Evaluation of the Policy Effect of China’s Environmental Interview System for Effective Air Quality Governance

Xue Jin, Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Kedong Yin and Zhichao Qi
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Xue Jin: School of Economics, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
Ussif Rashid Sumaila: Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Kedong Yin: Institute of Marine Economy and Management, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China
Zhichao Qi: School of Economics, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-20

Abstract: The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China formally proposed an environmental interview system in May 2014, which applies pressure on local governments to fulfill their responsibility toward environmental protection by conducting face-to-face public interviews with their officials. In this paper, 48 cities that were publicly interviewed from 2014–2020 were considered the experimental group and 48 cities surrounding them were the control group. First, the dynamic panel model is applied to initially determine the effect of the policy. Then, a regression discontinuity method (Sharp RD) is used to analyze the short-term and long-term effects and compare the reasons for the differences observed among the estimates of various types of samples. Finally, a series of robustness tests were also conducted. The results show that the environmental interview system can improve air quality. However, because an emergency short-term local governance system exists at present, the governance effect is not long-term and, therefore, not sustainable. Therefore, it suggests that the government should continue to improve the environmental interview system, establish an optimal environmental protection incentive mechanism, and encourage local governments to implement environmental protection policies effectively in the long term. The results of the research are of great significance to the environmental impact assessment system of the world, especially in countries with similar economic systems, which are facing a trade-off between economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Keywords: environmental interview; air governance; dynamic panel model; sharp RD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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