About the Journal
In Memory of Professor Jerzy Radecki
Editorial Office
Editorial Board
Scope
Impact Factor
Indexed in...
Journal Impact Factor contributing items
Contact
Subscription
Current issue
Online first
Instructions for Authors
Frequently Asked Questions
Editorial policies
PJOES Publication Policy Overview
PJOES Peer Review Policy
PJOES Research Ethics and Malpractice Policy
PJOES Plagiarism Policy
PJOES Conflict of Interest Policy
PJOES Open Access Policy
PJOES Instructions for Reviewers
Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies Policy
Archive
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Pollution Reduction Effect of Target
Responsibility System of Environmental
Protection: Evidence from China
1
Department of Ecological Civilization, Fujian Provincial Committee Party School of CPC
(Fujian Academy of Governance), No. 1 Houguan Road, Fuzhou 350108, China
2
School of Marxism, Anhui University, No. 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei 230601, China
3
School of Economics, Wuhan Business University, No. 816 Dongfeng Road, Wuhan 430073, China
Submission date: 2024-09-22
Final revision date: 2025-02-02
Acceptance date: 2025-02-16
Online publication date: 2025-04-22
Publication date: 2026-04-21
Corresponding author
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2026;35(2):2195-2210
KEYWORDS
target responsibility system of environmental protectionpollution reductiongreen economic growthlocal governmentenvironmental governance
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Based on the panel data of 30 provinces from 2007 to 2020, this study identifies the effect
and mechanism of China’s Target Responsibility System of Environmental Protection (TRSEP) on
pollution reduction, then analyzes its impact on green economic growth. The conclusion indicates
that TRSEP can spur pollution reduction for obligatory pollutants such as SO2 and COD, which is still
valid after a series of robustness tests. Specifically, China’s TRSEP can promote pollution reduction
by increasing environmental protection expenditure, levying pollution fees, and strengthening
environmental administrative penalties. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis shows that the pollution
reduction effect of TRSEP is more significant in regions that implemented carbon emissions trading
scheme pilots. Meanwhile, the reduction effect of the TRSEP is insignificant for non-obligatory pollutants
such as industrial waste gas and industrial sewage. Moreover, implementing the TRSEP is conducive
to promoting green economic development. Accordingly, this study suggests that governments should
gradually increase the types of pollutant constraints, promote the synergy and complementarity between
different environmental policies, and combine economic incentives with administrative regulation
in the process of pollution control.
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.
REFERENCES (43)
1.
ZHANG P., WU J. Impact of mandatory targets on PM2.5 concentration control in Chinese cities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197, 323, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
2.
ZHANG P. Target Interactions and Target Aspiration Level Adaptation: How Do Government Leaders Tackle the "Environment‐Economy" Nexus? Public Administration Review, 81 (2), 220, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.1....
3.
LIU L., LI Q. Target and Performance: Evidence from China's Air Quality Management. Public Performance & Management Review, 47 (1), 174, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/153095....
4.
DU J., YI H. Environmental Target and Government Performance in China. Public Performance & Management Review, 46 (4), 793, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/153095....
5.
KELMAN S., FRIEDMAN J.N. Performance Improvement and Performance Dysfunction: an Empirical Examination of Distortionary Impacts of the Emergency Room Wait-Time Target in the English National Health Service. Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, 19 (4), 917, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart....
6.
YU S., SHIN G., KIM S. The Impact of Government Performance Evaluation on Environmental Performance in Organizations. Public Performance & Management Review, 46 (4), 771, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/153095....
7.
ZHANG P., WU J. Performance-Based or Politic-Related Decomposition of Environmental Targets: a Multilevel Analysis in China. Sustainability, 10, 1, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1010....
8.
FENG T., JINYU Z., ZHOUHAO. Does Environmental Regulation Improve the Quantity and Quality of Green Innovation - Evidence from the Target Responsibility System of Environmental Protection. China Industrial Economics, 2, 136, 2021.
9.
WANG J., XU H., XU J. Can the Target Responsibility System of Air Pollution Control Achieve a Win-Win Situation of Pollution Reduction and Efficiency Enhancement? Frontiers in Energy Research, 9, 1, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.....
10.
KOSTKA G. Command without control: the case of China's environmental target system. Regulation & Governance, 10 (1), 58, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.1....
11.
PORTER M.E., VAN DER LINDE C. Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9 (4), 97, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.9.....
12.
UNTO D.D., DONO G., CORTIGNANI R. Impacts of Environmental Targets on the Livestock Sector an Assessment Tool Applied to Italy. Agriculture, 13 (4), 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/agricu....
13.
CAO Z., ZHANG H., HANG Z., ZHOU D., JING B. Does the Responsibility System for Environmental Protection Targets Enhance Corporate High-Quality Development in China? Energies (Basel), 15 (10), 3650, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/en1510....
14.
ZHU Y., GAO H., HU Y., DING Q., TANG Y. Can local environmental constraints improve enterprise's green innovation quality Evidence from Chinese-listed firms. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30, 389, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356... PMid:35896880.
15.
YAN C., ZHAO F., NIU H. Environmental Target Responsibility System, Environmental Governance and Endogenous Economic Growth. Economic Research Journal, 59 (4), 133, 2024.
16.
LIANG J., LANGBEIN L. Performance Management, High-Powered Incentives, and Environmental Policies in China. International Public Management Journal, 18 (3), 346, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1080/109674....
17.
WU J., XU M., ZHANG P. The impacts of governmental performance assessment policy and citizen participation on improving environmental performance across Chinese provinces. Journal of Cleaner Production, 184, 227, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
18.
CHEN B., HE Y. Local governments' responses to the environmental target responsibility system: Evidence from Chinese prefectures. Journal of Cleaner Production, 421, 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
19.
FU Y., CAO J., WU X., HE J., ZHOU Z., ZHAO Y. Does Environmental Policy with Veto Power Lead to Heterogeneous Emission Evidence from China. Sustainability, 15, 9163, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1512....
20.
WU M., CAO X. Greening the career incentive structure for local officials in China: Does less pollution increase the chances of promotion for Chinese local leaders? Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 107, 1, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem....
21.
HALKOS G.E., PAIZANOS E. The effects of fiscal policy on CO2 emissions: Evidence from the U.S.A. Energy Policy, 88, 317, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpo....
22.
HUANG L., LIU S., HAN Y., PENG K. The nature of state-owned enterprises and collection of pollutant discharge fees: a study based on Chinese industrial enterprises. Journal of Cleaner Production, 271, 1, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
23.
DONG K., SHAHBAZ M., ZHAO J. How do pollution fees affect environmental quality in China. Energy Policy, 160, 1, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpo....
24.
WANG A., HUA S., LIN B. Can environmental regulation solve pollution problems? Theoretical model and empirical research based on the skill premium. Energy Economics, 94, 1, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enec....
25.
DING X., APPOLLONI A., SHAHZAD M. Environmental administrative penalty, corporate environmental disclosures and the cost of debt. Journal of Cleaner Production, 332, 1, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
26.
XIONG F., ZHANG R., MO H. The mediating effect of financial development on CO2 emissions: an empirical study based on provincial panel data in China. Science of the Total Environment, 896, 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scit... PMid:37414170.
27.
HUANG Y., LI L., YU Y. Does urban cluster promote the increase of urban eco-efficiency? Evidence from Chinese cities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197, 957, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
28.
SU X., RAZA K., WASEEM L.A., WAHEED R. Fostering a Green Tomorrow: Exploring the Impact of Economic Fitness on CO2 Reduction Along the Environmental Kuznets Curve with Capital and Renewable Energy. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 34 (3), 2847, 2025. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes... PMid:35634878.
29.
MEHMOOD U., IMRAN A., ABID A., TARIQ S., HAQ Z.U., RABIYA MAZHAR A.D.K.M. Nexus between Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Energy Use and Economic Growth Empirical Evidence From South Asian Countries. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 31 (1), 763, 2022. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes....
30.
ZHANG J., YANG Z., HE B. Does Digital Infrastructure Improve Urban Economic Resilience? Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China. Sustainability, 15, 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1519....
31.
ZHOU R. Economic growth, energy consumption and CO2 emissions - an empirical study based on the Yangtze River economic belt of China. Heliyon, 9, 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heli... PMid:37809496 PMCid:PMC10559241.
32.
HUANG J., LAIA Y., HUB H. The effect of technological factors and structural change on China's energy intensity: Evidence from dynamic panel models. China Economic Review, 64, 1, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chie....
33.
JIANG M., CHEN W., YU X., ZHONG G., DAI M., SHEN X. How can urban administrative boundary expansion affect air pollution? Mechanism analysis and empirical test. Journal of Environmental Management, 322, 1, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenv... PMid:36055097.
34.
LI C., CHEN G., ZHANG X., LI Y., DING W., YU X., HE B. The Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on Agricultural Carbon Emissions: Evidence from China. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 34 (2), 1593, 2025. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes....
35.
ZHU X., QIU T., LIU D. Resisting public monitoring in authoritarian regimes: Evidence from local environmental litigation in China. Governance (Oxf), 36 (2), 459, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.1....
36.
COLE M.A. Trade, the pollution haven hypothesis and the environmental Kuznets curve: examining the linkages. Ecological Economics, 48 (1), 71, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
37.
CHEN Z., KAHN M.E., LIU Y., WANG Z. The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 88, 468, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem....
38.
WANG Z., HE B., FUJITA T. Does environmental regulation affect inward foreign direct investment? Evidence from China. Applied Economics Letters, 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/135048....
39.
ZHAO P., ZENG L., LU H., ZHOU Y., HUA H., WEI X. Green economic efficiency and its influencing factors in China from 2008 to 2017: Based on the super-SBM model with undesirable outputs and spatial Dubin model. Science of the Total Environment, 741, 1, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scit... PMid:32615419.
40.
TONE K. A slacks-based measure of efficiency in data envelopment analysis. European Journal of Operational Research, 130 (3), 498, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-....
41.
HE B., YU X., HO S., ZHANG X., XU D. Does China's Two-Way FDI Coordination Improve its Green Total Factor Productivity? Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 33 (1), 173, 2024. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes... PMid:11301846.
42.
ZHANG J., YANG Z., ZHANG X., SUN J., HE B. Institutional Configuration Study of Urban Green Economic Efficiency - Analysis Based on fsQCA and NCA. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 33, 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes....
43.
LIN B., ZHU J. Fiscal spending and green economic growth: Evidence from China. Energy Economics, 83, 264, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enec....
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
