Ecological Civilization Demonstration Zone, Air Pollution Reduction, and Political Promotion Tournament in China: Empirical Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment

Haijie Wang, Yong Geng, Jingxue Zhang, Xiqiang Xia and Yanchao Feng
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Haijie Wang: Business School, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Yong Geng: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Jingxue Zhang: Business School, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Xiqiang Xia: Business School, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Yanchao Feng: Business School, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-12

Abstract: Using the ecological civilization demonstration zone as a quasi-natural experiment, this study has explored the effect of it on air pollution in China by employing the difference-in-differences model and the spatial difference-in-differences model, and further tested the political promotion tournament in China by employing the binary logit model. The results show that the ecological civilization demonstration zone has basically and effectively reduced air pollution, except for carbon monoxide and ozone. In addition, the spatial spillover effects of the ecological civilization demonstration zone on air pollution are not only basically supported among the treated cities, but also extremely established in the untreated cities neighboring the treated cities. Furthermore, no clear evidence supports the establishment of the political promotion tournament in China, while local cadres tend to cope with the assessment of higher officials passively rather than actively. Overall, this study sheds light on the coordination of economic development and ecological civilization from the perspective of the career concerns of local cadres.

Keywords: ecological civilization demonstration zone; air pollution reduction; political promotion tournament; quasi-natural experiment; spatial difference-in-differences (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 (4)

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