "Analysis of the influence of land finance on haze pollution: An empirical study based on 269 prefecture‐level cities in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 101-134, March.
    14. Tang, Peng & Shi, Xiaoping & Gao, Jinlong & Feng, Shuyi & Qu, Futian, 2019. "Demystifying the key for intoxicating land finance in China: An empirical study through the lens of government expenditure," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 302-309.
    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. Gyourko, Joseph & Shen, Yang & Wu, Jing & Zhang, Rongjie, 2022. "Land finance in China: Analysis and review," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    2. Zhang, Yihao & Liu, Yong & Yang, Qiaoran & Yue, Wenze, 2024. "Assessing performance and disparities in China’s land finance transition: Insights from neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Xiaotong Li & Ying Li & Jinlan Ni & Jia Yuan, 2022. "Master development, land appreciation, and government finance: Evidence from the Disney project in Shanghai," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(4), pages 1027-1046, August.
    4. Wang, Di & Ren, Cairu & Zhou, Tao, 2021. "Understanding the impact of land finance on industrial structure change in China: Insights from a spatial econometric analysis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    5. Chen, Danling & Li, Yuying & Hu, Wenbo & Lang, Yan & Zhang, Yunlei & Cheng, Chen, 2024. "Uncovering the influence of land finance dependency on inter-city regional integration: An explanatory framework integrating time-nonlinear and spatial factors," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    6. Li, L. & Bao, Helen X.H. & Robinson, Guy M., 2020. "The return of state control and its impact on land market efficiency in urban China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. De Zhou & Ruilin Tian & Zhulu Lin & Liming Liu & Junfeng Wang & Shijia Feng, 2022. "Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Risk Assessment of Land Finance: Evidence from China," Risks, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-27, October.
    8. Xinhua Zhu & Yigang Wei & Yani Lai & Yan Li & Sujuan Zhong & Chun Dai, 2019. "Empirical Analysis of the Driving Factors of China’s ‘Land Finance’ Mechanism Using Soft Budget Constraint Theory and the PLS-SEM Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-21, January.
    9. Xupeng Zhang & Danling Chen & Xinhai Lu & Yifeng Tang & Bin Jiang, 2021. "Interaction between Land Financing Strategy and the Implementation Deviation of Local Governments’ Cultivated Land Protection Policy in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, July.
    10. Yuelong Wang & Yongze Yu & Yaqin Su, 2018. "Does the tender, auction and listing system in land promote higher housing prices in China?," Housing Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 613-634, May.
    11. Wen, Lanjiao & Yang, Shenjie & Qi, Mengna & Zhang, Anlu, 2024. "How does China’s rural collective commercialized land market run? New evidence from 26 pilot areas, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    12. Gao, Yuan & Tian, Li & Cao, Yandong & Zhou, Lin & Li, Zhibin & Hou, Deyi, 2019. "Supplying social infrastructure land for satisfying public needs or leasing residential land? A study of local government choices in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    13. Siyu Han & Mengcheng Wang & Qi Liu & Renyang Wang & Guoliang Ou & Lu Zhang, 2022. "The Influence of Land Disposition Derived from Land Finance on Urban Innovation in China: Mechanism Discussion and Empirical Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-23, March.
    14. Wang, Weifang & van Noorloos, Femke & Spit, Tejo, 2020. "Stakeholder power relations in Land Value Capture: comparing public (China) and private (U.S.) dominant regimes," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    15. Ya Zhao & Lennon H. T. Choy & Kwong Wing Chau, 2023. "Political Circles and Land Supply for the Service and Industrial Sectors: Evidence from 284 Cities in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
    16. Cheng, Jing, 2022. "Analysis of the factors influencing industrial land leasing in Beijing of China based on the district-level data," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    17. Shenjie Yang & Lanjiao Wen, 2023. "Regional Heterogeneity in China’s Rural Collectively Owned Commercialized Land Market: An Empirical Analysis from 2015–2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, February.
    18. Zhu, Xinhua & Qian, Tiannan & Wei, Yigang, 2020. "Do high-speed railways accelerate urban land expansion in China? A study based on the multi-stage difference-in-differences model," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    19. Zhao, Renjie & Chen, Jie & Feng, Chen & Zhong, Shihu, 2020. "The impact of anti-corruption measures on land supply and the associated implications: The case of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    20. Fei Bao & Zhenzhi Zhao, 2022. "“Takeover” and “Activation” Effects of National Strategies for Industrial Relocation—Based on the Perspective of Marketisation of Land Elements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-23, October.

    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:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:3:p:466-:d:1597945. 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.