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Does the Squeaky Wheel Get More Grease? The Direct and Indirect Effects of Citizen Participation on Environmental Governance in China

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Listed:
  • Mark Buntaine
  • Michael Greenstone
  • Guojun He
  • Mengdi Liu
  • Shaoda Wang
  • Bing Zhang

Abstract

We conducted a nationwide field experiment in China to evaluate the direct and indirect impacts of assigning firms to public or private citizen appeals when they violate pollution standards. There are three main findings. First, public appeals to the regulator through social media substantially reduce violations and pollution emissions, while private appeals cause more modest environmental improvements. Second, public appeals appear to tilt regulators’ focus away from facilitating economic growth and toward avoiding pollution-induced public unrest. Third, pollution reductions by treated firms are not offset by control firms, based on randomly varying the proportion of treatment firms at the prefecture-level.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Buntaine & Michael Greenstone & Guojun He & Mengdi Liu & Shaoda Wang & Bing Zhang, 2022. "Does the Squeaky Wheel Get More Grease? The Direct and Indirect Effects of Citizen Participation on Environmental Governance in China," NBER Working Papers 30539, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30539
    Note: DEV EEE LE PE POL
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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Fanglin & Zhang, Tianzi & Chen, Zhongfei, 2024. "Assessment of environmental concern for enterprise pollution reduction," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 772-786.
    2. Fanlin Kong & Shaojun Chen & Jie Gou, 2023. "How Does Differential Public Participation Influence Outcome Justice in Energy Transitions? Evidence from a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Project in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Liu, Yazhou & Cheng, Yunqian & Li, Tianshu & Ni, Jinlan & Norman, Stephen, 2024. "Information disclosure and public participation in environmental management: Evidence from the river chief system in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    4. Salvo, Alberto & Tang, Qu & Yang, Jing & Yin, Peng & Zhou, Maigeng, 2024. "Fine-particulate air pollution and behaviorally inclusive mortality impacts of China’s winter heating policy, 2013–2018," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    5. Xiang, Xunyong & Liu, Ruier & Luo, Wenjie, 2024. "Pollution haven or pollution halo? Testing direct and spillover effects of FDI," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    6. Rafael Araujo & Francisco Costa & Teevrat Garg, 2022. "Public Attention and Environmental Action: Evidence from Fires in the Amazon," CESifo Working Paper Series 9897, CESifo.
    7. Ding, Congming & Chen, Zhiyuan & Ma, Qiucen, 2025. "Traditional clans and environmental governance: Evidence from China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    8. Araujo, Rafael & Costa, Francisco J M & Garg, Teevrat, 2022. "Going Viral: Public Attention and Environmental Action in the Amazon," SocArXiv xj3f6_v1, Center for Open Science.
    9. Zeng, Jiangnan & Zhou, Qiyao, 2024. "Mayors’ promotion incentives and subnational-level GDP manipulation," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Duan, Wenqi & Jiang, Mingming & Qi, Jianhong, 2024. "Poverty or pollution: The environmental cost of E-commerce for poverty reduction in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    11. Feng, Shihan & Huang, Feng, 2024. "Does survey mode matter? An experimental evaluation of data quality in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    12. Fu, Tong & Qiu, Zhaoxuan & Yang, Xiangyang & Li, Zijun, 2024. "The impact of artificial intelligence on green technology cycles in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    13. Dong, Jinting & Yu, Lianchao, 2024. "Impact of CEO foreign experience on corporate environmental violations: The role of enhanced environmental ethics and general competency," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    14. Chen, Jidong & Shi, Xinzheng & Zhang, Ming-ang & Zhang, Sihan, 2024. "Centralization of environmental administration and air pollution: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    15. Liu, Xin & Xu, Hui, 2025. "Going green with digital media attention: Evidence from Chinese A-share listed companies’ environmental performance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    16. Wang, Jinli, 2024. "Does environmental decentralization promote corporate ESG performance? Evidence from China," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(4).
    17. Wu, Desheng & Xie, Yu, 2024. "Unveiling the impact of public data access on collaborative reduction of pollutants and carbon emissions: Evidence from open government data policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    18. Tsur, Yacov, 2025. "The diverse impacts of democracy on greenhouse gas emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    19. Wen Lin & Jiangyuan Liang, 2025. "Regulatory decentralization and food safety: evidence from China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 107(1), pages 54-80, January.
    20. Pham, Thi Trang & Wong, Pui Hang, 2025. "Internet Access and Youth’s Mental Health and Well-being," MERIT Working Papers 2025-007, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    21. Xinming Du & Lei Li, 2025. "When Growth Stumbles, Pollute? Trade War, Environmental Enforcement, and Pollution," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2025_658, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • P28 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Natural Resources; Environment
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects

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