Achieving Air Pollution Control Targets with Technology‐Aided Monitoring: Better Enforcement or Localized Efforts?
研究自动化监测对中国空气污染控制目标的影响，发现地方政府会策略性地重点治理监测点附近区域，导致污染下降3.2%，且效果因数据造假程度和官员激励而异。
Weak enforcement of environmental regulations remains a global issue due to inadequate monitoring and misaligned incentives. This paper examines the effects of automated monitoring on achieving air pollution control targets amidst China’s war on pollution. Utilizing the staggered rollout process and remote-sensing data, we find local governments respond to the advanced monitoring system by strategically targeting areas near monitors, resulting in a 3.2 percent decrease in pollution adjacent to automated monitors compared to areas farther away. Furthermore, we observe heterogeneity in response across cities with varying degrees of preexisting data manipulation and among officials facing different incentives and public pressure.