晋升激励、任职预期与环境质量

Promotion Incentives,Local Officials' Expected Terms and Environment Quality

近年来,公众对环境质量的关切日益上升,政府也相继出台了一些治理环境污染的措施。但事实上环境质量并没有明显好转,甚至有持续恶化的趋势。这一现象背后深层次的原因是什么呢?文章从晋升激励、地方官员任期预期的政治制度特征入手为破解这一谜题提供了新视角。研究结果显示:(1)晋升激励恶化了辖区环境质量。"GDP晋升锦标赛"体制下,地方官员改善辖区环境质量的意愿不足,地方官员为在晋升中取得成功,很可能会采取牺牲辖区资源环境为代价的粗放式手段推动辖区经济增长,从而导致辖区环境质量恶化。(2)晋升激励对环境质量的作用要受地方官员任职预期的影响。不同任职预期下,官员晋升激励对辖区环境质量的作用不同。较短任职预期,辖区官员易采取短视行为,实施忽视辖区资源环境的发展战略,导致辖区环境质量恶化,反之则相反。(3)地方政府财政压力是影响辖区环境质量的重要因素。财政压力越大,政府默许甚而纵容一些污染企业生产的可能性就越大,结果导致辖区环境质量恶化。(4)地方官员年龄的增长对辖区环境质量改善起正面作用。

Public are growing more and more concern about environmental quality, the government has also introduced several measures to control the environmental pollution in recent years. However, in fact, the environment quality has not been improved significantly, and even deteriorating. What are the deep reasons behind this phenomenon？ The paper provides a new perspective of features of the political system of promotion incentives and local officials＇ terms to unlock this puzzle. The research results show ： （ 1 ） Promotion incentives has worsened jurisdictions＇ environmental quality. Under the system of GDP promotion championship, local officials willingness to improve the jurisdictions＇ environmental quality are unsufficient. In order to win the promotion, they are likely to take extensive means to promote the jurisdictions＇ economic growth at the expense of sacrificing the regions＇ environment and resources. Thus deteriorating the districts＇ environment quality. （2） The role of promotion incentives to the environment quality is affected by local officials＇ expected terms, the different expected terms, the different role. The shorter expected terms, local officials are easy to take short - term behavior, taking development strategy, which are likely to be ignoring the jurisdictions＇environment and resources. Thus deteriorating the regions＇ environment quality, whereas the opposite. （3） Local governments＇ financial pressure are important factors that affecting the quality of districts＇ environment, the larger the local governments＇ financial pressure, the greater the likelihood of the local government connivance even encouraging some pollution enterprises＇ production. Thus deteriorating the regions＇ environment quality. （4） Local officials＇ growing older have positive effect on the improvement of jurisdictions＇ environment quality.