Does Standardization Improve Carbon Emission Efficiency as Soft Infrastructure? Evidence from China

Ying Sun, Fengqin Liu and Huaping Sun
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Ying Sun: School of Economics and Management, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Fengqin Liu: School of Law, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Huaping Sun: School of Finance and Economics, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Standardization in energy-saving and emission-reduction measures has become increasingly important. The impact of standardization on carbon-emission efficiency in China was explored by using panel data from 2002 to 2017. The results showed that standardization significantly improved China’s carbon-emission efficiency, which remained robust after a series of tests. Furthermore, the development of industry standards had a greater effect on the improvement of carbon-emission efficiency in the economically developed coastal areas, while the development of national standards significantly promoted the improvement of carbon-emission efficiency in the inland areas. An assessment of the impact mechanism demonstrated that standardization affects carbon-emission efficiency through technological progress, industrial modernization, and economies of scale. We compared our findings with the existing literature regarding the governance of a low-carbon economy; we also considered the subsequent policy implications of our findings in terms of sustainable economic development.

Keywords: standardization; carbon-emission efficiency; national standard; industry standard (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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