scholarly journals Energy- and Environment-Biased Technological Progress Induced by Different Types of Environmental Regulations in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7486
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Zhou ◽  
Ming Xia ◽  
Teng Zhang ◽  
Juntao Du

With the increasing pressure of energy exhaustion and environmental degradation, environmental regulation is considered as a strategy to achieve sustainable development. This paper specifically analyzes the mechanism of multi-dimensional environmental regulations on energy- and environment-biased technological progress, and empirically detects the differentiated impacts using China’s panel data from the period 2000–2016, employing the generalized method of moments (GMM) and a dynamic threshold model. The results reveal that: (1) command-and-control regulation (CCR) promotes energy-saving and pollution abatement technological progress. Market-based regulation (MBR) stimulates energy-saving technological progress, while informal regulation (IR) only accelerates environment conservation technological progress. (2) There are threshold effects on the relationship of environmental regulations and biased technological progress. With economic developments, CCR and MBR have positive effects on energy- and environment-related technological progress, whilst IR fails to promote backstop and pollution abatement technological progress. The clear diversity in the impacts of different environment regulations on biased technological progress provides new insights for the optimal future policy design.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256335
Author(s):  
Tengfei Zhang ◽  
Yang Song ◽  
Jun Yang

China’s announcement of its goal of carbon neutrality has increased the practical significance of research on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that result from urbanization. With a comprehensive consideration of population migration in China, this study examines the impact of urbanization on CO2 emissions based on provincial panel data from 2000 to 2012. Two indicators (resident population and household registration population) are used to measure urbanization rate. The results reveal that the impact of urbanization on CO2 emissions in China is closely correlated with the structure of urban resident population and interregional population migration. The estimation results are still robust by using generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator and two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimator. The proportion of temporary residents is introduced as a proxy variable for population migration. The panel threshold model regression results show that the proportion of temporary residents has a marginal effect on the relationship between urbanization and CO2 emissions. In regions with a higher proportion of temporary residents, the positive effects of resident population urbanization on CO2 emissions tend to be weaker. These findings are consistent with the theories of ecological modernization and urban environmental transition. This paper makes suggestions on China’s urbanization development model and countermeasures are proposed to minimize the CO2 emissions caused by urbanization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2730
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhao ◽  
Tian Zhang ◽  
Ting Wu ◽  
Shujing Xu ◽  
Shuwang Yang

Technological progress has always been regarded as an important factor affecting haze pollution. A large number of academic studies have focused on the effect of technological progress on haze pollution, but there are few discussions on the effects of technological progress from different sources. In view of this, a dynamic panel model is constructed, and a systematic generalized method of moments (GMM) method is applied to empirically test the overall impact of technological progress from different sources on haze pollution and the regional heterogeneity of the impact. The results show that the overall and regional impact of technological progress from different sources on haze pollution is entirely different. Among them, for the whole country, independent innovation has a significant inhibitory effect on haze pollution, and technology introduction has aggravated haze pollution to a certain extent. At the regional level, all types of technological progress in the east can effectively reduce haze, the central region having haze reduction results consistent with the overall national level, and in the west, independent innovation and direct introduction can effectively reduce haze, while reverse technology spillover is ineffective. Therefore, policy recommendations such as improving the ability of independent innovation, improving the quality of technology introduction, and coordinating regional technology against haze are put forward.


2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 454-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter L. Daniels

PurposeAims to assess the potential for a broad “green” technoeconomic paradigm (TEP) to effectively achieve and sustain higher levels of welfare from economic and environmental sources in manylower income countries (LIC). A green TEP comprises a new socioeconomic system based upon a set of inter‐related technologies that increase human welfare, but focus upon saving material, energy and other environmental resources. TEPs have pervasive social and economic effects that include substantial productivity, trade competitiveness, and environmental quality advantages. The desirability of such economic change must incorporate the general approach of social economics and alternative notions of well‐being.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is largely discursive in nature and provides a systematic identification of the LIC conditions that are likely to promote, and benefit from, the pervasive adoption of material‐ and energy‐saving technologies. Some results of an exploratory cross‐country study of the empirical link between technology capability and the human development index (HDI) are utilized in the discussion.FindingsThe paper concludes that a green TEP may well provide a viable alternative development approach in the LICs. The main advantages are derived from related resource efficiency gains and reductions in the socioeconomic metabolism, and the benefits of a relative production factor shift toward labor (and away from materials, energy, and environment‐intensive capital). The potential for LICs is also facilitated by the positive spillovers and decreasing cost of green TEP‐related knowledge and technology diffusion in the expanding, decentralizing global communication network. The higher income nations would need to play a significant role in this process.Originality/valueEcological modernisation and material and energy‐saving technologies are widely viewed as essential for achieving long‐term economic and social well‐being improvements in the twenty‐first century and beyond. Discussion of this promising approach typically assumes that this transformation is only viable in the technological and economic context of the higher income nations. However, this paper provides a detailed case for the strategic encouragement and adoption of a green TEP for sustainable economic development and environmental conditions in LICs.


Author(s):  
Filippo Arfini ◽  
Fabio Landini

- This work offers an interpretation of the role that multifunctionality plays in the policies that sustain rural development. Assuming as a reference the livelihood approach, we analyse multifunctionality within a framework which differs from the usual Wto negotiations. We reappraise its significance as a variable that reinforces the livelihood strategies of the rural households. In terms of policy design we analyse the costs of the secondary services and the variables that allow for their reduction. A quantitative evaluation is then carried out on the basis of an LP model taking a multifunctional farm in Africa. The results obtained are that: multifunctionality is very costly; most of the private costs of multifunctionality are due to constraints on specialisation in production; both coupled and de-coupled payment sustain multifunctionality but in different ways; technological progress is a key variable for economic sustainability.EconLit Classification: C020, Q010, Q120, Q180Keywords: Multifunctionality, Rural Development, Livelihood Approach, Linear Programming


SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402090343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arif Khan ◽  
Xuezhi Qin ◽  
Khalil Jebran ◽  
Abdul Rashid

This study examines the association between various uncertainties and corporate investment and further investigates this association between state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs). Moreover, this study analyzes the indirect effects of uncertainty on corporate investment through cash flow. The current research uses an unbalanced panel data of Chinese nonfinancial listed firms for the period 1999–2016. To control endogeneity issues, this study applies a robust two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to estimate the model. Empirical findings indicate that market-based and firm-specific uncertainties have positive effects, whereas economic policy and CAPM-based uncertainties have negative effects on corporate investment. Furthermore, results indicate that the effects of market-based, CAPM-based, and firm-specific uncertainties (economic policy uncertainty) were less (more) prominent for SOEs. Additional analyses show that cash flow stimulates the effect of firm-specific uncertainty on SOEs’ investment, whereas it weakens the influence of CAPM-based uncertainty (economic policy uncertainty) on investment of non-SOEs (SOEs). Moreover, cash flow attenuates the market uncertainty effect on investment.


2006 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 67-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan-Chun Liu ◽  
Chen-Min Hsu

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of Taiwan's manufacturing firm growth, in particular, the effects of financial structure, corporate financing choices and Taiwanese outward FDI in China on firm growth in different industries besides other physical factors discussed in the literature. We construct an unbalanced dynamic panel data using 280 listed and OTC manufacturing firms over the period 1991–2002. The empirical method utilized is the generalized method of moments (GMM) proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991). Our results find that (1) the growth rates of firms are positively related to firm size, age, capital intensity, lagged R&D, export ratio, investment ratio, and profits; (2) high debt-to-equity ratio is associated with low corporation growth, while high return on total assets is associated with high corporation growth, which reflects that a firm with a relatively sound financial structure will facilitate their growth; (3) higher liquidity of stock market relative to the banking sector lead to higher growth of firms. However, larger size of stock market relative to the banking sector leads to lower the firm's growth, i.e., the smaller the indirect finance, the lower the firm growth; (4) firms engaged in FDI toward China might be hollowing-out; (5) individual firms that could be financed more from either bank or equity market will enjoy higher rates of growth compared to others in the same industries, but, those effects on traditional and basic industries are weaker; (6) high bank-financing ratio and internal financing are associated with higher firm growth, while firms using more bonds or equity financing tend to experience lower growth. However, the net positive effects of equity financing on traditional and basic firm growth are significantly greater.


2010 ◽  
Vol 156-157 ◽  
pp. 123-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu Ying Zhang ◽  
Hong Chao Zhang ◽  
Hui Zheng ◽  
Qing Qing Zhang

The energy consumption and environmental impacts of a product are largely determined during concept design. It is the core for energy saving product development to integrate energy saving into product concept design process. In this paper, a framework for energy-saving product concept design based on TRIZ/function analysis is proposed, the energy flow chart is built based on the analysis of product function. By eliminating the harmful function associated with energy and environment, resolving the conflict parameter and attributes of components in energy and function, the new product that satisfy user needs while minimizing energy consumption is obtained. A case study is also presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design framework.


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