Examining environmental regulation efficiency of haze control and driving mechanism: evidence from China

The problem of haze pollution in China is still serious, and it is an important issue how to measure and improve environmental regulation efficiency of haze control (EREHC) in China. To explore the spatial evolution characteristics and influencing factors of EREHC in each province in China, this paper builds an evaluation system for EREHC in China and calculates EREHC values in 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China from 2003 to 2015 through the super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SE-SBM) model. Moreover, the influencing factors and the driving mechanism of EREHC in China are examined by using the Theil index, Moran’s I index, and the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model. The results are as follows. (1) During the sample period, EREHC in each province in China is mostly favorable, and the average efficiency value is approximately 0.5. EREHC has been declining only in some regions in China. (2) EREHC in eastern China is the best, followed by western China, and EREHC in central China is the lowest. The inter-regional difference in EREHC has been declining over time. (3) EREHC is positively correlated with economic level, the industrial upgrading, and the opening to the outside world, but negatively correlated with energy mix and labor force quality. The positive and negative effects of the level of scientific and technological input are different among the three economic regions. The results indicate that EREHC in China is generally at low level, which presents the spatial difference characteristic of “High East and Low West.” It will help improve regional EREHC to raise the level of regional economic development, deepen industrial upgrading, and open to the outside world.