{"title":"The impact of environmental protection regulations on firms’ R&D investment: evidence from China","authors":"Wenyu Li, Wei Shan, Junguang Gao","doi":"10.1007/s10668-024-05396-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>China has experienced rapid economic growth and industrialization over the last 70 years, which has created significant opportunities for firms and improved the quality of life for many residents. However, this increased industrialization has also had a significant negative impact on the environment. To address this major challenge, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) of the People’s Republic of China has introduced several Environmental Protection Regulations (EPRs) into its regulatory framework during the last 2 decades in order to reduce the pollutant emissions generated by firms. Based on panel data from publicly listed firms in China’s manufacturing industry, spanning 2010 to 2020, this study aims to assess the impact of EPRs on firms’ pollutant emissions and resultant Research and Development (R&D) investment. In addition, the research examines the contributory role of R&D investment in the mitigation of pollutant emissions, providing important insights for governments and policy makers when seeking to refine environmental policies. In so doing, several noteworthy contributions are made to current literature: first, newly enacted EPRs are found to have markedly decreased both the aggregate and per-output pollutant emissions of firms. Second, there has been a significant upsurge in R&D investment prompted by the introduction of the new EPRs. Third, the study did not confirm a significant mediating role for firms’ R&D investments in reducing pollutant emissions; this conclusion was supported by robustness testing. Fourth, the EPRs were found to notably reduce pollutant emissions for state-owned firms and those in economically advanced regions. However, for firms in less developed regions and those not state-owned, EPRs could potentially reduce their revenues.</p>","PeriodicalId":540,"journal":{"name":"Environment, Development and Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environment, Development and Sustainability","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-05396-6","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
China has experienced rapid economic growth and industrialization over the last 70 years, which has created significant opportunities for firms and improved the quality of life for many residents. However, this increased industrialization has also had a significant negative impact on the environment. To address this major challenge, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) of the People’s Republic of China has introduced several Environmental Protection Regulations (EPRs) into its regulatory framework during the last 2 decades in order to reduce the pollutant emissions generated by firms. Based on panel data from publicly listed firms in China’s manufacturing industry, spanning 2010 to 2020, this study aims to assess the impact of EPRs on firms’ pollutant emissions and resultant Research and Development (R&D) investment. In addition, the research examines the contributory role of R&D investment in the mitigation of pollutant emissions, providing important insights for governments and policy makers when seeking to refine environmental policies. In so doing, several noteworthy contributions are made to current literature: first, newly enacted EPRs are found to have markedly decreased both the aggregate and per-output pollutant emissions of firms. Second, there has been a significant upsurge in R&D investment prompted by the introduction of the new EPRs. Third, the study did not confirm a significant mediating role for firms’ R&D investments in reducing pollutant emissions; this conclusion was supported by robustness testing. Fourth, the EPRs were found to notably reduce pollutant emissions for state-owned firms and those in economically advanced regions. However, for firms in less developed regions and those not state-owned, EPRs could potentially reduce their revenues.
期刊介绍:
Environment, Development and Sustainability is an international and multidisciplinary journal covering all aspects of the environmental impacts of socio-economic development. It is also concerned with the complex interactions which occur between development and environment, and its purpose is to seek ways and means for achieving sustainability in all human activities aimed at such development. The subject matter of the journal includes the following and related issues:
-mutual interactions among society, development and environment, and their implications for sustainable development
-technical, economic, ethical and philosophical aspects of sustainable development
-global sustainability - the obstacles and ways in which they could be overcome
-local and regional sustainability initiatives, their practical implementation, and relevance for use in a wider context
-development and application of indicators of sustainability
-development, verification, implementation and monitoring of policies for sustainable development
-sustainable use of land, water, energy and biological resources in development
-impacts of agriculture and forestry activities on soil and aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity
-effects of energy use and global climate change on development and sustainability
-impacts of population growth and human activities on food and other essential resources for development
-role of national and international agencies, and of international aid and trade arrangements in sustainable development
-social and cultural contexts of sustainable development
-role of education and public awareness in sustainable development
-role of political and economic instruments in sustainable development
-shortcomings of sustainable development and its alternatives.