How harmful is air pollution to economic development? New evidence from PM2.5 concentrations of Chinese cities

Abstract This article provides new evidence that fiscal decentralization has supported economic development by incentiving cities to provide more sewage infrastructure. As a result of the 1994 tax reform, Chinese cities retained different shares of their value-added tax (VAT). Exploiting the persistence of this sharing system, we use the VAT share in 1995 as an instrument for the present fiscal incentives. We find that cities with higher fiscal incentives built significantly more sewage treatment capacity between 2002 and 2008. This result suggests that fiscal incentives can play a strong role in the development of city-level infrastructure.

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Protecting China's children: valuing the health impacts of reduced air pollution in Chinese cities

Environment and Development Economics ◽

10.1017/s1355770x05002512 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 745-768 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

ROBERT W. MEAD ◽

VICTOR BRAJER

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Economic Development ◽

Health Effects ◽

Urban China ◽

Health Impacts ◽

Chinese Cities ◽

Pollution Levels ◽

Child Morbidity ◽

Hospital Visits

As China advances its overall program of economic development, many Chinese cities consistently suffer from unhealthy levels of air pollution. One of the groups most affected is children. This paper provides some quantification regarding the extent of various morbidity costs upon children in portions of urban China. Using China-based health-effects and valuation studies, the authors project, and value in dollar figures, the number of averted cases of childhood colds, bronchitis, asthma, and respiratory-related hospital visits resulting from a lowering of air pollution levels. The results indicate that these child morbidity benefits may be substantial, with a mid-range value of nearly $3.5 billion over the period 2002–2011.

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New Evidence of the Effect of Beijing’s Driving Restriction and Other Olympic-Year Policies on Air Pollution

The B E Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy ◽

10.1515/bejeap-2019-0295 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Zheng Liu ◽

Haiyang Kong

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Difference In Differences ◽

Significant Drop ◽

Chinese Cities ◽

Driving Restrictions ◽

Long Run ◽

New Findings ◽

Short Run ◽

New Evidence ◽

The City

AbstractSeven Chinese cities have enacted One-Weekday Limit (OWL) driving restrictions following Beijing’s implementation shortly after the Olympics in 2008. Existing literature examines the short-run effect of the OWL or the long-run effect of the Olympic-year policy package on air pollution in Beijing. Using two difference-in-differences (DD) approaches, this study compares the long-run effect of the Olympic-year policy package with the effect of the OWL. Using the city of Tianjin as a control, this study finds a significant drop in pollution due to the Olympic-year policy package. Using weekends as a control, this study finds a much smaller and less significant drop due to the OWL. These new findings suggest that compared to the OWL, other policies enforced in the Olympic year account for a greater portion of the drop.

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Should Attitudinal Views toward Innovation Development Play a Role in Policy in Peripheral EU Regions?: New Evidence from Vouchers Program in Northern Ireland

Journal of Innovation Management ◽

10.24840/2183-0606_006.002_0007 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 121-137

Author(s):

Sean M. McDonald ◽

Remi C. Claire ◽

Alastair H. McPherson

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Northern Ireland ◽

Policy Design ◽

Regional Economic Development ◽

Innovation Development ◽

Regional Economic ◽

Eu Regions ◽

Future Policy ◽

The Impact ◽

New Evidence

The impact and effectiveness of policies to support collaboration for Research & Development (R&D) and Innovation is critical to determining the success of regional economic development. (O’Kane, 2008) The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the level of success of the Innovation Vouchers Program operated by Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) from 2009 to 2013 and address if attitudinal views towards innovation development should play in a role in future policy design in peripheral EU regions.

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Decoupling Analysis between Economic Growth and Air Pollution in Key Regions of Air Pollution Control in China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126600 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6600

Author(s):

Jing Li ◽

Lipeng Hou ◽

Lin Wang ◽

Lina Tang

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Economic Development ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Environmental Policies ◽

River Delta ◽

Chinese Government ◽

Air Pollution Control ◽

The Relationship ◽

No2 Pollution

The Chinese government has implemented a number of environmental policies to promote the continuous improvement of air quality while considering economic development. Scientific assessment of the impact of environmental policies on the relationship between air pollution and economic growth can provide a scientific basis for promoting the coordinated development of these two factors. This paper uses the Tapio decoupling theory to analyze the relationship between regional economic growth and air pollution in key regions of air pollution control in China—namely, the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and surrounding areas (BTHS), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD)—based on data of GDP and the concentrations of SO2, PM10, and NO2 for 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019. The results show that the SO2, PM10, and NO2 pollution in the key regions show strong and weak decoupling. The findings additionally indicate that government policies have played a significant role in improving the decoupling between air pollution and economic development. The decoupling between economic growth and SO2 and PM10 pollution in the BTHS, YRD, and PRD is better than that in other regions, while the decoupling between economic growth and NO2 pollution has not improved significantly in these regions. To improve the relationship between economic growth and air pollution, we suggest that the governments of China and other developing countries should further optimize and adjust the structure of industry, energy, and transportation; apply more stringent targets and measures in areas of serious air pollution; and strengthen mobile vehicle pollution control.

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