蝌蚪网 Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Achieving Air Pollution Control Targets with Technology-Aided Monitoring: Better Enforcement or Localized Efforts?
蝌蚪网 Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 16,
no. 4, November 2024
(pp. 280–315)
Abstract
Weak enforcement of environmental regulations remains a global issue due to inadequate monitoring and misaligned incentives. This paper examines the effects of automated monitoring on achieving air pollution control targets amidst China's war on pollution. Utilizing the staggered rollout process and remote-sensing data, we find local governments respond to the advanced monitoring system by strategically targeting areas near monitors, resulting in a 3.2 percent decrease in pollution adjacent to automated monitors compared to areas farther away. Furthermore, we observe heterogeneity in response across cities with varying degrees of preexisting data manipulation and among officials facing different incentives and public pressure.Citation
Yang, Lin, Yatang Lin, Jin Wang, and Fangyuan Peng. 2024. "Achieving Air Pollution Control Targets with Technology-Aided Monitoring: Better Enforcement or Localized Efforts?" 蝌蚪网 Journal: Economic Policy 16 (4): 280–315. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20220810Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
- O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
- P25 Socialist Systems and Transitional Economies: Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
- P28 Socialist Systems and Transitional Economies: Natural Resources; Energy; Environment
- Q53 Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
- Q55 Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
- R11 Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes