政治关联与企业环保治污——来自中国私营企业调查的证据

Political Connections and Environmental Pollution Control of Private Enterprises: From a survey on private enterprises in China

经济增长伴随环境污染的产生似乎不可避免,企业在环保治污方面能否有所作为引人关注。基于2008年和2010年中国私营企业调查数据,实证分析私营企业的政治关联对其环保治污行为的影响发现,私营企业的政治关联对环保投入和排污费具有显著的正向影响,也就是说,具有政治关联的企业环保投入较高,缴纳的排污费也更多。在考虑了环保治污反向影响企业政治关联的内生性问题后结论依然稳健。分行业考察表明,政治关联对环保治污的正向作用仅在重污染企业中显著,在轻污染企业中不显著。进一步检验发现,政治关联对环保治污主要存在一正一反的两个影响机制:政治关联通过影响企业的社会责任正向促进环保治污,即具有政治关联的企业履行更多的社会责任,企业加大对环保治污的投入;政治关联还通过影响企业的寻租动机反向抑制环保治污,即企业会利用政治关联进行寻租,减少在环保治污上的投入。此外,私营企业的政治关联程度较低时,政治关联显著促进环保治污,政治关联程度较高时对环保治污呈现显著的负向影响。研究揭示了政治关联对企业环保治污的实际影响和内在机制,有助于政府采取措施合理引导企业清洁生产、保护环境。

Economic growth seems inevitably accompanied by pollution,and the devotion of enterprises to environmental protection has received much attention.This paper is based on the sample survey on the private enterprises in 2008 and 2010 to study the impact of their political connections on pollution control expenditure.The result shows that the political connections have a significant positive effect on environmental protection and sewage charges.In other words,companies with political connections have higher inputs and pay more for sewage charges.The previous conclusion remains solid after considering the endogeneity problem of political connections.Sub-industry survey shows that political connections on the promotion of environmental pollution control may have a significant effect only on enterprises of heavy polluting and insignificant in those of light pollution.Further test reveals positive and negative impact mechanisms.On one hand,political connections promote pollution control through its impact on corporate social responsibility.The political relationship of enterprises brings more social responsibility,which leads to investment increase in environmental protection and pollution control.In addition,political connections inhibit the pollution control through its impact on the enterprise’s rent-seeking motivation.Enterprises use their political connections in rent-seeking to reduce their investment in environmental protection and pollution control.We also find that when the political connection level of private enterprises is low,it significantly promotes expenditure,but when the level is high,it has a significant negative effect on environmental pollution control.This study reveals the impact and inner mechanism of political connections on the environmental pollution control of private enterprises,and has theoretical and practical significance for actively guiding enterprises to fulfill their responsibility in environmental friendly production.