The environmental effect of trade liberalization: Evidence from China's manufacturing firms

被引:47
|
作者
Cui, Jingbo [1 ,2 ]
Tam, On Kit [3 ]
Wang, Bei [4 ]
Zhang, Yan [5 ]
机构
[1] Duke Kunshan Univ, Div Social Sci, Kunshan, Peoples R China
[2] Duke Kunshan Univ, Environm Res Ctr, Kunshan, Peoples R China
[3] Royal Melbourne Inst Technol RMIT Univ, Sch Econ Finance & Mkt, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
[4] Univ Int Business & Econ, Sch Publ Adm, Beijing, Peoples R China
[5] Cent Univ Finance & Econ, Sch Int Trade & Econ, Beijing, Peoples R China
来源
WORLD ECONOMY | 2020年 / 43卷 / 12期
关键词
China; environmental performance; SO(2)emissions; trade liberalisation; INTERMEDIATE INPUTS; EXPORTS EVIDENCE; POLLUTION; PRODUCTIVITY; PERFORMANCE;
D O I
10.1111/twec.13005
中图分类号
F8 [财政、金融];
学科分类号
0202 ;
摘要
While prior literature on trade liberalisation and the environment has mostly focused on the macroeconomic ramifications, this study explores at the firm level whether and how changes of trade barriers brought about by China's accession to the WTO may impact on its manufacturing firms' environmental performance. Adopting a difference-in-differences (DID) methodology, we document the effects of tariff reductions on improving firm-level SO2 emission intensity, and the key corporate strategic decisions responsible for delivering the observed results, with robustness tests covering other major pollutants. In response to trade liberalisation, firms are found to increase labour resources for environmental protection and to improve their production processes to reduce emission intensity. This study contributes to the literature by investigating at the level of the operating firm how output and input tariff reductions may impact on environmental performance and uncovering for the first time the specific actions responsible for the results.
引用
收藏
页码:3357 / 3383
页数:27
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