Central Inspections and Local Realities: Environmental Accountability as a Tool for Anti-Corruption in China

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of a major anti-corruption governance initiative on pollution reduction in China. Applying a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model to provincial panel data (2014–2023), the analysis leverages the 2018 Central Environmental Inspection “Looking Back” campaign—high-pressure political accountability tool—as a quasi-natural experiment. This initiative is found to have significantly reduced SO₂ emissions. Mechanism tests suggest this environmental improvement was not a byproduct of a chilling effect on economic activity. Crucially, the analysis reveals strong heterogeneity: the pollution reduction is driven almost entirely by non-resource-based provinces. The findings demonstrate that specific, accountability-focused anti-corruption governance can yield substantial environmental benefits.