环境信息公开、外商直接投资与城市空气污染——来自环境空气质量信息实时公开的证据

Environmental Information Disclosure,FDI and Urban Air Pollution:Evidence from the Project of Ambient Air Quality Information Disclosure in Real Time

深入开展污染防治行动不仅是改善空气质量、提升人民幸福感的必要之举,更是推动经济社会发展全面绿色转型、建设美丽中国的有效途径。本文基于原环境保护部2012年开始实施的环境空气质量信息实时公开项目,构建环境信息公开、外商直接投资(FDI)与地区污染之间关系的理论模型,考察这一项目实施前后,FDI对全国280个城市空气污染的影响变化。结果发现,项目实施前FDI显著加剧了空气污染,但在项目实施后FDI明显抑制了空气污染,在控制同期其他政策干扰和政策预期后结论依然稳健。异质性分析表明,项目实施后,低收入、低能耗、低排放和资源型城市的空气污染下降更明显。影响机制分析发现,项目实施前后FDI引致的环境规制、技术选择、生产规模和产业结构变化是空气污染得到抑制的重要原因。本研究为进一步完善环境信息公开制度、引导FDI和生态环境协调发展,以此推动和引领我国经济高质量发展提供了理论依据和经验支持。

Carrying out pollution prevention and control actions are not only necessary to improve air quality and people’s happiness,but also an effective way to promote the green transformation of economy and society in all respects and build a beautiful China.Based on the project of ambient air quality information disclosure in real time initiated by the former Ministry of Environmental Protection(MEP)in 2012,we construct a theoretical model of the relationship between environmental information disclosure,foreign direct investment(FDI)and regional pollution,then examine the impact of FDI on air pollution of 280 cities in China before and after the pilot project.The results show that:FDI aggravates air pollution significantly before the implementation of the project.However,it significantly suppresses air pollution after the implementation of the project,and the conclusion remains robust after controlling other policy pilots and expectations during the same period.Heterogeneity analysis suggests that the above inhibition effect is more prominent in low-income,low-energy consumption,low-emission and resource-based cities after the implementation of the project.Analysis of influence mechanism reveals that the changes of environmental regulation,technology choice,production scale and industrial structure caused by FDI before and after the implementation of the project are important reasons for the inhibition of air pollution.This study provides theoretical basis and empirical support on further improving the environmental information disclosure system,guiding the coordinated development of FDI and ecological environment,so as to promote high-quality economic development of China.