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Natural Resource Institution Change and Policy Reform in Transitional Economies

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 11764

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anlu Zhang

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Guest Editor

College of Land Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: sustainable farming; rural-urban land conversion decision; farmland preservation policy; land use institution; land use policy; land economics

Dr. Lanjiao Wen

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Guest Editor

College of Land Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: land resource economics; bioeconomy; natural resource policy

Dr. Han Wang

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Guest Editor

College of Public Administration, Guangxi University, Nanning 530000, China
Interests: land use policy; carbon reduction policy; land market; maritime policy

Dr. Dong Wang

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Guest Editor

Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Interests: agricultural economics; economic development and growth; environment and resource economics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that the failures in reforming dysfunctional economies are mainly due to a mismatch between natural resource allocation and institutional systems. The economic and social transformation is usually accompanied by a series of fundamental institutional changes and policy reforms of natural resources; these institutional changes, including compulsory and induced institutional changes, and policy reforms, both from the top-down and bottom-up, will shape the mode of economic transition by changing economic behaviors in return. Thus, the policy reforms of natural resource management play a vital role in promoting long-term sustainable development, especially for transition economies.

It is evident that the absence or inappropriateness of institutional supply has led to the low efficiency of resource allocation and has triggered the channel of value increment for natural assists in some transitional economies whose economic growth highly depends on both natural inputs and natural asset transformation. This results in diverse institutional disruptions of natural resources, such as market disruption (e.g., high transaction costs in the course of marketization), environmental disruption (e.g., resource curse, land and forest deterioration, greenhouse gas emissions, and loss of bio-diversities), unfair welfare distribution (e.g., coexistence of windfall and wipeout among stakeholders), etc.

At the same time, to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), most transitional economies have embraced the transition to green economy such as through a bioeconomy, circular economy, and low-carbon economy as core strategies to reduce the reliance on natural resources. This may have great implications for natural resource utilization and economic transition, calling for institutional innovations. In addition, natural resources, including land, grass, forest, water bodies, minerals, flowing resources such as geothermal energy or wind and solar energy, and biodiversity, interact with each other at different spatial scales and among different stakeholders, adding additional challenges of reforming policies to maximize the synergistic effect of natural resources in the quest for economic development in a sustainability frame.

The dynamics and consequences of institutional changes for natural resources, the efficiency of policy reforms for natural resources, and how institutional innovation contributes to the economic transition in transitional economies are still topics that are poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to gain a better understanding of the policy reforms and institutional innovations regarding natural resources in transitional economies in a frame of sustainability, as well as to combine the newest studies in both theoretical and practical fields of natural resource economics.

From 22 October to 25 October 2021, the fourth international conference on Natural Resource Management and Public Policy is organized to explore the related issues and countermeasures regarding an adequate supply of natural resource management practices in transitional economies and in the rest of the world. We propose to select several high-quality papers from the conference for this Special Issue. We also welcome other original papers aside from those of the conference on relevant topics.

Prof. Dr. Anlu Zhang
Dr. Lanjiao Wen
Dr. Han Wang
Dr. Dong Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

policy reforms
institutional changes and innovations
sustainable development
synergistic effect
natural resource
transitional economies

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1020 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Transition and Economic Development in China: A National and Sectorial Analysis from a New Structural Economics Perspectives

by Dong Wang, Ben White, Amin Mugera and Bei Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16646; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416646 - 12 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1344

Abstract

New Structural Economics (NSE) predicts that structural change in energy production would follow different patterns during different development stages and across different sectors. These variations require a range of policy responses. In this paper, we investigate this assertion by modeling China’s energy transition and economic development based on provincial panel data from 2000 to 2012. By using static models (Fama–MacBeth, OLS, fixed effect) and dynamic models (difference and system GMM), we find the relationship between low-carbon energy transition and economic development presents a U-shaped curve at the national level, but it is an inverted-U curve at the residential level. Furthermore, it is ambiguous in the agricultural sector and independent of economic development in the industry and service sectors. Institutional factors, natural resource endowment, environmental policy, and technological change influence China’s energy transition. Our findings supports NSE application in the Chinese energy economy and diversify energy transition policy by adjusting to the local conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Resource Institution Change and Policy Reform in Transitional Economies)

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20 pages, 2491 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Foreign Direct Investment and Air Pollution: Re-Estimating the “Pollution Haven Hypothesis” in China

by Rongping Chang, Bei Wang, Yan Zhang and Lingxue Zhao

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13759; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113759 - 24 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1306

Abstract

This paper focuses on the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and air pollution. Based on the relaxation of China’s FDI regulation policy as well as the “China Environmentally Extended Input-Output” database, we utilize a difference-in-differences methodology and investigate the casual effects of FDI liberalization on air pollution intensity. The empirical results demonstrate that FDI reduces the air pollution intensity. However, it is more pronounced in sectors with higher levels of absorption ability and human capital. The reduction in air pollution is mainly driven by technical effects through the enhancement of total factor productivity and technological efficiency. FDI can help achieve the green development goals in developing countries with a more liberalized policy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Resource Institution Change and Policy Reform in Transitional Economies)

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18 pages, 3726 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Evolutionary Game Strategy Selection and Simulation Research of Carbon Emission Reduction of Government and Enterprises under the “Dual Carbon” Goal

by Sufeng Li, Chenxin Dong, Lei Yang, Xinpeng Gao, Wei Wei, Ming Zhao and Weiqi Xia

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12647; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912647 - 5 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1878

Abstract

As one of the effective market instruments in carbon emission reduction policy, carbon trading is capable of promoting the smooth implementation of the “dual carbon” goal. Based on the path evolutionary game method of information economics, this paper constructs a dynamic game model of the evolution and development of government and enterprise carbon emission reduction. It also analyzes the evolution and development law of government and enterprise carbon emission reduction. We used the carbon market trading data of Guangdong Province to simulate the evolutionary game path of government and enterprise carbon emission reduction under the “double carbon” target and then selected strategies. Results show that (1) Scientific adjustment of carbon quota can effectively shorten the realization time of carbon emission reduction probability of high-pollution enterprises, obtain additional surplus carbon quota, and win extra carbon emission reduction income; (2) Increasing financial subsidies can improve the probability of carbon emission reduction of high-pollution enterprises but cannot prevent the periodic change in carbon emission reduction probability, which in turn helps prolong the “window period” of government regulation on carbon emission reduction; (3) Increasing carbon emission penalties will help high-pollution enterprises actively reduce emissions and improve the motivation of government supervision; (4) The government can introduce a dynamic reward and punishment mechanism. If the government properly chooses the reward and punishment strategy, it may not necessarily pay additional subsidies, so that the government and enterprises can cooperate in tacit agreement to achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction; (5) If the price of carbon emission permits is adjusted, high-pollution enterprises will actively reduce carbon emissions and gain greater benefits no matter what regulatory measures the government takes. Results of this study have profound significance for carbon emission reduction strategies and government regulation of high-pollution enterprises and will help China achieve its “dual carbon” development goal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Resource Institution Change and Policy Reform in Transitional Economies)

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13 pages, 666 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Confirmation of Farmland Rights on Farmers’ Welfare: Based on the Micro-Empirical Investigation of Farmers in China

by Jianghua Guan, Ke Huang, Xi Lan, Junfeng Zhang and Huiqin Li

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9710; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159710 - 7 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1250

Abstract

The confirmation of farmland rights would have a great impact on the welfare of farmers in China. Taking Chinese farmers as the research object, the relationship between farmland rights confirmation, farmland transfer and the welfare of farmers was studied by adopting the propensity score matching method (PSM) and logistic model. The result showed that: (1) The confirmation of farmland rights could improve the welfare of farmers. The dominant factors that affected the impact of the confirmation of farmland rights included family net income, medical insurance, self-health evaluation, difficulty of land financing, stability of land management rights, the difficulty of employment, satisfaction with circulation prices, and the improvement of neighborhood relations. (2) Implementing the confirmation of farmland rights could improve the welfare of farmers, and there were significant differences between farmers. The value of the welfare of farmers who had been transferred out was higher than that of farmers who had been transferred in. (3) After implementing the confirmation of farmland rights, the welfare of farmers would be improved by the net income of the household, the stability of land management rights and the improvement of neighborhood relations, while the welfare of farmers would be hindered from continuous improvement by the difficulty of employment, and satisfaction with circulation prices had opposite effects on the welfare of farmers who had transferred in or out. Based on these results, the suggestions put forward include building a price mechanism of effective circulation, utilizing differentiated skill training, and improving various measurements to show the advantages for welfare of the confirmation of farmland rights. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Resource Institution Change and Policy Reform in Transitional Economies)

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15 pages, 266 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity under the Distortion of the Factor Market in China

by Yang Yang, Heng Ma and Guosong Wu

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9309; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159309 - 29 Jul 2022

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 1817

Abstract

The scientific and reasonable measurement of agricultural green total factor productivity is helpful to grasp the direction of rural-factor-market reform. This study constructs a Malmquist productivity index based on a non-radial and non-angular SBM directional distance function. This study calculates the agricultural green total factor productivity of 28 provinces (cities and autonomous regions) in China from 1997 to 2020 by considering unexpected outputs such as carbon emissions and agricultural non-point-source pollution. Finally, this study uses the spatial Dobbin model to explore the spatial impact of agricultural green total factor productivity under the distortion of the factor market. The results show that the agricultural green total factor productivity, considering the unexpected outputs, is more in line with the level of high-quality green development in China’s agriculture. Regardless of whether the unexpected output is included, the increase in China’s agricultural total factor productivity is primarily due to progress in agricultural technology, and the double boost is little in agricultural technology progress and technical efficiency. Agricultural green total factor productivity shows an increasing trend, but the growth rate is slow, and differences in different regions are significant. Factor market distortion negatively impacts agricultural green total factor productivity, and other factors improve the agricultural total green factor productivity. However, factor market distortion has a particular spatial spillover effect, which hinders the synchronous growth of agricultural green total factor productivity in different regions. Therefore, the government should promote the reform of the agricultural mode of production and agricultural green production, eliminate the blocking effect of factor market distortion on the improvement in agricultural green total factor productivity, narrow the regional gap of agricultural total factor productivity, and establish a policy system for high-quality green development of modern agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Resource Institution Change and Policy Reform in Transitional Economies)

20 pages, 1997 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Booster or Stumbling Block? The Role of Environmental Regulation in the Coupling Path of Regional Innovation under the Porter Hypothesis

by Xin Nie, Jianxian Wu, Han Wang, Lihua Li, Chengdao Huang, Weijuan Li and Zhuxia Wei

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2876; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052876 - 1 Mar 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3101

Abstract

In the 2018 Global Environmental Performance Index, China’s global air quality rank was fourth from last, indicating a more pronounced conflict between the environment and development compared with other countries. Because of the vastness of China’s land area, the development of different regions is imbalanced. The achievement of the stipulated goal to be among the top innovative countries in the world by 2035 not only depends on the economically developed eastern part of China but also on the relatively economically underdeveloped central, western, and northeastern parts. In this context, this paper uses time-varying qualitative comparative analysis to explore how the coupling paths of environmental regulation affect regional innovation. The results show that: (1) In most cases at the overall level of China, the Porter hypothesis is supported, and environmental regulation can play the role of a “booster” and stimulate regional innovation. In a few cases, however, the Porter hypothesis is not supported. (2) The Porter hypothesis is also supported in most cases at the regional level, where environmental regulation is mostly a “booster” for regional innovation in the east, center, west, and northeast. (3) Comparison of regional heterogeneity shows that environmental regulation is more important for stimulating regional innovation in the east than in the center, west, and northeast. This study helps to identify the role of environmental regulation in regional innovation. Moreover, it also helps to understand the emphasis China placed on environmental management during the early stages of its economic development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Resource Institution Change and Policy Reform in Transitional Economies)

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