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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Pollution Abatement Effect of Environmental
Information Disclosure:
Based on Quasi-Natural Experiments
1
College of Economics and Management, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
2
Zhejiang Province Key Think Tank: Institute of Ecological Civilization, Zhejiang A&F University,
Hangzhou 311300, China
Submission date: 2024-02-22
Final revision date: 2024-03-12
Acceptance date: 2024-04-13
Online publication date: 2024-05-27
Publication date: 2025-01-09
Corresponding author
Xingwang Zhu
Zhejiang Province Key Think Tank: Institute of Ecological Civilization, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Zhejiang Province Key Think Tank: Institute of Ecological Civilization, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(2):1269-1284
KEYWORDS
Environmental information disclosurepollution emissionsdifference in difference modelintermediation effect
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Environmental information disclosure is an important exploration to promote corporate pollution
abatement and the development of China’s green economy. Based on China’s environmental information
disclosure policy implemented in 2007 as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper empirically tests
whether it has a pollution abatement effect using Chinese industrial pollution emission data and industrial
enterprise data from 2004-2014. It is found that environmental information disclosure has a significant
pollution emission reduction effect, and the conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests,
including parallel trend tests, placebo tests, and instrumental variables tests. Meanwhile, environmental
information disclosure reduces firms’ pollution emissions by promoting industrial structure upgrading,
emission reduction technology progress, reducing FDI, and improving firms’ total factor productivity.
Further analysis shows that the pollution emission reduction effect is more pronounced in non-resourcebased
cities, coastal areas, areas with stronger environmental regulations, non-state enterprises,
and exporting enterprises.
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