ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Impact of Anti-Corruption
on the Environmental Kuznets Curve:
The Case of China
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School of Economics and Trade, Hunan University, Changsha 410006, China
Submission date: 2020-12-14
Final revision date: 2021-04-11
Acceptance date: 2021-04-13
Online publication date: 2021-09-14
Publication date: 2021-10-01
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(6):4957-4970
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ABSTRACT
This study makes an empirical test of the impact of anti-corruption on the relationship between
economic growth and the environment and its spillover effects based on the balanced panel data of
31 provinces and cities in China from 2006 to 2017. Moreover, this study puts anti-corruption factors
into the framework of the new Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) model using the panel model and
spatial Durbin model. The following are the findings of this study. (1) EKC in China presents an inverted
‘N’ shape with spillover effects between regions. (2) To a certain extent, anti-corruption can affect
the turning point and shape of the EKC by optimising economic growth and curbing environmental
pollution. (3) Anti-corruption within the region will impact the EKC outside the region, but the spillover
effect is lower than the internal effect. (4) Time differences exist in EKC. The post-18th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China significantly presents an inverted N curve that is different
from the pre-18th National Congress condition. Besides, anti-corruption has significantly reduced the
inflexion point of the relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution. Hence, anticorruption
can maintain economic growth to a certain extent while restraining environmental pollution.
China shall continue to firmly promote the process of anti-corruption to ensure sustainable economic
and environmental development.