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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
From Dialogue to Action: The Influence of
Environmental Protection Interviews on
Corporate Environmental Investment
1
College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Hubei Wuhan 430070, China
2
School of Jewelry, Guangzhou City University of Technology, Guangdong Guangzhou 510800, China
3
International Business School, Guangzhou City University of Technology, Guangdong Guangzhou 510080, China
4
Department of Economics, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czechia
Submission date: 2024-07-28
Final revision date: 2024-09-24
Acceptance date: 2024-12-02
Online publication date: 2025-03-24
Publication date: 2026-01-30
Corresponding author
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2026;35(1):729-744
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Environmental protection interviews offer an innovative method for enforcing environmental
law, which is crucial for tackling ecological governance challenges and improving environmental
performance. This study investigates the spillover effect of environmental protection interviews
on corporate environmental investment. We find that a city’s government being interviewed for
environmental issues can urge ‘non-interview’ city enterprises within the same province to enhance
environmental investment. The underlying mechanism of this is the peer behavior of non-interview city
enterprises. This spillover effect is more pronounced in polluting industries, enterprises with fellowtownsman
relations with government officials, and areas with lower economic pressure or older officials.
In addition, the spillover effect of environmental protection interviews significantly mitigates pollution
in non-interviewed regions, demonstrating a degree of sustainability. This study enriches the literature
on evaluating the effectiveness of environmental protection interviews. It offers valuable insights for
enhancing the government’s role in green governance, promoting a balance between economic growth
and ecological protection.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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