Abstract
The improvement of enterprise total factor productivity and labor productivity is the micro-embodiment of high-quality economic development. Green finance relies on the dual functions of resource allocation and environmental regulation to guide enterprises to adjust their mode of operation through incentive and restraint mechanisms, attach importance to energy conservation and environmental protection, and guide enterprises to develop with high quality. Taking the construction of the green financial supervision system in 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment, we constructed a difference-in-difference model to investigate the impact and mechanism of green finance on the high-quality development of enterprises, based on the panel data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2006 to 2020. The results show that the implementation of green finance effectively promotes the high-quality development of enterprises. This promotion effect is heterogeneous from perspectives of enterprise-specific characteristics, executive education background, and environmental regulation intensity. The influence mechanisms mainly rely on tightening financial constraints, upgrading the level of green technology innovation, and improving the quality of internal control. These findings provide an important decision-making reference for better implementing green finance policies and promoting high-quality economic development under the green and low-carbon concept and carbon peak carbon neutrality goals.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.
References
Ahmed K, Jahanzeb A (2021) Does financial development spur environmental and energy-related innovation in Brazil? Int J Financ Econ 26(2):1706–1723. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.1873
Albrizio S, Kozluk T, Zipperer V (2017) Environmental policies and productivity growth: evidence across industries and firms. J Environ Econ Manag 81:209–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2016.06.002
Blundell R, Bond S (1998) Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models. Journal of Econometrics 87(1):115–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(98)00009-8
Cai W, Ye P (2020) How does environmental regulation influence enterprises’ total factor productivity? A quasi-natural experiment based on China’s new environmental protection law. J Clean Prod 276:124105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124105
Chen Z, Zhang Y, Wang H, Ouyang X, Xie Y (2022) Can green credit policy promote low-carbon technology innovation? J Clean Prod 359:132061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132061
Cheng J, Yi J, Dai S, Xiong Y (2019) Can low-carbon city construction facilitate green growth? Evidence from China’s pilot low-carbon city initiative. J Clean Prod 231:1158–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.327
Cheng Z, Kai Z, Zhu S (2023) Does green finance regulation improve renewable energy utilization? Evidence from energy consumption efficiency. Renew Energy 208:63–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.03.083
Cui Y, Geobey S, Weber O, Lin H (2018) The impact of green lending on credit risk in China. Sustainability 10(6):2008. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10062008
Cui H, Wang R, Wang H (2020) An evolutionary analysis of green finance sustainability based on multi-agent game. J Clean Prod 269:121799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121799
Dong S, Xu L, McIver R (2020) China’s financial sector sustainability and “green finance” disclosures. Sustain Account Manag Policy J 12(2):353–384. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-10-2018-0273
Du M, Chai S, Wei W, Wang S, Li Z (2022) Will environmental information disclosure affect bank credit decisions and corporate debt financing costs? Evidence from China’s heavily polluting industries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(31):47661–47672. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19229-4
Fang Y, Shao Z (2022) Whether green finance can effectively moderate the green technology innovation effect of heterogeneous environmental regulation. Int J Environ Res Public Health 19(6):3646. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063646
Fang B, Zhang Y, Song Z, Ren F, Xu X, Zhang Y (2022) Effects of enterprises’ internal controls on the total factors productivity (TFP): a moderating effect of economic policies’ uncertainty. J Data Inform Manag 4(2):185–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42488-022-00073-7
Francis B, Hasan I, Wu Q (2015) Professors in the boardroom and their impact on corporate governance and firm performance. Financ Manag 44(3):547–581. https://doi.org/10.1111/fima.12069
Hadlock CJ, Pierce JR (2010) New evidence on measuring financial constraints: moving beyond the KZ index. Rev Financ Stud 23(5):1909–1940. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhq009
Hailiang Z, Chau KY, Waqas M (2023) Does green finance and renewable energy promote tourism for sustainable development: empirical evidence from China. Renew Energy 207:660–671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.03.032
He L, Liu R, Zhong Z, Wang D, Xia Y (2019) Can green financial development promote renewable energy investment efficiency? A consideration of bank credit. Renew Energy 143:974–984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.05.059
He L, Zhong T, Gan S (2022) Green finance and corporate environmental responsibility: Evidence from heavily polluting listed enterprises in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(49):74081–74096. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21065-95
Hou H, Zhu Y, Wang J, Zhang M (2023) Will green financial policy help improve China’s environmental quality? The role of digital finance and green technology innovation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30(4):10527–10539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22887-z
Hu J, Li J, Li X, Liu Y, Wang W, Zheng L(2021) Will green finance contribute to a green recovery? evidence from green financial pilot zone in China. Front Public Health 1831. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.794195
Hu T, Tu Z (2022) Green finance and enterprise’s high-quality development: incentive effects and restraining effects. Finance Econ 4:133–148. https://doi.org/10.13269/j.cnki.ier.2021.06.002. (In Chinese)
Huang H, Zhang J (2021) Research on the environmental effect of green finance policy based on the analysis of pilot zones for green finance reform and innovations. Sustainability 13(7):3754. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073754
Ip Y, Iqbal W, Du L, Akhtar N (2023) Assessing the impact of green finance and urbanization on the tourism industry—an empirical study in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30(2):3576–3592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22207-5
Iqbal S, Taghizadeh-Hesary F, Mohsin M, Iqbal W (2021)Assessing the role of the green finance index in environmental pollution reduction. Stud Appl Econ 39(3). https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i3.4140
Irfan M, Razzaq A, Sharif A, Yang X (2022) Influence mechanism between green finance and green innovation: exploring regional policy intervention effects in China. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 182:121882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121882
Ji L, Jia P, Yan J (2021) Green credit, environmental protection investment and debt financing for heavily polluting enterprises. Plos one 16(12):e0261311. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261311
Jiakui C, Abbas J, Najam H, Liu J, Abbas J (2023) Green technological innovation, green finance, and financial development and their role in green total factor productivity: Empirical insights from China. J Clean Prod 382:135131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135131
Jin Y, Gao X, Wang M (2021) The financing efficiency of listed energy conservation and environmental protection firms: evidence and implications for green finance in China. Energy Policy 153:112254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112254
Lee CC, Lee CC (2022) How does green finance affect green total factor productivity? Evidence from China. Energy Econ 107:105863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.105863
Li HL, Zhu XH, Chen JY, Jiang FT (2019) Environmental regulations, environmental governance efficiency and the green transformation of China’s iron and steel enterprises. Ecol Econ 165:106397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106397
Li W, Zheng M, Zhang Y, Cui G (2020) Green governance structure, ownership characteristics, and corporate financing constraints. J Clean Prod 260:121008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121008
Li S, Zhang W, Zhao J (2022a) Does green credit policy promote the green innovation efficiency of heavy polluting industries?—Empirical evidence from China’s industries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(31):46721–46736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19055-8
Li C, Zhu C, Wang X, Ren S, Xu P, Xiang H (2023b) Green finance: how can it help Chinese power enterprises transition towards carbon neutrality. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30(16):46336–46354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25570-z
Liu X, Wang E, Cai D (2019) Green credit policy, property rights and debt financing: Quasi-natural experimental evidence from China. Financ Res Lett 29:129–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2019.03.014
Liu Y, Liu M, Wang G, Zhao L, An P (2021a) Effect of environmental regulation on high-quality economic development in China—an empirical analysis based on dynamic spatial durbin model. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28(39):54661–54678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13780-2
Liu S, Shen X, Jiang T, Failler P (2021b) Impacts of the financialization of manufacturing enterprises on total factor productivity: empirical examination from China’s listed companies. Green Finance 3(1):59–89. https://doi.org/10.3934/GF.2021005
Liu S, Xu R, Chen X (2021c) Does green credit affect the green innovation performance of high-polluting and energy-intensive enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28:65265–65277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15217-2
Lu X, Lian Y (2012) Estimation of total factor productivity of industrial enterprises in China:1999–2007. China Econ Quart 11(2):541–558. https://doi.org/10.13821/j.cnki.ceq.2012.02.013
Lu N, Wu J, Liu Z (2022a) How does green finance reform affect enterprise green technology innovation? Evidence from China. Sustainability 14(16):9865. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169865
Lu Y, Gao Y, Zhang Y, Wang J (2022b) Can the green finance policy force the green transformation of high-polluting enterprises? A quasi-natural experiment based on “Green Credit Guidelines.” Energy Econ 114:106265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106265
Luo S, Yu S, Zhou G (2021) Does green credit improve the core competence of commercial banks? Based on quasi-natural experiments in China. Energy Econ 100:105335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105335
Lv C, Fan J, Lee CC (2023) Can green credit policies improve corporate green production efficiency? J Clean Prod 397:136573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136573
Ma Y, Qiang Z, Hua Y (2020) Environmental management and labor productivity: the moderating role of quality management. J Environ Manag 255:109795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109795
Mesagan EP, Akinsola F, Akinsola M, Emmanuel PM (2022) Pollution control in Africa: the interplay between fnancial integration and industrialization. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(20):29938–29948. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18489-w
Napitupulu IH (2020) Internal control, manager’s competency, management accounting information systems and good corporate governance: Evidence from rural banks in Indonesia. Glob Bus Rev 0972150920919845. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150920919845
Ozili PK (2022) Green finance research around the world: a review of literature. Int J Green Econ 16(1):56–75. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJGE.2022.125554
Peng H, Luo X, Zhou C (2018) Introduction to China’s green finance system. J Serv Sci Manag 11(1):94–100. https://doi.org/10.4236/jssm.2018.111009
Peng J, Song Y, Tu G, Liu Y (2021) A study of the dual-target corporate environmental behavior (DTCEB) of heavily polluting enterprises under different environment regulations: Green innovation vs. pollutant emissions. J Clean Prod 297:126602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126602
Petrin A, Poi BP, Levinsohn J (2004) Production function estimation in Stata using inputs to control for unobservables. Stand Genomic Sci 4(2):113–123. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867X0400400202
Porter ME, Linde C (1995) Toward a new conception of the environment-competitiveness relationship. J Econ Perspect 9(4):97–118. https://doi.org/10.2307/2138392
Qin J, Cao J (2022) Carbon emission reduction effects of green credit policies: empirical evidence from China. Front Environ Sci 10:6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.798072
Shen N, Liao H, Deng R, Wang Q (2019) Different types of environmental regulations and the heterogeneous influence on the environmental total factor productivity: empirical analysis of China’s industry. J Clean Prod 211:171–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.170
Shi J, Yu C, Li Y, Wang T (2022) Does green financial policy affect debt-financing cost of heavy-polluting enterprises? An empirical evidence based on Chinese pilot zones for green finance reform and innovations. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 179:121678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121678
Si LJ, Cao HY (2022) Does green credit policies improve corporate environmental social responsibility—the perspective of external constraints and internal concerns. China Ind Econ (4): 137–155. https://doi.org/10.19581/j.cnki.ciejournal.2022.04.009
Sun Y, Du J, Wang S (2022) Environmental regulations, enterprise productivity, and green technological progress: large-scale data analysis in China. Ann Oper Res 290:369–384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-019-03249-4
Sun X, Zhou C, Gan Z (2023) Green finance policy and ESG performance: evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms. Sustainability 15(8):6781. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086781
Teodoro MP (2014) When professionals lead: executive management, normative isomorphism, and policy implementation. J Public Adm Res Theory 24(4):983–1004. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muu039
Tian Y, Feng C (2022) The internal-structural effects of different types of environmental regulations on China’s green total-factor productivity. Energy Econ 113:106246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106246
Tian C, Li X, Xiao L, Zhu B (2022) Exploring the impact of green credit policy on green transformation of heavy polluting industries. J Clean Prod 335:130257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.130257
Wang X, Wang Q (2021a) Research on the impact of green finance on the upgrading of China’s regional industrial structure from the perspective of sustainable development. Resour Policy 74:102436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102436
Wang X, Wang Y (2021) Research on the Green Innovation Promoted by Green Credit Policies. J Manag World 37(6):173-188,11. https://doi.org/10.19744/j.cnki.11-1235/f.2021.0085. (In Chinese)
Wang Y, Zhao N, Lei X, Long R (2021) Green finance innovation and regional green development. Sustainability 13(15):8230. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158230
Wang K, Liu L, Deng M, Feng Y (2022a) Internal control, environmental uncertainty and total factor productivity of firms—evidence from Chinese capital market. Sustainability 15(1):736. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010736
Wang X, Sun X, Zhang H, Xue C (2022b) Does green financial reform pilot policy promote green technology innovation? Empirical evidence from China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(51):77283–77299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21291-x
Wu Q, Wang Y (2022) How does carbon emission price stimulate enterprises’ total factor productivity? Insights from China’s emission trading scheme pilots. Energy Econ 109:105990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.105990
Wu H, Hao Y, Ren S (2020) How do environmental regulation and environmental decentralization affect green total factor energy efficiency: evidence from China. Energy Econ 91:104880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2020.104880
Xie W (2020) Research on the impact of green credit on the financial performance of commercial banks. Financ Eng Risk Manag 3(1):127–136. https://doi.org/10.23977/ferm.2020.030119
Xu X, Li J (2020) Asymmetric impacts of the policy and development of green credit on the debt financing cost and maturity of different types of enterprises in China. J Clean Prod 264:121574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121574
Xu A, Zhu Y, Wang W (2023) Micro green technology innovation effects of green finance pilot policy—from the perspectives of action points and green value. J Bus Res 159:113724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113724
Xue C, Ying Y (2022) Financial quality, internal control and stock price crash risk. Asia-Pac J Account Econ 29(6):1671–1691. https://doi.org/10.1080/16081625.2020.1754254
Yang DX, Chen ZY, Yang YC, Nie PY (2019) Green financial policies and capital flows. Physica A 522:135–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2019.01.126
Yang J, Ying L, Gao M (2020) The influence of intelligent manufacturing on financial performance and innovation performance: the case of China. Enterp Inform Syst 14(6):812–832. https://doi.org/10.1080/17517575.2020.1746407
Yang Y, Su X, Yao S (2021) Nexus between green finance, fintech, and high-quality economic development: empirical evidence from China. Resour Policy 74:102445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102445
Yang Y, Su X, Yao S (2022) Can green finance promote green innovation? The moderating effect of environmental regulation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(49):74540–74553. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21118-9
Yao S, Pan Y, Sensoy A, Uddin GS, Cheng F (2021) Green credit policy and firm performance: what we learn from China. Energy Econ 101:105415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105415
Yu CH, Wu X, Zhang D, Chen S, Zhao J (2021a) Demand for green finance: resolving financing constraints on green innovation in China. Energy Policy 153:112255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112255
Yu X, Mao Y, Huang D, Sun Z, Li T (2021b) Mapping global research on green finance from 1989 to 2020: a bibliometric study. Adv Civ Eng 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9934004
Zeng Y, Wang F, Wu J (2022) The impact of green finance on urban haze pollution in China: a technological innovation perspective. Energies 15(3):801. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15030801
Zhang D (2022) Green financial system regulation shock and greenwashing behaviors: evidence from Chinese firms. Energy Econ 111:106064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106064
Zhang X, Ge J (2021) Green finance policies and optimization of resource allocation efficiency in China. Ind Econ Res 6:15–28. https://doi.org/10.13269/j.cnki.ier.2021.06.002. (In Chinese)
Zhang B, Wang Y (2021) The effect of green finance on energy sustainable development: a case study in China. Emerg Mark Financ Trade 57(12):3435–3454. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2019.1695595
Zhang K, Zhou X (2022) Is Promoting green finance in line with the long-term market mechanism? The Perspective of Chinese Commercial Banks. Mathematics 10(9):1374. https://doi.org/10.3390/math10091374
Zhang K, Li Y, Qi Y, Shao S (2021a) Can green credit policy improve environmental quality? Evidence from China. J Environ Manag 298:113445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113445
Zhang S, Wu Z, Wang Y, Hao Y (2021b) Fostering green development with green finance: an empirical study on the environmental effect of green credit policy in China. J Environ Manag 296:113159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113159
Zhang A, Wang S, Liu B (2022a) How to control air pollution with economic means? Exploration of China’s green finance policy. J Clean Prod 353:131664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131664
Zhang J, Luo Y, Ding X (2022b) Can green credit policy improve the overseas investment efficiency of enterprises in China? J Clean Prod 340:130785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130785
Zhang W, Zhu Z, Liu X, Cheng J (2022c) Can green finance improve carbon emission efficiency? Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(45):68976–68989. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20670-8
Zhang J, Li F, Ding X (2022d) Will green finance promote green development: based on the threshold effect of R&D investment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(40):60232–60243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20161-w
Zhang W, Li G, Guo F (2022e) Does carbon emissions trading promote green technology innovation in China? Appl Energy 315:119012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119012
Zhang A, Deng R, Wu Y (2022f) Does the green credit policy reduce the carbon emission intensity of heavily polluting industries? Evidence from China’s industrial sectors. J Environ Manag 311:114815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114815
Zhao T, Zhou H, Jiang J, Yan W (2022) Impact of green finance and environmental regulations on the green innovation efficiency in China. Sustainability 14(6):3206. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063206
Zheng C (2019) The empirical study of the impact of green credit on commercial banks’ profitability International Conference on Economic Management and Cultural Industry. Atlantis Press 254–257. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.191217.046
Zhou XY, Caldecott B, Hoepner AG, Wang Y (2022a) Bank green lending and credit risk: an empirical analysis of China’s green credit policy. Bus Strateg Environ 31(4):1623–1640. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2973
Zhou W, Huang X, Dai H, Xi Y, Wang Z, Chen L (2022b) Research on the impact of economic policy uncertainty on enterprises’ green innovation—based on the perspective of corporate investment and financing decisions. Sustainability 14(5):2627. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052627
Funding
Support was provided by the National Social Science Foundation Project (Grant No. 21XRK007), Scientific Research Program for Universities in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Grant No. XJEDU2021S1002), “Silk Road” Scientific Research Innovation Project for Graduate Students of Xinjiang University (Grant No. SL2022002), Research and Innovation Program for Outstanding doctoral students (XJU2022BS008), and the graduate research and innovation project of Xinjiang Autonomous Regions (No. XJ2023G009).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Qi Cui: writing—original draft preparation, software, validation, and formal analysis; Xiaoyu Ma: conceptualization, funding acquisition, and supervision; Sisi Zhang: methodology and data curation; Jiamin Liu: writing—review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical approval
This is an original article that did not use other information that requires ethical approval.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Nicholas Apergis
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Cui, Q., Ma, X., Zhang, S. et al. Does the implementation of green finance regulation promote the high-quality development of enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 97786–97807 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29355-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29355-2