Signal and Political Accountability: Environmental Petitions in China

Jiankun Lu and Pi-Han Tsai
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Jiankun Lu: Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics. Address: Xueyuan Street No. 18, Xiasha Higher Education Park, Hangzhou, China, 310018
Pi-Han Tsai: Zhejiang University. Address: 38 Zheda Rd, Xihu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 310027

No 1711, Economic Growth Centre Working Paper Series from Nanyang Technological University, School of Social Sciences, Economic Growth Centre

Abstract: Vertical accountability in China has long been considered as essentially indirect or informal. This paper provides evidence that direct local accountability may exist to a greater or lesser degree in China under current political institutions. By using provincial environmental petition data, this paper finds that the number of environmental petitions is positively associated with provincial governments' investments in pollution mitigation. The increased petitions serve as a signal to provincial leaders of the possibility of potential social instability. However, since "local" provincial party secretaries are better informed, the signaling effect of the petitions is lessened in these cases.

Keywords: political signal; political accountability; environmental expenditure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H11 H70 P26 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27 pages
Date: 2017-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-cta, nep-env, nep-pol and nep-tra
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nan:wpaper:1711

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