IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v140y2024ics0264837724000784.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental regulation and land resource allocation in China: Empirical evidence from micro-level land transaction data

Author

Listed:
  • Yang, Zhijiu
  • Ding, Hai
  • Zhu, Wenbo

Abstract

Land resource allocation is closely related to economic activities, which can be affected by environmental regulation. Exploiting the variation in regulation intensity coming from the new Environmental Protection Law (EPL) across time, regions, and industries, we construct a difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) model to investigate the impact of environmental regulation on land resource allocation in China. We find that when faced with stringent environmental regulation, local governments are inclined to reduce land supply for polluting industries, which is robust using alternative specifications. Besides, local governments raise the price and the average size of land parcels sold to polluting firms, along with remote land locations and low land quality. Further evidence indicates that local officials, with fewer promotion incentives, tend to reduce land supply for polluting industries substantially, whereas they are more likely to increase land supply for polluting industries under increased economic growth (fiscal) pressure. This study reveals that environmental regulation can direct local land resource allocation towards a green path. Local governments can employ land supply tools to implement environmental governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Zhijiu & Ding, Hai & Zhu, Wenbo, 2024. "Environmental regulation and land resource allocation in China: Empirical evidence from micro-level land transaction data," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:140:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724000784
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107126
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837724000784
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107126?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ting Chen & James Kai-sing Kung, 2019. "Busting the “Princelings”: The Campaign Against Corruption in China’s Primary Land Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(1), pages 185-226.
    2. Enikolopov, Ruben & Zhuravskaya, Ekaterina, 2007. "Decentralization and political institutions," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(11-12), pages 2261-2290, December.
    3. Panle Jia Barwick & Shanjun Li & Liguo Lin & Eric Yongchen Zou, 2024. "From Fog to Smog: The Value of Pollution Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 114(5), pages 1338-1381, May.
    4. Timothy J. Bartik, 1991. "Who Benefits from State and Local Economic Development Policies?," Books from Upjohn Press, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, number wbsle, December.
    5. Hering, Laura & Poncet, Sandra, 2014. "Environmental policy and exports: Evidence from Chinese cities," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 296-318.
    6. Yongzheng Liu & Jie Mao, 2019. "How Do Tax Incentives Affect Investment and Productivity? Firm-Level Evidence from China," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 261-291, August.
    7. Li, Hongbin & Zhou, Li-An, 2005. "Political turnover and economic performance: the incentive role of personnel control in China," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(9-10), pages 1743-1762, September.
    8. Malin Song & Shuhong Wang & Kaiya Wu, 2018. "Environment-biased technological progress and industrial land-use efficiency in China’s new normal," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 268(1), pages 425-440, September.
    9. Zhou, Lin & Tian, Li & Gao, Yuan & Ling, Yingkai & Fan, Chenjing & Hou, Deyi & Shen, Tiyan & Zhou, Wentong, 2019. "How did industrial land supply respond to transitions in state strategy? An analysis of prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2016," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    10. Daria Burnes & David Neumark & Michelle J. White, 2014. "Fiscal Zoning and Sales Taxes: Do Higher Sales Taxes Lead to More Retailing and Less Manufacturing?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 67(1), pages 7-50, March.
    11. Justin Yifu Lin & Zhiqiang Liu, 2000. "Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in China," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 49(1), pages 1-21.
    12. Li, Huimin & Zhao, Xiaofan & Yu, Yuqing & Wu, Tong & Qi, Ye, 2016. "China's numerical management system for reducing national energy intensity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 64-76.
    13. Kong, Dongmin & Liu, Chenhao, 2024. "Centralization and regulatory enforcement: Evidence from personnel authority reform in China," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    14. Wu, Haoyi & Guo, Huanxiu & Zhang, Bing & Bu, Maoliang, 2017. "Westward movement of new polluting firms in China: Pollution reduction mandates and location choice," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 119-138.
    15. Qian, Yingyi & Roland, Gerard, 1998. "Federalism and the Soft Budget Constraint," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(5), pages 1143-1162, December.
    16. Lichtenberg, Erik & Ding, Chengri, 2009. "Local officials as land developers: Urban spatial expansion in China," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 57-64, July.
    17. Hongbin Cai & J. Vernon Henderson & Qinghua Zhang, 2013. "China's land market auctions: evidence of corruption?," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 44(3), pages 488-521, September.
    18. Chen, Zhao & Kahn, Matthew E. & Liu, Yu & Wang, Zhi, 2018. "The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 468-485.
    19. Eskeland, Gunnar S. & Harrison, Ann E., 2003. "Moving to greener pastures? Multinationals and the pollution haven hypothesis," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 1-23, February.
    20. Ulrich Wagner & Christopher Timmins, 2009. "Agglomeration Effects in Foreign Direct Investment and the Pollution Haven Hypothesis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 43(2), pages 231-256, June.
    21. Zhao, Renjie & Chen, Jie & Feng, Chen & Zhong, Shihu, 2020. "The impact of anti-corruption measures on land supply and the associated implications: The case of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    22. Liangliang Liu & Donghong Ding & Jun He, 2019. "The welfare effects of fiscal decentralization: a simple model and evidence from China," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 417-434, January.
    23. Werner Antweiler & Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 2001. "Is Free Trade Good for the Environment?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 877-908, September.
    24. Shu, Cheng & Xie, Hualin & Jiang, Jinfa & Chen, Qianru, 2018. "Is Urban Land Development Driven by Economic Development or Fiscal Revenue Stimuli in China?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 107-115.
    25. Matthew E. Kahn & Pei Li & Daxuan Zhao, 2015. "Water Pollution Progress at Borders: The Role of Changes in China's Political Promotion Incentives," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 7(4), pages 223-242, November.
    26. Jin, Wanfu & Zhou, Chunshan & Zhang, Guojun, 2020. "Characteristics of state-owned construction land supply in Chinese cities by development stage and industry," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    27. Bo Zhang & Cong Cao, 2015. "Policy: Four gaps in China's new environmental law," Nature, Nature, vol. 517(7535), pages 433-434, January.
    28. Shi, Xinzheng & Xu, Zhufeng, 2018. "Environmental regulation and firm exports: Evidence from the eleventh Five-Year Plan in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 187-200.
    29. Robert W. Wassmer, 2002. "Fiscalisation of Land Use, Urban Growth Boundaries and Non-central Retail Sprawl in the Western United States," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 39(8), pages 1307-1327, July.
    30. Shi, Daqian & Yang, Zhijiu & Ji, Hongkun, 2022. "Energy target-based responsibility system and corporate energy efficiency: Evidence from the eleventh Five Year Plan in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    31. Yu, Jihai & Zhou, Li-An & Zhu, Guozhong, 2016. "Strategic interaction in political competition: Evidence from spatial effects across Chinese cities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 23-37.
    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. Shi, Daqian & Yang, Zhijiu & Ji, Hongkun, 2022. "Energy target-based responsibility system and corporate energy efficiency: Evidence from the eleventh Five Year Plan in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    2. Fugang Gao & Huub Ploegmakers & Erwin van der Krabben & Xiaoping Shi, 2022. "Impacts of the political incentive for environmental protection on industrial land supply: Evidence from the cadre evaluation system reform in China," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(4), pages 1001-1025, August.
    3. Mao, Jie & Wang, Chunhua & Yin, Haitao, 2023. "Corporate responses to air quality regulation: Evidence from a regional environmental policy in China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    4. Yanyun Li & Faqin Lin & Wenxiao Wang, 2022. "Environmental regulation and inward foreign direct investment: Evidence from the eleventh Five‐Year Plan in China," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 684-707, July.
    5. Mathilde Maurel & Thomas Pernet, 2021. "New evidence on the soft budget constraint: Chinese environmental policy effectiveness in SOE-dominated cities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 187(1), pages 111-142, April.
    6. Kwon, Ohyun & Zhao, Hao & Zhao, Min Qiang, 2023. "Global firms and emissions: Investigating the dual channels of emissions abatement," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    7. Xu, Yuan & Wu, Yanrui & Shi, Yongli, 2021. "Emission reduction and foreign direct investment nexus in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Wang, Huanhuan & Xiong, Jiaxin, 2022. "Governance on water pollution: Evidence from a new river regulatory system of China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    9. Xiong, Mengxu & Zhu, Ling, 2023. "Mandatory pollution abatement and firm export product quality," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1-12.
    10. He, Zhenyu & Tang, Yuwei, 2023. "Local environmental constraints and firms’ export product quality: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    11. Shiyu Bo, 2021. "Environmental Regulations, Political Incentives and Local Economic Activities: Evidence from China," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 83(3), pages 812-835, June.
    12. Wang, Yuan & Hui, Eddie Chi-man, 2017. "Are local governments maximizing land revenue? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 196-215.
    13. Jan K. Brueckner & Shihe Fu & Yizhen Gu & Junfu Zhang, 2017. "Measuring the Stringency of Land Use Regulation: The Case of China's Building Height Limits," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 99(4), pages 663-677, July.
    14. Mathilde Maurel & Thomas Pernet-Coudrier, 2020. "New Evidence on the Soft Budget Constraint: Chinese Environmental Policy Effectiveness in Private versus SOEs," Post-Print halshs-02469382, HAL.
    15. Chen, Zhao & Kahn, Matthew E. & Liu, Yu & Wang, Zhi, 2018. "The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 468-485.
    16. He, Guojun & Xie, Yang & Zhang, Bing, 2020. "Expressways, GDP, and the environment: The case of China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    17. Jin, Gang & Shen, Kunrong & Li, Jian, 2020. "Interjurisdiction political competition and green total factor productivity in China: An inverted-U relationship," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    18. Gao, Yanyan & Zheng, Jianghuai, 2024. "The opposite innovation impacts of air and water pollution regulations: Evidence from the total emissions control policy in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    19. Zhengge Tu & Yu Cao & Botao Liu, 2023. "Can Environmental Regulations Promote Regional Industrial Transfer?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, March.
    20. Zhi Wang & Qinghua Zhang & Li-An Zhou, 2020. "Career Incentives of City Leaders and Urban Spatial Expansion in China," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 102(5), pages 897-911, December.

    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:lauspo:v:140:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724000784. 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: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    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.