| Resource-based cities usually take the exploitation,development and processing of natural resources as their leading industries,and regional development shows obvious resource orientation and resource dependence.At present,China’s resource-based cities cover nearly 41%of the country’s total land area,and absorb nearly 500 million jobs,and the added value of industries centered on the development of mineral resources accounts for nearly 25%of the country’s industrial added value.The rapid rise of early resource-based cities provided important support for the start of regional industrialization and rapid economic growth.However,with the fading of resource dividends,the over-reliance on resource-based industries has made the development of successive alternative industries in resource-based regions lag behind,and the sustainable economic growth of the regions has been constrained.While resource-based cities are mired in"rich poverty",long-term and high-intensity resource exploitation also makes resource-based cities face increasingly severe problems of environmental pollution and ecological damage.Especially in coal-based mining cities,a large amount of waste water and waste gas generated in the development,processing and use of resources is an important cause of regional environmental pollution.Not only that,the economic development mode that is highly dependent on resource-based industries can also accelerate the precipitation of regional production factors,induce zombie firms.However,while zombie firms occupy a large amount of capital,land,labor and other resources in the region,their production efficiency is always low.The existence of"stiff but not dead"and inefficient production enterprises can significantly increase regional pollution emissions,and further aggravate the regional environmental pollution problem.According to statistics from the National Institute of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China,the number of zombie firms in China’s ferrous metal smelting and processing industry and petroleum processing industry accounts for nearly 30%of all industrial enterprises,and the number of zombie firms in the steel industry among listed companies is as high as 51.43%.As known,zombie firms in the metal smelting and processing industries with high energy consumption and high emissions are unable to suppress the impulse to increase production,which is an important factor leading to environmental pollution.Therefore,while paying close attention to the current situation of environmental pollution in resource-based regions,it is of great significance to attach great importance to and explore the problem of zombie firms in corresponding regions,so as to better promote the green transformation and high-quality development of resource-based regions.Existing studies have conducted meaningful discussions on the"curse"effect of the resource industry on regional development from the perspective of economic growth,and have conducted a very rich mechanism analysis based on the theory of Dutch disease effect,institutional weakening effect,and innovation crowding out effect.However,little attention has been paid to whether resource industry dependence will induce the"environmental curse"effect.Undoubtedly,in the context of promoting high-quality economic development through green transformation,a special study on how resource industry dependence affects pollution emissions,focusing on the"environmental curse"effect of resource industry dependence can help to re-examine the actual impact of resource-dependent industrial development models on the high-quality development of regional economies,and is a necessary extension of the research on resource curses from the perspective of environmental protection.At the same time,incorporating zombie firms into the analysis framework of the resource curse can not only broaden the research content of the transmission mechanism of the resource curse,but also help to clarify the important impact of zombie enterprises in the process of regional ecological civilization construction and sustainable development,and then provide comprehensive support for the region through comprehensive green transformation provides an important reference for enabling high-quality economic development.Based on the above realistic background and in view of the shortcomings of existing research,this paper adopts a research paradigm combining mathematical deduction and empirical testing to systematically examine the specific impact of resource industry dependence on corporate pollution emissions.At the same time,this paper also combines the current situation of zombie firms in resource-based regions to empirically test whether resource industry dependence can induce zombie firms.Furthermore,on the basis of clarifying the environmental effects of zombie firms,this article provides a mechanism explanation for the"environmental curse"effect of resource industry dependence from the perspective of zombie firms.This paper aims to reveal the existence and formation mechanism of the"environmental curse"effect in resource-based regions,in order to provide theoretical support and decision-making reference for resource-based regions to break the double"curse"of economy and environment and accelerate the realization of green transformation and development.First,by constructing a four-sector endogenous growth model including manufacturing sector,resource-based sector,technology R&D sector and environmental sector,incorporating actual pollution emissions and the degree of regional zombification into the model,this paper theoretically explores whether resource industry dependence can induce the"environmental curse"effect,and reveal the"inducing effect"of resource industry dependence on zombie enterprises,as well as the impact of zombie enterprises on environmental pollution.On this basis,this paper comprehensively uses the Chinese industrial enterprise database and the Chinese industrial enterprise pollution emission database to conduct a descriptive statistical analysis on the potential correlation between resource industry dependence,zombie firms and pollution emissions.Theoretical analysis shows that:（1）the increase in the degree of dependence on the resource industry can increase the pollution emissions of enterprises,that is,the economic development model that is highly dependent on resource-based industries can aggravate the environmental pollution problem and lead to the"environmental curse"effect.（2）the increase in the degree of dependence on the resource industry can also deepening the degree of zombification in the region,that is,the economic development model that is highly dependent on resource-based industries indeed induces zombie firms.（3）the proliferation of zombie firms can increase the actual pollution emissions.（4）dependence on the resource industry can deepen regional zombification by inducing zombie firms,thereby aggravating the regional environmental pollution problem.Further,descriptive statistical analysis based on micro-data shows that,compared with non-resource-based cities,the emission volume,emission intensity and zombification degree of various pollutants in resource-based cities are significantly higher,and there is a clear positive correlation between zombie firms and environmental pollution emissions.The relevant characteristic facts all lay a realistic foundation for the theoretical analysis results.Second,based on the basic conclusions obtained from theoretical analysis,this paper matches the Chinese industrial enterprise database with the Chinese industrial enterprise pollution discharge database.Then,this paper uses industrial enterprise data to screen resource-based industries.For the first time,we calculate the resource industry dependence index of each city over the years based on the data at the micro-enterprise level.On this basis,this paper empirically examines the impact of resource industry dependence on chemical oxygen demand（COD）and sulfur dioxide（SO2）emissions of enterprises.The results show that the increase in the degree of urban resource industry dependence can significantly increase the COD emissions and SO2emissions of enterprises,which proves that the"environmental curse"effect of resource industry dependence exists significantly.At the same time,in order to more comprehensively reveal the"environmental curse"effect of resource industry dependence,this paper also conducts heterogeneity analysis from four dimensions:location difference,enterprise characteristics,government behavior and external environment.The results show that:（1）the increasing effect of resource industry dependence on corporate COD emissions and SO2 emissions is more obvious in the central and western regions and resource-based regions.This phenomenon shows that a resource-dependent industrial development model is more likely to be formed in areas where coal,oil,natural gas,iron ore and other mineral resources are concentrated,so that a relatively higher degree of resource dependence will significantly increase corporate pollution emissions.（2）the increase in the degree of dependence on resource industries has significantly increased the pollution emissions of non-state-owned and labor-intensive enterprises.This result not only reflects the fact that non-state-owned enterprises are more prone to"gluttony"of resource dividends due to their lack of policy advantages,but also confirms that labor-intensive enterprises are more inclined to rely on resource-based industries,thus showing an obvious"environmental curse"effect.（3）the increasing effect of resource industry dependence on corporate pollution emissions is more significant in areas where there has been no official turnover and areas where the two-control zone policy has not been implemented.This conclusion not only shows that policy uncertainty can break the relationship between government and enterprises,and its deterrent effect can force enterprises to reduce pollution,but also fully reflects the positive role of environmental regulation policies in alleviating pollution emissions.（4）the boosting effect of resource industry dependence on corporate COD emissions and SO2 emissions is more significant in regions with greater economic development pressure and low level of marketization.The results show that regions with poor economic development are more likely to form a development model of excessive dependence on resource-based industries,and the market competition environment of survival of the fittest is conducive to encouraging enterprises to actively participate in pollution control,thereby helping to break the"environmental curse"effect of resource industry dependence.In addition,in order to more profoundly explain the breadth of the influence of resource industry dependence,this paper empirically tests the specific impact of resource industry dependence on the front-end pollution prevention and control behavior of enterprises,the ability of end-end pollution control,and the discharge of other types of pollutants.The results show that the resource industry dependence is able to increase the fresh water consumption and coal consumption of enterprises,which is not conducive to the front-end prevention and control of pollution through cleaner production.Not only that,resource industry dependence can also weaken the end-to-end pollution control capacity of enterprises by reducing the efficiency of enterprise pollution removal.In addition,with the increase in the degree of dependence on urban resource industries,the amount of industrial waste gas emissions,nitrogen oxide compound emissions,smoke and dust emissions,and industrial dust emissions also increase significantly.The relevant results not only provide empirical evidence for the"environmental curse"effect of resource-based regions,but also show that comprehensive attention to various pollutants is crucial to promoting the green transformation and development of resource-based cities.Third,based on the accurate identification of zombie enterprises using the data of Chinese industrial enterprises and the FN-CHK method,this paper empirically investigates the effect of resource industry dependence on the degree of regional zombification and the resource industry dependence on the probability of enterprise zombification,and this paper also systematically identifies the heterogeneity and the mechanism of the induced effect of zombie firms that depend on resource industries,from the city level（macro）and the enterprise（micro）level respectively.The research results show that:（1）the increase of resource industry dependence will significantly increase the risk of industrial enterprises becoming zombie firms,thereby intensifying the degree of regional zombification.That is to say,there is a significant induced effect of resource-based industry dependence on zombie firms.（2）the results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that the induced effect is more pronounced in central China and western China,resource-based regions,and far-from-the-port regions,and in resource intensive industry,non-capital-intensive enterprises,small-scale enterprises,and non-state-owned enterprises.（3）the results of the mechanism analysis show that,at the macro level,resource-based industry dependence can crowd out technological innovation,weaken market competition,and promote regional financial subsidies and credit supply,to create an institutional and economic environment for the appearance of zombie enterprises.At the micro level,resource-based industry dependence can weaken the viability of enterprises and increase the risk of healthy enterprises’becoming zombie firms by lowering investments level,increasing debt burdens,and reducing the production efficiency and profitability of enterprises.（4）the problem of zombie firms caused by resource industry dependence will not only significantly inhibit the economic growth of resource-based regions,but also reduce the investment level and profitability of non-zombie firms,and increase the financing cost of non-zombie firms.Therefore,it is not conducive to the improvement of the operating performance of non-zombie enterprises and the sustainable and healthy development of the economy in resource-based regions.Fourth,on the basis of confirming the significant existence of the"environmental curse"effect of resource industry dependence and the induced effect of zombie firms,this paper analyzes how the degree of regional zombification affects the pollution emissions of enterprises,and uses the mediation effect model to verify whether the dependence of resource industries will aggravate the environmental pollution problems in resource-based regions by inducing zombie firms.The research results show that:（1）with the deepening of urban zombification,both COD emissions and SO2 emissions of enterprises have increased significantly.（2）the boosting effect of zombie firms on corporate pollution emissions is more significant in resource-based regions and labor-intensive industries.（3）with the deepening of the degree of zombification,the amount of industrial waste gas emissions,nitrogen oxide emissions,smoke dust emissions and industrial dust emissions also increase significantly.（4）the dependence of the resource industry will increase the COD and SO2 emissions of enterprises by increasing the level of zombification in the region.This result confirms that the zombie firm problem caused by resource industry dependence is indeed an important cause of the increasingly severe environmental pollution problem in resource-based cities.Therefore,effectively promoting the disposal and clearing of zombie firms plays an important role in breaking the"environmental curse"effect of resource-based regions and helping the sustainable development of the resource-based regions.Finally,based on the conclusions of theoretical analysis and empirical testing,this paper provides important inspirations for the green and sustainable development of resource-based regions:（1）resource-based cities should get rid of the narrow development concept of"mining-oriented",take the initiative to adopt a"progressive"approach to promote the replacement of leading industries in the region,choose a reasonable industrial development model,and rely on industrial green and diversified development strategies to break the"curse".Promote the green and sustainable development of resource-based cities.（2）While making good use of the"visible hand"of the government,making full use of the"invisible hand"of the market is crucial to the development of resource-based regions.In the process of green transformation and high-quality development in resource-based regions,it is necessary to use policy tools such as environmental regulation to curb environmental pollution problems in resource-based regions,and it is also necessary to promote and improve the emission trading mechanism and the construction of the carbon trading market,and rely more on the price mechanism to promote pollution reduction in resource-based areas.（3）governments in resource-based regions should comprehensively promote the disposal and clearance of zombie firms,so as to help the high-quality development of China’s economy while alleviating the"environmental curse"of the resource industry’s dependence.On the one hand,the government should always adhere to the principle that"the market must have the final say,rather than relying on the government to decide who lives and who dies".On the other hand,speeding up the disposal of existing zombie firms and guarding against the formation of new zombie firms should be done with both hands.In order to separate government intervention from zombie enterprises,and block the government’s life-sustaining behavior for zombie enterprises,optimize the regional market competition environment,and use the"invisible hand"of the market to force enterprises to enhance their viability at the same time.（4）In the process of managing zombie firms and cracking the resource curse,the government should always follow a policy implementation strategy that is point-for-face and focused.The government should not only give full play to the demonstration effect of the eastern region and highly market-oriented regions in the process of zombie firm governance,give priority to pilot projects and governance,and let the governance experience of the corresponding regions radiate to other resource-based regions.It is also necessary to always adhere to the governance principle of adapting measures to local conditions and one policy for one place,and resolutely avoid the adverse effects of the"one-size-fits-all"policy on the transformation and development of resource-based regions. |
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