{"title":"Peer effects of environmental regulation on sulfur dioxide emission intensity: Empirical evidence from China","authors":"Qiong Shen, Yuxi Pan, Rui Wu, Yanchao Feng","doi":"10.1177/0958305x231201232","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Under the peer effect theory, this study examines the impact of environmental regulation on sulfur dioxide emissions and investigates the existence of peer effects in environmental governance mechanisms. Using panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2008 to 2019, a spatial econometric model reveals that environmental regulation significantly reduces local sulfur dioxide discharge while exhibiting positive spatial spillover effects in surrounding regions, reflecting the “beggar-thy-neighbor” dilemma of environmental governance in China. The study confirms the presence of a positive peer effect of environmental regulation, supporting the combination of ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ ecological governance approaches. The impact of environmental regulation on sulfur dioxide emissions varies based on regulation intensities and urban characteristics such as geographical position, marketization degree, and official governor's tenure. Learning mechanisms and competition mechanisms partially establish the peer effect of environmental regulation in most Chinese cities. Additionally, exogenous shocks from macro events and strategic policies exert differential influences on the peer effect of environmental regulation, particularly in cities with low regulation intensity. This study provides valuable guidance for balancing environmental protection and sustainable economic growth, fostering intercity collaboration in environmental regulation, and formulating site-specific sustainable development strategies for China and other emerging economies.","PeriodicalId":11652,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environment","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Energy & Environment","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0958305x231201232","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Under the peer effect theory, this study examines the impact of environmental regulation on sulfur dioxide emissions and investigates the existence of peer effects in environmental governance mechanisms. Using panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2008 to 2019, a spatial econometric model reveals that environmental regulation significantly reduces local sulfur dioxide discharge while exhibiting positive spatial spillover effects in surrounding regions, reflecting the “beggar-thy-neighbor” dilemma of environmental governance in China. The study confirms the presence of a positive peer effect of environmental regulation, supporting the combination of ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ ecological governance approaches. The impact of environmental regulation on sulfur dioxide emissions varies based on regulation intensities and urban characteristics such as geographical position, marketization degree, and official governor's tenure. Learning mechanisms and competition mechanisms partially establish the peer effect of environmental regulation in most Chinese cities. Additionally, exogenous shocks from macro events and strategic policies exert differential influences on the peer effect of environmental regulation, particularly in cities with low regulation intensity. This study provides valuable guidance for balancing environmental protection and sustainable economic growth, fostering intercity collaboration in environmental regulation, and formulating site-specific sustainable development strategies for China and other emerging economies.
期刊介绍：
Energy & Environment is an interdisciplinary journal inviting energy policy analysts, natural scientists and engineers, as well as lawyers and economists to contribute to mutual understanding and learning, believing that better communication between experts will enhance the quality of policy, advance social well-being and help to reduce conflict. The journal encourages dialogue between the social sciences as energy demand and supply are observed and analysed with reference to politics of policy-making and implementation. The rapidly evolving social and environmental impacts of energy supply, transport, production and use at all levels require contribution from many disciplines if policy is to be effective. In particular E & E invite contributions from the study of policy delivery, ultimately more important than policy formation. The geopolitics of energy are also important, as are the impacts of environmental regulations and advancing technologies on national and local politics, and even global energy politics. Energy & Environment is a forum for constructive, professional information sharing, as well as debate across disciplines and professions, including the financial sector. Mathematical articles are outside the scope of Energy & Environment. The broader policy implications of submitted research should be addressed and environmental implications, not just emission quantities, be discussed with reference to scientific assumptions. This applies especially to technical papers based on arguments suggested by other disciplines, funding bodies or directly by policy-makers.
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