Does regional collaborative governance reduce air pollution? Quasi-experimental evidence from China

Regional collaborative governance has become one of the most significant trends in environmental protection due to its importance in suppressing pollution transfer. This paper employs panel data from 285 cities in China during 2003-2019 and a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method to evaluate the influence of regional collaborative governance on air pollution. Results show that regional collaborative governance significantly reduces air pollution. Heterogeneity assessment suggests that the inhibiting impact of regional collaborative governance on air pollution is long-term and increases temporally, whereas the spillover effect of regional collaborative governance is only significant in a specific range and decays spatially. In addition, the mechanism analysis reveals that regional collaborative governance reduces air pollution by increasing environmental regulation intensity, improving environmental governance efficiency, and promoting environmental protection technology. This study provides useful policy insights for policymakers seeking green and sustainable development to curb air pollution and improve environmental quality.

Automated summary

Regional collaborative governance is found to effectively reduce air pollution in China based on panel data from 285 cities during 2003-2019. The long-term inhibiting impact and temporal increase of regional collaborative governance on air pollution are demonstrated, while the spillover effect is only significant within a specific range and decays over space. Mechanism analysis reveals that regional collaborative governance reduces air pollution by enhancing environmental regulation, improving governance efficiency, and promoting environmental protection technology. This study provides valuable policy insights for achieving green and sustainable development.