School of Law and Business, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430200, China.
School of Economics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 7;20(4):2882. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20042882.
The river chief system (RCS) is an autonomous environmental policy implemented by local governments in China that incorporates environmental responsibilities into the performance evaluation. Although existing literature suggests that RCS can reduce water pollution, the impact of RCS on energy efficiency has not been assessed. Therefore, this paper compiles data on industrial enterprises and industrial pollution in China from 2003 to 2013 and empirically examines the impact of RCS on green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) by using a multiple difference-in-difference approach. The results show that RCS significantly enhances firms' GTFEE, and a series of tests confirm the robustness of the findings. Second, we further explore how RCS affects GTFEE, the mechanism tests conclude that the RCS improves GTFEE mainly through optimizing energy structure and promoting technological innovation. Third, compared with small firms, exporters, and firms in non-heavy polluting industries, the RCS has a greater effect on improving the GTFEE of large firms, non-exporters, and firms in heavily polluting industries. This study provides new and novel ideas for emerging countries to improve environmental policies and achieve sustainable development.
河长制是中国地方政府实施的一项自主环境政策，将环境责任纳入绩效评估。虽然现有文献表明河长制可以减少水污染，但河长制对能源效率的影响尚未得到评估。因此，本文利用倍差法实证检验了河长制对绿色全要素能源效率（GTFEE）的影响。结果表明，河长制显著提高了企业的 GTFEE，一系列检验证实了结果的稳健性。其次，我们进一步探讨了河长制如何影响 GTFEE，机制检验得出结论，河长制主要通过优化能源结构和促进技术创新来提高 GTFEE。第三，与小公司、出口商和非重污染行业的公司相比，河长制对提高重污染行业大公司、非出口商和公司的 GTFEE 具有更大的影响。本研究为新兴国家改善环境政策和实现可持续发展提供了新的思路。
