Political influence and air pollution: Evidence from Chinese cities

The influence of the political system, and official mobility on the economy, finance, and environment has been confirmed by numerous studies, political cycle may bring a critical impact on the functioning of the economic system. Cities in China change their party secretaries every few years, providing a good context for our analysis. In this study, we analyze the impact of the political cycle on air pollution in 247 Chinese cities from the year 2002–2017. The main results indicate that the Chinese Communist Party Congress bring a significant effect. Air pollution has been significantly reduced in the year before and after the Party Congress, which means the political cycle plays an important role in current Chinese environmental protection or pollution control. In addition, the closer the city is to the capital, the stronger the pollution control, and the city's environmental pollution will be reduced.