IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v202y2025ics0301421525001181.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Green growth in pilot zones for green finance and innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Zhao, Wenqi
  • Toh, Moau Yong
  • Zhao, Jerry Zhirong

Abstract

Substantial literature has acknowledged the efficacy of green finance policies in environmental enhancement, but their impact on green growth remains understudied. This paper employs a quasi-natural experiment to investigate the effect of the Green Finance Reform and Innovation Pilot Zones (GFPZ) policy on green growth in 288 prefecture-level cities in China over the period 2010–2021. The findings indicate that the GFPZ policy significantly promotes urban green growth, measured by green total factor productivity, with technical change as the primary driver. The findings survive Difference-in-Difference (DID), Propensity Score Matching-DID (PSM-DID), Synthetic DID (SDID), and other robustness checks. Mechanism analyses show that the GFPZ policy promotes urban green growth by advancing green financial instruments, constructing green infrastructure, increasing public transport accessibility, and optimizing the energy structure. Heterogeneity analyses show that the policy's effect on green growth is more pronounced in cities with lower fiscal pressure, greater energy endowment, and lower pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions. The spillover effect analysis indicates that green growth extends to cities located within approximately 250 km from the GFPZs. These findings offer important policy implications as governments optimize green finance initiatives for promoting urban sustainable development across regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhao, Wenqi & Toh, Moau Yong & Zhao, Jerry Zhirong, 2025. "Green growth in pilot zones for green finance and innovation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:202:y:2025:i:c:s0301421525001181
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114611
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421525001181
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114611?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Luo, Yuanda & Xiong, Guobao & Mardani, Abbas, 2022. "Environmental information disclosure and corporate innovation: The “Inverted U-shaped” regulating effect of media attention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 453-463.
    2. Dmitry Arkhangelsky & Susan Athey & David A. Hirshberg & Guido W. Imbens & Stefan Wager, 2021. "Synthetic Difference-in-Differences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 111(12), pages 4088-4118, December.
    3. Deng, Xiangzheng & Huang, Jikun & Rozelle, Scott & Uchida, Emi, 2008. "Growth, population and industrialization, and urban land expansion of China," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 96-115, January.
    4. Flammer, Caroline, 2021. "Corporate green bonds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 499-516.
    5. Eliana La Ferrara & Alberto Chong & Suzanne Duryea, 2012. "Soap Operas and Fertility: Evidence from Brazil," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 1-31, October.
    6. Dong-hyun Oh, 2010. "A global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 183-197, December.
    7. Guo, Zhangdong & Zhang, Xiaoning, 2024. "Has the healthy city pilot policy improved urban air quality in China? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    8. Thorsten Beck & Ross Levine & Alexey Levkov, 2010. "Big Bad Banks? The Winners and Losers from Bank Deregulation in the United States," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 65(5), pages 1637-1667, October.
    9. Wang, Xinru & Long, Ruyin & Sun, Qingqing & Chen, Hong & Jiang, Shiyan & Wang, Yujie & Li, Qianwen & Yang, Shuhan, 2024. "Spatial spillover effects and driving mechanisms of carbon emission reduction in new energy demonstration cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    10. Agliardi, Elettra & Agliardi, Rossella, 2019. "Financing environmentally-sustainable projects with green bonds," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(6), pages 608-623, December.
    11. Yan, Cheng & Mao, Zhicheng & Ho, Kung-Cheng, 2022. "Effect of green financial reform and innovation pilot zones on corporate investment efficiency," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    12. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    13. Reboredo, Juan C., 2018. "Green bond and financial markets: Co-movement, diversification and price spillover effects," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 38-50.
    14. Melissa Dell, 2010. "The Persistent Effects of Peru's Mining Mita," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(6), pages 1863-1903, November.
    15. Yu, Yongze & Li, Ke & Duan, Shenglan & Song, Chenchen, 2023. "Economic growth and environmental pollution in China: New evidence from government work reports," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    16. Li, Yanfei & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "The economic feasibility of green hydrogen and fuel cell electric vehicles for road transport in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    17. Cheng, Zhuo & Kai, Zhe & Zhu, Shouwenjun, 2023. "Does green finance regulation improve renewable energy utilization? Evidence from energy consumption efficiency," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 63-75.
    18. Zhang, Dongyang, 2022. "Does the green loan policy boost greener production? – Evidence from Chinese firms," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(PB).
    19. Moau Yong Toh & Ali Albada & Sin Huei Ng, 2023. "Effect of Country Governance on Cross-Border Renewable Energy Investment and Climate Actions in Emerging Countries," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(13), pages 3813-3827, October.
    20. Fare, Rolf & Shawna Grosskopf & Mary Norris & Zhongyang Zhang, 1994. "Productivity Growth, Technical Progress, and Efficiency Change in Industrialized Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(1), pages 66-83, March.
    21. Liu, Xinghe & Wang, Enxian & Cai, Danting, 2019. "Green credit policy, property rights and debt financing: Quasi-natural experimental evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 129-135.
    22. LIU, Mingxing & XU, Zhigang & SU, Fubing & TAO, Ran, 2012. "Rural tax reform and the extractive capacity of local state in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 190-203.
    23. Liberalesso, Tiago & Oliveira Cruz, Carlos & Matos Silva, Cristina & Manso, Maria, 2020. "Green infrastructure and public policies: An international review of green roofs and green walls incentives," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    24. Zhang, Zhenhua & Wang, Jing & Feng, Chao & Chen, Xi, 2023. "Do pilot zones for green finance reform and innovation promote energy savings? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    25. Zhang, Ning & Choi, Yongrok, 2013. "Total-factor carbon emission performance of fossil fuel power plants in China: A metafrontier non-radial Malmquist index analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 549-559.
    26. Avishai (Avi) Ceder, 2021. "Urban mobility and public transport: future perspectives and review," International Journal of Urban Sciences, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 455-479, October.
    27. Kumar, Surender, 2006. "Environmentally sensitive productivity growth: A global analysis using Malmquist-Luenberger index," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 280-293, February.
    28. Zhou, Lin & Fan, Jianshuang & Hu, Mingzhi & Yu, Xiaofen, 2024. "Clean air policy and green total factor productivity: Evidence from Chinese prefecture-level cities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    29. Nepal, Rabindra & Liu, Yang & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin, 2024. "How does green finance promote renewable energy technology innovation? A quasi-natural experiment perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    30. Färe, Rolf & Grosskopf, Shawna & Pasurka, Carl A., 2007. "Environmental production functions and environmental directional distance functions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 1055-1066.
    31. Simone D’Alessandro & André Cieplinski & Tiziano Distefano & Kristofer Dittmer, 2020. "Feasible alternatives to green growth," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 3(4), pages 329-335, April.
    32. Wang, Quan-Jing & Wang, Hai-Jie & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2022. "Environmental performance, green finance and green innovation: What's the long-run relationships among variables?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    33. Scholtens, Bert & Dam, Lammertjan, 2007. "Banking on the Equator. Are Banks that Adopted the Equator Principles Different from Non-Adopters?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1307-1328, August.
    34. Wu, Zhanchi & Fan, Xiangjun & Zhu, Bangzhu & Xia, Jiahui & Zhang, Lin & Wang, Ping, 2022. "Do government subsidies improve innovation investment for new energy firms: A quasi-natural experiment of China's listed companies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    35. Zhou, P. & Ang, B.W. & Wang, H., 2012. "Energy and CO2 emission performance in electricity generation: A non-radial directional distance function approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 221(3), pages 625-635.
    36. Flaherty, Michael & Gevorkyan, Arkady & Radpour, Siavash & Semmler, Willi, 2017. "Financing climate policies through climate bonds – A three stage model and empirics," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 468-479.
    37. He, Wenhua & Liu, Pei & Lin, Borong & Zhou, Hao & Chen, Xuesheng, 2022. "Green finance support for development of green buildings in China: Effect, mechanism, and policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    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. Zhou, Tao & Huang, Xuhui & Zhang, Ning, 2023. "The effect of innovation pilot on carbon total factor productivity: Quasi-experimental evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    2. Emrouznejad, Ali & Yang, Guo-liang, 2016. "CO2 emissions reduction of Chinese light manufacturing industries: A novel RAM-based global Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 397-410.
    3. Tian Xia & Siyu Li & Yunning Ma & Yongrok Choi, 2025. "Is China’s Urban Development Planning Sustainable? Evidence from the Transportation Sector in Cities Along the Belt and Road Initiative Route," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-26, February.
    4. Jiazhan Gao & Guihong Hua & Baofeng Huo, 2025. "Turning “green” into “gold”: A study on the impact of green finance pilot zone policy on energy carbon emission efficiency," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 129-143, February.
    5. Wenhua Xu & Qixiang Yuan & Naixin Chen & Jian Ye, 2025. "Green Finance and Energy Structure Transition: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Chung, Yeimin & Heshmati, Almas, 2013. "Measurement of Environmentally Sensitive Productivity Growth in Korean Industries," IZA Discussion Papers 7235, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Jian Song & Jing Wang & Zhe Chen, 2022. "How Low-Carbon Pilots Affect Chinese Urban Energy Efficiency: An Explanation from Technological Progress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-30, November.
    8. Libin Feng & Zhengcheng Sun, 2023. "The Impact of Green Finance Pilot Policy on Carbon Intensity in Chinese Cities—Based on the Synthetic Control Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-21, July.
    9. Ke Wang & Yujiao Xian & Chia-Yen Lee & Yi-Ming Wei & Zhimin Huang, 2019. "On selecting directions for directional distance functions in a non-parametric framework: a review," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 278(1), pages 43-76, July.
    10. Wang, Zhaohua & He, Weijun & Wang, Bo, 2017. "Performance and reduction potential of energy and CO2 emissions among the APEC's members with considering the return to scale," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 552-562.
    11. Zhang, Ning & Choi, Yongrok, 2013. "A comparative study of dynamic changes in CO2 emission performance of fossil fuel power plants in China and Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 324-332.
    12. Víctor Giménez & Claudio Thieme & Diego Prior & Emili Tortosa-Ausina, 2017. "An international comparison of educational systems: a temporal analysis in presence of bad outputs," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 83-101, February.
    13. Han, Linzhi & Li, Jiawen, 2025. "Does green finance reform promote corporate carbon emission reduction? Evidence from China's green finance reform and innovation pilot zones," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 2091-2111.
    14. Sun, Chuanwang & Li, Zhi & Ma, Tiemeng & He, Runyong, 2019. "Carbon efficiency and international specialization position: Evidence from global value chain position index of manufacture," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 235-242.
    15. Yang, Zhenbing & Fan, Meiting & Shao, Shuai & Yang, Lili, 2017. "Does carbon intensity constraint policy improve industrial green production performance in China? A quasi-DID analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 271-282.
    16. Zhang, Ning & Wang, Bing & Liu, Zhu, 2016. "Carbon emissions dynamics, efficiency gains, and technological innovation in China's industrial sectors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 10-19.
    17. Ke Wang & Yujiao Xian & Yi-Ming Wei & Zhimin Huang, 2016. "Sources of carbon productivity change: A decomposition and disaggregation analysis based on global Luenberger productivity indicator and endogenous directional distance function," CEEP-BIT Working Papers 91, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEP), Beijing Institute of Technology.
    18. Wang, Lianghu & Shao, Jun, 2025. "How does regional integration policy affect urban energy efficiency? A quasi-natural experiment based on policy of national urban agglomeration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    19. Li, Jianglong & Lin, Boqiang, 2017. "Does energy and CO2 emissions performance of China benefit from regional integration?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 366-378.
    20. Zhou, Lin & Fan, Jianshuang & Hu, Mingzhi & Yu, Xiaofen, 2024. "Clean air policy and green total factor productivity: Evidence from Chinese prefecture-level cities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).

    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:eee:enepol:v:202:y:2025:i:c:s0301421525001181. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    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.