Can Low-Carbon Pilot City Policies Improve Energy Efficiency? Evidence from China

Yuexing Li; Jun Liu; Xuefei Wang; Jeffrey Yi Lin Forrest

doi:10.3390/su15031857

Can Low-Carbon Pilot City Policies Improve Energy Efficiency? Evidence from China

Yuexing Li, Jun Liu, Xuefei Wang, Jeffrey Yi Lin Forrest

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study examines how the low-carbon pilot city policy (LCPCP) affects energy efficiency from the angles of green technology innovation and upgrading industrial structure by using panel data collected from Chinese cities between 2007 and 2019. The research results include: (1) Based on the time-varying difference-in-differences method, LCPCP has significantly improved energy efficiency, while such results remain significant after replacing the method of measuring the dependent variable and testing with the placebo test and the method of PSM-DID. (2) The heterogeneity analysis shows that compared to resource-based cities (RBC), LCPCP has a greater impact in non-resource-based cities (NRBC). Compared to the Central regions (CR) and Western regions (WR), LCPCP has a stronger impact in the Eastern region (ER). (3) A mechanism inspection shows that LCPCP can promote energy efficiency through both upgrading industrial structure and green technology innovation. LCPCP is of great importance for improving energy efficiency.

Original language	English
Article number	1857
Journal	Sustainability
Volume	15
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031857
Publication status	Published - Feb 2023

Keywords

energy efficiency
low-carbon pilot city policy
time-varying difference-in-differences method

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.3390/su15031857

Cite this

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title = "Can Low-Carbon Pilot City Policies Improve Energy Efficiency? Evidence from China",

abstract = "This study examines how the low-carbon pilot city policy (LCPCP) affects energy efficiency from the angles of green technology innovation and upgrading industrial structure by using panel data collected from Chinese cities between 2007 and 2019. The research results include: (1) Based on the time-varying difference-in-differences method, LCPCP has significantly improved energy efficiency, while such results remain significant after replacing the method of measuring the dependent variable and testing with the placebo test and the method of PSM-DID. (2) The heterogeneity analysis shows that compared to resource-based cities (RBC), LCPCP has a greater impact in non-resource-based cities (NRBC). Compared to the Central regions (CR) and Western regions (WR), LCPCP has a stronger impact in the Eastern region (ER). (3) A mechanism inspection shows that LCPCP can promote energy efficiency through both upgrading industrial structure and green technology innovation. LCPCP is of great importance for improving energy efficiency.",

keywords = "energy efficiency, low-carbon pilot city policy, time-varying difference-in-differences method",

author = "Yuexing Li and Jun Liu and Xuefei Wang and Forrest, {Jeffrey Yi Lin}",

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volume = "15",

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AU - Li, Yuexing

AU - Liu, Jun

AU - Wang, Xuefei

AU - Forrest, Jeffrey Yi Lin

PY - 2023/2

Y1 - 2023/2

N2 - This study examines how the low-carbon pilot city policy (LCPCP) affects energy efficiency from the angles of green technology innovation and upgrading industrial structure by using panel data collected from Chinese cities between 2007 and 2019. The research results include: (1) Based on the time-varying difference-in-differences method, LCPCP has significantly improved energy efficiency, while such results remain significant after replacing the method of measuring the dependent variable and testing with the placebo test and the method of PSM-DID. (2) The heterogeneity analysis shows that compared to resource-based cities (RBC), LCPCP has a greater impact in non-resource-based cities (NRBC). Compared to the Central regions (CR) and Western regions (WR), LCPCP has a stronger impact in the Eastern region (ER). (3) A mechanism inspection shows that LCPCP can promote energy efficiency through both upgrading industrial structure and green technology innovation. LCPCP is of great importance for improving energy efficiency.

AB - This study examines how the low-carbon pilot city policy (LCPCP) affects energy efficiency from the angles of green technology innovation and upgrading industrial structure by using panel data collected from Chinese cities between 2007 and 2019. The research results include: (1) Based on the time-varying difference-in-differences method, LCPCP has significantly improved energy efficiency, while such results remain significant after replacing the method of measuring the dependent variable and testing with the placebo test and the method of PSM-DID. (2) The heterogeneity analysis shows that compared to resource-based cities (RBC), LCPCP has a greater impact in non-resource-based cities (NRBC). Compared to the Central regions (CR) and Western regions (WR), LCPCP has a stronger impact in the Eastern region (ER). (3) A mechanism inspection shows that LCPCP can promote energy efficiency through both upgrading industrial structure and green technology innovation. LCPCP is of great importance for improving energy efficiency.

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KW - low-carbon pilot city policy

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Can Low-Carbon Pilot City Policies Improve Energy Efficiency? Evidence from China

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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