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Fear of nuclear power? Evidence from Fukushima nuclear accident and land markets in China

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  • Zhu, Hongjia
  • Deng, Yongheng
  • Zhu, Rong
  • He, Xiaobo

Abstract

This paper examines whether the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Accident (FNA) changed the Chinese public's attitude toward nuclear energy by studying transactions in land markets near nuclear power plants in China. Using a data set that matched the details of all nuclear reactors in China with information on land transactions around them before and after the FNA, we find that the accident had dynamic effects on land markets in China. Land prices within 40km of nuclear power plants dropped by about 18% one month after the nuclear accident. However, the impact of FNA decreased over the longer term, eventually becoming statistically insignificant. Also, the impacts of the disaster varied with plant characteristics such as operating status, construction year, and size.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhu, Hongjia & Deng, Yongheng & Zhu, Rong & He, Xiaobo, 2016. "Fear of nuclear power? Evidence from Fukushima nuclear accident and land markets in China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 139-154.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:139-154
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2016.06.008
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    3. Huang, Lei & He, Ruoying & Yang, Qianqi & Chen, Jin & Zhou, Ying & Hammitt, James K. & Lu, Xi & Bi, Jun & Liu, Yang, 2018. "The changing risk perception towards nuclear power in China after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 294-301.
    4. Tao Chen & Youchao Tan & Jinghua Wang & Cheng (Colin) Zeng, 2022. "The Unintended Consequence of Land Finance: Evidence from Corporate Tax Avoidance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(11), pages 8319-8342, November.
    5. Ando, Michihito & Dahlberg, Matz & Engström, Gustav, 2017. "The risks of nuclear disaster and its impact on housing prices," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 13-16.
    6. Qian, Xianhang & Qiu, Shanyun & Zhang, Guangli, 2021. "The impact of COVID-19 on housing price: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    7. Mauricio Sarrias & Benjamin Jara, 2020. "How Much Should We Pay for Mental Health Deterioration? The Subjective Monetary Value of Mental Health After the 27F Chilean Earthquake," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 843-875, March.
    8. Hsiao, Cody Yu-Ling & Chen, Hsing Hung, 2018. "The contagious effects on economic development after resuming construction policy for nuclear power plants in Coastal China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 291-302.
    9. Yaoxuan Huang & Tsz Leung Yip & Cong Liang, 2020. "Risk Perception and Property Value: Evidence from Tianjin Port Explosion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Dang, Jingqi & Xu, Wei, 2018. "The Impact of Product-Harm Crisis on International Trade:Evidence from the 2008 Dairy Scandal in China," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273915, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Tsur Somerville & Jake Wetzel, 2022. "Environmental hazards: The microgeography of land‐use negative externalities," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 50(2), pages 468-497, June.
    12. Wen‐Chi Liao & Yilan Luo & Yajie Sun, 2022. "Information shock of disaster and hazard: Impact of Kaohsiung gas explosions and risk disclosure on the equalizing difference in the housing market," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 50(6), pages 1492-1531, November.
    13. Alves, Pedro Jorge & Lima, Ricardo Carvalho de Andrade & Emanuel, Lucas, 2022. "Natural disasters and establishment performance: Evidence from the 2011 Rio de Janeiro Landslides," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    14. Liu, Yanan & Tang, Yugang, 2021. "Epidemic shocks and housing price responses: Evidence from China's urban residential communities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    15. Zheng, Shanshan & Wang, Derek D., 2024. "The local economic impacts of mega nuclear accident: A synthetic control analysis of Fukushima," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    16. Takano, Keisuke, 2019. "Does visible shock update firms' unrelated trade diversity in anticipation of future shock? Evidence from the Great East Japan Earthquake and expected Nankai Trough Earthquake," TDB-CAREE Discussion Paper Series E-2019-01, Teikoku Databank Center for Advanced Empirical Research on Enterprise and Economy, Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University.
    17. Kosai, Shoki & Yamasue, Eiji, 2019. "Recommendation to ASEAN nuclear development based on lessons learnt from the Fukushima nuclear accident," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 628-635.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fukushima nuclear accident; Nuclear energy; Environment; Land market; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • R30 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - General

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