Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-kw2vx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-23T21:36:34.801Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The impact of eco-industrial parks on urban haze pollution: evidence from China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2025

Qingshan Ma Open the ORCID record for Qingshan Ma [Opens in a new window] ,
Fei Wang Open the ORCID record for Fei Wang [Opens in a new window] ,
Lingyun He Open the ORCID record for Lingyun He [Opens in a new window] ,
Xiaoke Chai  and
Chuanxi Yu
Qingshan Ma
Affiliation:
School of Economics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
Fei Wang
Affiliation:
School of Economics, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
Lingyun He*
Affiliation:
School of Economics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China
Xiaoke Chai
Affiliation:
School of Economics, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
Chuanxi Yu
Affiliation:
School of Economics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China
*
*Corresponding author: Lingyun He; Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

With the green, circular, and low-carbon concept, eco-industrial parks are regarded as key drivers for maximizing environmental and economic benefits. Based on the panel data of 276 cities in China from 2007 to 2018, this paper regards the establishment of eco-industrial parks as a quasi-natural experiment, and employs the difference-in-differences method to test the impact of eco-industrial parks on urban haze pollution. We find that eco-industrial parks significantly reduce urban haze pollution and the conclusion holds with robustness tests. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect of eco-industrial parks on haze pollution is more pronounced in eastern and resource-based cities. Finally, mechanism analysis indicates that eco-industrial parks reduce urban haze pollution mainly by promoting technological innovation, upgrading industrial structure, and strengthening urban environmental regulations.

Keywords

industrial parkseco-industrial parkshaze pollutiondifference-in-differences

JEL classification

L16: Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics: Industrial Structure and Structural Change • Industrial Price Indices L52: Industrial Policy • Sectoral Planning Methods Q53: Air Pollution • Water Pollution • Noise • Hazardous Waste • Solid Waste • Recycling
Type
Research Article
Information
Environment and Development Economics , First View , pp. 1 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beck, T, Levine, R and Levkov, A (2010) Big bad banks? The winners and losers from bank deregulation in the United States. The Journal of Finance 65, 1637–1667.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bertrand, M, Duflo, E and Mullainathan, S (2004) How much should we trust differences-in-differences estimates? The Quarterly Journal of Economics 119, 249–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burkhardt, J, Bayham, J, Wilson, A, Carter, E, Jesse, D, O'Dell, K, Ford, B, Fischer, E and Pierce, J (2019) The effect of pollution on crime: evidence from data on particulate matter and ozone. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 98, 102267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Z, Paudel, P and Zheng, R (2022) Pollution halo or pollution haven: assessing the role of foreign direct investment on energy conservation and emission reduction. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 65, 311–336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, F, Zhang, X and Chen, Z (2023 a) Air pollution and mental health: evidence from China health and nutrition survey. Journal of Asian Economics 86, 101611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, X, Chen, L, Xie, W, Mueller, N and Davis, S (2023 b) Flight delays due to air pollution in China. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 119, 102810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chertow, M (2000) Industrial symbiosis: literature and taxonomy. Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 25, 313–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cole, MA, Elliott, RJR and Shimamoto, K (2005) Industrial characteristics, environmental regulations and air pollution: an analysis of the UK manufacturing sector. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 50, 121–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dong, Z, He, Y, Wang, H and Wang, L (2020) Is there a ripple effect in environmental regulation in China? Evidence from the local-neighborhood green technology innovation perspective. Ecological Indicators 118, 106773.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duflo, E and Pande, R (2007) Dams. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 122, 601–646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fang, Y, Côté, P and Qin, R (2007) Industrial sustainability in China: practice and prospects for eco-industrial development. Journal of Environmental Management 83, 315–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fu, J, Jiang, D, Lin, G, Liu, K and Wang, Q (2015) An ecological analysis of PM2.5 concentrations and lung cancer mortality rates in China. BMJ Open 5, 009452.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gan, C, Zheng, R and Yu, D (2011) An empirical study on the effects of industrial structure on economic growth and fluctuation in China. Economic Research Journal 46, 4–16.Google Scholar
Geng, Y, Zhu, Q and Haight, M (2007) Planning for integrated solid waste management at the industrial park level: a case of Tianjin, China. Waste Management 27, 141–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grossman, GM and Krueger, AB (1995) Economic growth and the environment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 110, 353–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heckman, JJ, Ichimura, H and Todd, P (1998) Matching as an econometric evaluation estimator. Review of Economic Studies 65, 261–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heyes, A and Zhu, M (2019) Air pollution as a cause of sleeplessness: social media evidence from a panel of Chinese cities. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 98, 102247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hou, D, Li, G, Chen, D, Zhu, B and Hu, S (2019) Evaluation and analysis on the green development of China's industrial parks using the long-tail effect model. Journal of Environmental Management 248, 109288.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hou, S, Yu, K and Fei, R (2023) How does environmental regulation affect carbon productivity? The role of green technology progress and pollution transfer. Journal of Environmental Management 345, 118587.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khomenko, S, Cirach, M, Pereira-Barboza, E, Mueller, N, Barrera-Gómez, J and Rojas-Rueda, D (2021) Premature mortality due to air pollution in European cities: a health impact assessment. The Lancet Planetary Health 5, 121–134.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, Z and Li, C (2022) How industrial upgrading can improve China's air quality: empirical analysis based on multilevel growth model. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 29, 54456–54466.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, J, Pan, S, Kim, H, Linn, J and Chiang, P (2015) Building green supply chains in eco-industrial parks towards a green economy: barriers and strategies. Journal of Environmental Management 162, 158–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, P, Lu, Y and Wang, J (2016) Does flattening government improve economic performance? Evidence from China. Journal of Development Economics 123, 18–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, G, Fu, J, Jiang, D, Hu, W, Dong, D, Huang, Y and Zhao, M (2014) Spatio-temporal variation of PM2.5 concentrations and their relationship with geographic and socioeconomic factors in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11, 173–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lipscomb, M, Mobarak, AM and Barham, T (2013) Development effects of electrification: evidence from the topographic placement of hydropower plants in Brazil. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 5, 200–231.Google Scholar
Lu, Y, Wang, J and Zhu, L (2019) Place-based policies, creation, and agglomeration economies: evidence from China's economic zone program. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 11, 325–360.Google Scholar
Lu, FW, Sun, WZ and Wu, JF (2023 a) Special economic zones and human capital investment: 30 years of evidence from China. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 15, 35–64.Google Scholar
Lu, J, Zhou, Q, Qi, W, Qu, S and Bi, J (2023 b) The heterogeneous effects of Chinese industrial parks on environmental pollution. Science of The Total Environment 896, 165279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mathews, J, Tan, H and Hu, M (2018) Moving to a circular economy in China: transforming industrial parks into eco-industrial parks. California Management Review 60, 157–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qian, L, Xu, X, Sun, Y and Zhou, Y (2022) Carbon emission reduction effects of eco-industrial park policy in China. Energy 261, 125315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwarze, R (1996) The role of common law in environmental policy: comment. Public Choice 89, 201–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tong, HF, Wang, Y and Xu, JJ (2020) Green transformation in China: structures of endowment, investment, and employment. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics 54, 173–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, J, Nie, X, Wang, H and Li, W (2023) Eco-industrial parks and green technological progress: evidence from Chinese cities. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 189, 122360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xiong, L, Ning, J, Dong, Y and Dai, M (2022) Simulation of the pollution abatement behavior of regional metal-related enterprises based on the interactive perspective of industrial agglomerations and emission reduction effects. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 44, 1081–1098.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yang, S, Jahanger, A and Hossain, MR (2023) Does China's low-carbon city pilot intervention limit electricity consumption? An analysis of industrial energy efficiency using time-varying DID model. Energy Economics 121, 106636.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yu, Y and Zhang, N (2022) Does industrial transfer policy mitigate carbon emissions? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China. Journal of Environmental Management 307, 114526.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yu, W, Peng, Y and Yao, X (2022) The effects of China's supporting policy for resource-exhausted cities on local energy efficiency: an empirical study based on 284 cities in China. Energy Economics 112, 106165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeng, Z, Cheng, L, Shi, L and Luetkenhorst, W (2021) China's green transformation through eco-industrial parks. World Development 140, 105249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, X, Zhang, X, Liu, Y, Zhao, X and Chen, X (2023) The morbidity costs of air pollution through the lens of health spending in China. Journal of Population Economics 36, 1269–1292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Ma et al. supplementary material

Ma et al. supplementary material
Download Ma et al. supplementary material(File)
File 330.8 KB