IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/econoa/v19y2025i1p13n1001.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can Urban “Gold Signboards” Yield Carbon Reduction Dividends? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the “National Civilized City” Selection

Author

Listed:
  • Zhao Xin

    (Department of Modern Services, Baotou Light Industry Vocational Technical College, Baotou, 014030, China)

  • Lei Xue

    (School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China)

  • Yuan Hetong

    (School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China)

  • Zhang Caihua

    (School of Economics and Trade, Guangzhou Xinhua University, Guangzhou, 510520, China)

Abstract

As a crucial lever for urban governance transformation, city branding not only strengthens urban identity and attracts external capital but may also drive green and low-carbon transformation through reputational effects. However, existing research has paid limited attention to the impact mechanisms of city brand value on carbon reduction. Based on this, using a sample of 262 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2002 to 2022, this article analyzes the impact of city branding on carbon productivity (CPR) through a multi-period difference-in-differences model based on the quasi-natural experiment of “National Civilized City” selection. Results show that the city branding initiative of National Civilized City can enhance CPR. The findings remain robust after parallel trend tests, placebo tests, and controlling for other policy interventions. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of National Civilized City branding on CPR is more pronounced in cities with superior geographical locations, higher brand dependence, and relative brand scarcity. Mechanism analysis reveals that National Civilized City branding can improve urban CPR by optimizing energy consumption structure, promoting technological progress, and increasing labor productivity. The research conclusions provide policy insights for deepening understanding of the emission reduction effects of city branding and expanding urban low-carbon development pathways.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhao Xin & Lei Xue & Yuan Hetong & Zhang Caihua, 2025. "Can Urban “Gold Signboards” Yield Carbon Reduction Dividends? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the “National Civilized City” Selection," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:econoa:v:19:y:2025:i:1:p:13:n:1001
    DOI: 10.1515/econ-2025-0150
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/econ-2025-0150
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/econ-2025-0150?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aihui Ma & Yu Wu, 2022. "Total factor productivity of land urbanization under carbon emission constraints: a case study of Chengyu urban agglomeration in China," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 4481-4499, December.
    2. Cecilia Pasquinelli, 2014. "Branding as Urban Collective Strategy-making: The Formation of NewcastleGateshead’s Organisational Identity," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(4), pages 727-743, March.
    3. Lei, Xue & Xu, Xueguo, 2024. "Storm clouds over innovation: Typhoon shocks and corporate R&D activities," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    4. Jun Gao & Ning Xu & Ju Zhou, 2023. "Innovative City Construction and Urban Environmental Performance: Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-22, June.
    5. Yu Liu & Hongwei Xiao & Precious Zikhali & Yingkang Lv, 2014. "Carbon Emissions in China: A Spatial Econometric Analysis at the Regional Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(9), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Martin de Jong, 2019. "From Eco-Civilization to City Branding: A Neo-Marxist Perspective of Sustainable Urbanization in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-14, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nicola Bellini & Cecilia Pasquinelli, 2016. "Urban brandscape as value ecosystem: The cultural destination strategy of fashion brands," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 5-16, February.
    2. Yongrok Choi & Ning Zhang, 2015. "Introduction to the Special Issue on “the Sustainable Asia Conference 2014”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-8, February.
    3. Xianzi Yang & Chen Zhang & Yu Yang & Yaqi Wu & Po Yun & Zulfiqar Ali Wagan, 2020. "China’s Carbon Pricing Based on Heterogeneous Tail Distribution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Xinxuan Cheng & Longfei Fan & Jiachen Wang, 2018. "Can Energy Structure Optimization, Industrial Structure Changes, Technological Improvements, and Central and Local Governance Effectively Reduce Atmospheric Pollution in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Bin Zhu & Chih-Wei Hsieh & Ying Mao, 2019. "Addressing the Licensed Doctor Maldistribution in China: A Demand-And-Supply Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-19, May.
    6. Hengzhou Xu & Zhongyue Li & Luyu Guo & Yingfei Liu, 2025. "The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, January.
    7. Xiaoping Zhou & Xiaotian Li & Wei Song & Xiangbin Kong & Xiao Lu, 2021. "Farmland Transitions in China: An Advocacy Coalition Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, January.
    8. Mohammadreza Ramezani & Leili Abolhassani & Naser Shahnoushi Foroushani & Diane Burgess & Milad Aminizadeh, 2022. "Ecological Footprint and Its Determinants in MENA Countries: A Spatial Econometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Na Xu & Yanpu Zhao & Shun Qin, 2023. "Exploring Business Owners’ Engagement Behavior for Promoting Regional Brands in China: An Empirical Analysis Based on the TPB and ABC Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-20, July.
    10. Sun, Chuanwang & Ding, Dan & Fang, Xingming & Zhang, Huiming & Li, Jianglong, 2019. "How do fossil energy prices affect the stock prices of new energy companies? Evidence from Divisia energy price index in China's market," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 637-645.
    11. Wang, Jiayi & Lei, Ping, 2021. "The tournament of Chinese environmental protection: Strong or weak competition?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    12. Zhonghua Cheng & Qingfei Xu & Ian Fraser Sanderson, 2021. "China's economic growth and haze pollution control," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 107(3), pages 2653-2669, July.
    13. Yanqiu He & Xueying Cheng & Fang Wang & Ya Cheng, 2020. "Spatial correlation of China’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions: a technology spillover perspective," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 104(3), pages 2561-2590, December.
    14. Xintong Zhang & Cuijie Lu & Yuncai Ning & Jingtao Wang, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Coupling Effect of Regional Economic Development and De-Carbonisation of Energy Use in China: Empirical Analysis Based on Panel and Spatial Durbin Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-22, August.
    15. Xuezhi Ren & Jianya Zhao & Shu Wang & Chunpeng Zhang & Hongzhen Zhang & Nan Wei, 2025. "Exploration of Dual-Carbon Target Pathways Based on Machine Learning Stacking Model and Policy Simulation—A Case Study in Northeast China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-31, April.
    16. Li Li & Xuefei Hong & Dengli Tang & Ming Na, 2016. "GHG Emissions, Economic Growth and Urbanization: A Spatial Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-16, May.
    17. Manuel Herrador & Alexandre Carvalho & Francisco R. Feito, 2015. "An Incentive-Based Solution of Sustainable Mobility for Economic Growth and CO 2 Emissions Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-30, May.
    18. Bai, Jiangyao & Chen, Haixin & Gu, Xiang & Ji, Yuqun & Zhu, Xiaodan, 2024. "Temporal and spatial characteristics of carbon emissions from cultivated land use and their influencing factors: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta region," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    19. Haider Mahmood & Maham Furqan & Omar Ali Bagais, 2018. "Environmental Accounting of Financial Development and Foreign Investment: Spatial Analyses of East Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    20. Cecilia Pasquinelli & Mariapina Trunfio & Nicola Bellini & Simona Rossi, 2021. "Sustainability in Overtouristified Cities? A Social Media Insight into Italian Branding Responses to Covid-19 Crisis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-14, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:econoa:v:19:y:2025:i:1:p:13:n:1001. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyterbrill.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.