Effects of the Policy of Re-Designation of Counties as Cities or City Districts on the Agricultural Carbon Emission: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta Region in China

Shaopeng Zhang, Yao Fu and Yifan Xia ()
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Shaopeng Zhang: School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Yao Fu: School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Yifan Xia: Development Research Center, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing 100013, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-24

Abstract: It is of great practical significance to utilize the agricultural carbon emission reduction effect of the policy of re-designation of counties as cities or city districts (RCCD) to achieve agricultural high-quality development. This paper uses panel data of 39 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region in China from 2010 to 2022, and adopts a staggered difference-in-difference model and a panel threshold model to identify the causal impact of the policy of RCCD on agricultural carbon emissions (ACE). We show that: (1) Overall, the policy of RCCD exerts a tangible dampening effect on ACE, with cities in the experimental group exhibiting a significant reduction of 0.069 in agricultural carbon emissions compared to the control group post-implementation of the policy. (2) A dual-threshold effect of environmental regulation emerges in the context of the policy of RCCD, wherein the impact on ACE varies depending on the level of environmental regulation. (3) The policy of RCCD exerts a notable inhibitory influence on urban ACE in cities with high urbanization levels, underdeveloped regions and central regions. (4) Agricultural green technology progress plays the mediating role in the relationship between the policy of RCCD and ACE. (5) The suppressive effect of the policy of RCCD on ACE is characterized by a delayed and enduring influence. Our study has both theoretical and practical implications for accelerating agricultural high-quality development.

Keywords: the policy of re-designation of counties as cities or city districts; agricultural carbon emission; environmental regulation; agricultural green technology progress; staggered difference-in-difference model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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