Air pollution and labour productivity: firm-level spatial evidence from China

As environmental degradation increasingly threatens sustainable growth, understanding the impact of air pollution on firm performance has become a critical area of research. This study investigates the influence of delicate particulate matter (PM _1 ) on labour productivity, utilising firm-level dat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yi Zhang, Weijun Liang, Yongfu Liang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Environmental Research Communications
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adeceb
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Summary:As environmental degradation increasingly threatens sustainable growth, understanding the impact of air pollution on firm performance has become a critical area of research. This study investigates the influence of delicate particulate matter (PM _1 ) on labour productivity, utilising firm-level data from Chinese A-share listed companies and employing spatial econometric models alongside a bespoke firm-level spatial weight matrix. To address endogeneity issues, the temperature inversion variable is instrumental in ascertaining the causal effect of PM _1 pollution. The findings indicate that PM _1 significantly diminishes labour productivity in the affected firms, generating detrimental spatial spillover effects on neighbouring firms Additionally, further analysis of heterogeneity demonstrates that state-owned and labour-intensive enterprises exhibit reduced susceptibility to pollution shocks. In contrast, non-state-owned, technology-intensive, and capital-intensive firms experience more substantial losses in labour productivity. These insights emphasise the necessity to customise environmental policies and industrial support measures according to the distinctive characteristics of individual firms.
ISSN:2515-7620