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Whether the Establishment of National High-Tech Zones Can Improve Urban Air Pollution: Empirical Evidence from Prefecture-Level Cities in China

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  • Deya Hua

    (School of Economics, Anhui University, Hefei 230022, China)

  • Jingfeng Hu

    (School of Economics, Anhui University, Hefei 230022, China)

Abstract

Promoting the construction of national-level high-tech zones as green pioneer zones is a necessary condition for achieving high-quality development. Based on panel data from 254 prefecture-level cities from 2006 to 2018, in this paper, the difference-in-difference (DID) is used to empirically examine the influence effect of the establishment of national high-tech zones on local urban air pollution, and the spatial difference-in-difference (SDID) is used to explore its spatial spillover effect. It was found that the annual average P M 2.5 concentration in cities with national high-tech zones decreased by about 1.8% compared with cities without national high-tech zones, and there was a positive spillover effect on the annual average P M 2.5 concentration in nearby cities. Industrial structure upgrading and technological innovation effects are two important transmission paths for the establishment of national high-tech zones to influence urban air pollution; the heterogeneity analysis shows that the establishment of national high-tech zones has more significant implications for the improvement of air pollution in non-resource cities and less developed areas in the west, and the air pollution improvement effect of “growing” national high-tech zones is more desirable than that of “mature” national high-tech zones. Our empirical results conclude that we should continue to encourage the promotion of national high-tech zones, optimize the business environment, improve preferential policies, and design a combination of policy instruments scientifically according to local conditions in order to give full play to the effect of national high-tech zones on urban air-pollution improvement.

Suggested Citation

  • Deya Hua & Jingfeng Hu, 2023. "Whether the Establishment of National High-Tech Zones Can Improve Urban Air Pollution: Empirical Evidence from Prefecture-Level Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-19, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:9754-:d:1174223
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Simon Alder & Lin Shao & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2016. "Economic reforms and industrial policy in a panel of Chinese cities," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 305-349, December.
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