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Can China’s transfer payment in national key ecological function zones promote green poverty reduction? Quasi-natural experiment evidence from China

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Abstract

Relevant research has indicated that China’s transfer payment in National Key Ecological Function zones (hereafter TPNKEFZ) is expected to protect the environment and improve people's livelihoods. The effectiveness of the TPNKEFZ on environmental protection has been confirmed, but the quantitative impact and mechanism of the TPNKEFZ on green poverty reduction have not been emphasized. In this study, we examine the impact of the capital scale of TPNKEFZ on green poverty reduction in the Yanshan-Taihang Mountainous area, and we further investigate the green poverty reduction mechanism and the spillover effect of the TPNKEFZ. The results show that: (1) The capital scale of TPNKEFZ can significantly promote green poverty reduction, and the conclusion remains valid after the robustness test. The results of heterogeneity tests show that the green poverty reduction effect of the TPNKEFZ is more prominent in resource-based eco-cities and impoverished areas; (2) The results of mediating effect tests show that the TPNKEFZ enhances green poverty reduction through promoting the upgrading of industrial structure. As the level of the upgrading of industrial structure rises, the role of the capital scale of TPNKEFZ in promoting green poverty reduction has increased significantly. Specifically, when the level of industrial structure’s upgrading crosses the threshold value of 0.6294, the green poverty reduction index increases from 0.80 to 1.42% for every 1% increase in the TPNKEFZ, with the environmental protection index increasing from 0.02 to 0.39%; (3) The results of spatial effect tests indicate that the TPNKEFZ has a positive spatial spillover effect on green poverty reduction. In summary, the findings highlight the significant promoting role of the capital scale of TPNKEFZ on green poverty reduction in both local and neighboring areas. It also underscores the importance of appropriately exceeding the transfer payment scale, implementing differentiated strategies based on resource endowments and poverty levels, adjusting the balance between the tertiary and secondary industries to promote the industrial structure’s upgrading, and establishing a regional synergy mechanism for TPNKEFZ.

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Data availability

A portion of the datasets covering economic, social and environmental aspects generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. However, the datasets covering the transfer payments involving National Key Ecological Function Zones are not publicly available because of the financial implications of the datasets and the request for confidentiality in the government's letter.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the project of Science and Technology Planning Project of Hebei Provincial Department of Science and Technology (decision number: 225576117D) awarded to GZ, the Key Program of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hebei Provincial Department of Education (decision number: ZD202311) awarded to JN, the Graduate Student Innovation Ability Training Funding Project of Hebei Province (decision number: CXZZSS2023137) awarded to QY, and the National Pre-research Project of Hebei GEO University (decision number: KY2024YB21) awarded to GZ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China

    Qingqing Yuan & Guofeng Zhang

  2. Research Base for Scientific-Technological Innovation and Regional Economic Sustainable Development of Hebei Province, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang, China

    Guofeng Zhang

  3. School of Earth Sciences, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China

    Xiaojing Ma

  4. School of Languages and Culture, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China

    Zhen Yue

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  1. Qingqing Yuan
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Correspondence to Guofeng Zhang.

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Yuan, Q., Zhang, G., Ma, X. et al. Can China’s transfer payment in national key ecological function zones promote green poverty reduction? Quasi-natural experiment evidence from China. Environ Dev Sustain (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04922-w

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