隨著經濟發展水平提高,地方政府競爭對環境規制的影響有所變化,且這些變化與財政分權、政績考核指標的變化有關,本文利用中國2003—2011年269個城市面板數據從實證角度驗證這一問題。結果發現:整體來看,2003年以來,隨著經濟發展水平上升,地方政府競爭對環境規制呈現倒"N"型影響。其具體原因為:從財政分權角度看,隨著事權和財權增加,地方政府競爭對環境規制的影響呈現倒"U"型;關于政績考核指標,綜合基準回歸和穩健分析,經濟增速越快,地方政府競爭對環境規制的負向影響越大,隨著減排率降低(污染物排放量增長率提高),地方政府競爭對環境規制的影響呈現先正后負的特征。本文為評價財政分權、地方政府競爭對環境規制影響的變化提供了實證依據,并評價了政績考核指標在環境規制水平變化過程中發揮的作用,對如何提升環境規制水平有一定啟發。

At present,how to improve the environmental quality is a hot issue. Many scholars believe that China’s fiscal decentralization is an important and even the main reason for the local government to relax environmental regulation to achieve rapid economic growth. The effect of local government competition is changing as the economic level changes,and these changes are related to fiscal decentralization and performance evaluation indicators. Based on this,using 269 cities panel data of China in 2003-2011,we estimate the impact of local government competition on the intensity of environmental regulation. The results show that:since 2003,with the level of economic development,local government competition on the intensity of environmental regulation showed an inverted N type. This paper analyzes the reasons for this phenomenon:from the perspective of fiscal decentralization,with the increase of fiscal expenditure decentralization and fiscal revenue decentralization power,the impact of local government competition on environmental regulation presents inverted U type;On the performance evaluation indicators,comprehensive benchmark regression and robust analysis find that the faster the economic growth,the greater the negative impact of local government competition on environmental regulation;The higher the growth rate of pollution emissions,the impact of local government competition on environmental regulation presents inverted "U" type. This study provides an empirical basis for evaluation of local government competition on environmental regulation,and evaluates the effects of promotion index change in the whole level of environmental regulation in the process. It also has certain inspiration in enhancing the level of environmental regulation.