Seminar Vol. 211
Title: Attentions Online, Abatement Offline: A Natural Experiment from the Social Media in China
Speaker: Pinghan Liang, Sun Yat-sen University
Time: April 10th, 2020 13:30-15:00
About the speaker:
Pinghan Liang is Professor at the School of Government, Sun Yat-Sen University. Previously he was an Associate Professor at the Research Institute of Economics and Management (RIEM) of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE). He has obtained Ph.D. in Economics from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona in 2010. He also holds a M.Res. in Economics from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and a B.A. in Economics from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China. Pinghan Liang's interests lie in the fields of Applied Microeconomic Theory, Organizational Economics, Political Economy and Experimental Economics.
Abstract:
This paper investigates the causal impact of public attentions from social media on firms pollutants emissions. The unexpected release and short-lived circulation of the environmental documentary Under the Dome in China, 2015, offers a natural experiment. We use the number of microblog posts about the documentary to measure public attentions. Based a comprehensive firm-level dataset, we find that more public attentions in a city are positively associated with significantly more abatement of major pollutants. Instrumental variable estimation based on the coverages in the documentary confirms the sizable effect of public attentions. We combine multiple datasets on the behavior of individuals, firms, and governments, and suggest three channels: individual environmental awareness; consumers pressures on firms; and public pressures on local authorities. In particular, public attentions lead to more environmental complaints on social media and government petition platform, consequently stricter enforcement of environmental regulations.
Interested in this webinar? Please contact Feiyan at feiyantang@jnu.edu.cn, or scan the QR code bellow to register.
