应对跨境外部性：来自中国省际生态补偿倡议的证据
Combating cross-border externalities: Evidence from China’s inter-provincial ecological compensation initiatives
Journal of Public Economics · 2025 · [{"name": "Shiyi Chen", "affiliation": ["Shanghai University of Finance and Economics", "Fudan University"]}, {"name": "Joshua Graff-Zivin", "affiliation": ["University of California San Diego", "Global Policy Institute"]}, {"name": "Huanhuan Wang", "affiliation": ["East China Normal University"]}, {"name": "Jiaxin Xiong", "affiliation": ["China Aluminum International Engineering Corporation Limited (China)"]}]
中文摘要
我们考察了中国的生态补偿倡议（ECI），该倡议通过跨省支付来减少新安江污染。利用企业层面数据，我们发现该政策显著减少了上游排放，尤其是在距离河流边界更近的企业中更为明显。生态补偿倡议还增加了企业退出并减少了新企业进入。成本收益分析表明，上游省份、下游省份和中央政府均从中受益，这为该倡议的长期可行性和持久性提供了支持。来自此后类似项目的证据凸显了该倡议更广泛的适用意义，表明设计良好的补偿机制能够有效应对跨辖区环境外部性。
Abstract
We examine China’s Ecological Compensation Initiative (ECI), which facilitates cross-provincial payments to reduce pollution in the Xin’an River. Using firm-level data, we find the policy significantly reduced upstream emissions, especially among firms closer to the river’s boundary. The ECI also increased firm exits and reduced new entries. A cost-benefit analysis shows that both upstream and downstream provinces benefited, as did the central government, supporting the ECI’s long-term feasibility and durability. Evidence from similar later programs highlights the ECI’s broader relevance, suggesting that well-designed compensation schemes can effectively address cross-jurisdictional environmental externalities.