环境规制、技术创新与企业出口产品质量——基于准自然实验的证据

Environmental Regulations,Technological Innovation and Export Product Quality of Enterprises--EvidenceBased onaQuasi-natural Experiment

促进出口高质量发展是实现经济转型升级的必然选择,然而,关于环境规制对企业出口产品质量的影响和潜在机制依然存在争议。本文利用中央政府“十二五”期间实施的重点区域大气污染防治政策作为一次准自然实验,基于2006—2013年的企业层面数据,探索了环境规制是否以及如何影响企业出口产品质量。实证研究结果表明:重点区域大气污染防治政策有效约束了受规制企业的污染排放行为并促进了其出口产品质量的升级,环境规制对企业出口产品质量做出贡献的结论在考虑政策设计的非随机性、2008年全球金融危机以及同时期的其他环境事件后依然成立;异质性分析显示,环境规制对一般贸易和非国有企业出口产品质量的促进效应更明显,地方政府环境治理力度可以强化环境规制与出口产品质量的正向关系;机制检验显示,由环境规制引发的技术创新是促进企业出口产品质量升级的核心驱动力。本文为政府制定科学的环境政策以实现经济增长和环境保护的双赢提供了经验支撑。

Promoting high-quality development of export is an inevitable choice for economic transformation and upgrading.However,the effects of environmental regulations on export product quality of enterprises and the potential mechanisms are still controversial.Using the Key Regions for Air Pollution Control(KRAPC)policy implemented by the central government during the 12th Five-Year Plan as a quasi-natural experiment,based on the firm-level data from 2006 to 2013,this paper investigates whether and how environmental regulations affect export product quality of enterprises.The empirical results indicate that the KRAPC policy effectively restricts the pollution emission of regulated enterprises and promotes the upgrading of their export product quality,and the conclusion that environmental regulations contribute to export product quality of enterprises still holds after considering the non-randomness of policy design,the global financial crisis in 2008 and other contemporaneous environmental events.Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the promotion effect of environmental regulations on export product quality is more pronounced for ordinary trade and non-state enterprises,and environmental governance of local governments strengthens the positive relationship between environmental regulations and export product quality.Mechanism tests suggest that technological innovation resulted from environmental regulations is the core driver to promote the upgrading of enterprises'export product quality.This paper provides empirical support for the government to formulate reasonable environmental policies aiming at achieving a win-win situation for economic growth and environmental protection.