Investigating Policy Instrument Adoption in Low-Carbon City Development: A Case Study from China

Qingduo Mao, Ben Ma, Hongshuai Wang and Qi Bian
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Qingduo Mao: Political Science and Public Administration School, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China
Ben Ma: Political Science and Public Administration School, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China
Hongshuai Wang: School of Public Policy & Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Qi Bian: Political Science and Public Administration School, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: Based on policy instrument theory and a case of low-carbon city development (Qihe County in Shandong), this study examined the policy instruments adopted for low-carbon city development in China and the effectiveness of these instruments. All the policies adopted by the piloted city from 2008 and 2014 were collected, coded, and analyzed. A two-dimensional analytical framework was developed based on a trichotomous policy instrument categorization and low-carbon city connotation. The results showed that the key goal of China’s low-carbon city construction is to develop low-carbon technology and low-carbon energy. Compulsory policy instruments are the most used and most effective, while voluntary policy instruments are rarely used. Further results indicated that when the ratio of compulsory instruments and mixed instruments comes to 2:1, the combination of policy instruments can lead to the optimal completion degree. It seems difficult to balance the stability of various policy instruments with the overall high completion degree. Chinese local governments are more accustomed to compulsory policy instruments. This reminds policymakers to pay more attention to the potential of voluntary instruments and mixed instruments in building low-carbon cities.

Keywords: policy instruments; low-carbon city; policy evaluation; optimal policy design (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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