Media Competition, Media Capture, and Pollution in China
Prof. Guojun HE
Professor in Economics, The University of Hong Kong (HKU)
Director, HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability
Global Research Institute
Associate Director, Institute of China Economy
Date: 8 October 2024 (Tuesday)
Time: 10:30 – 12:00
Venue: E22-G008
Host: Prof. Jia YUAN, Associate Professor in Business Economics
Abstract
This paper examines the impacts of media market competition on firms’ pollution in the context of media capture, where firms try to suppress negative news. Exploiting a media reform that forced a large number of newspapers to exit the market in China, we find that polluting firms emitted less pollution and the remaining newspapers reported more pollution-related issues following the newspaper exits. While this finding challenges the conventional belief that a more competitive media market serves as a better watchdog, it aligns with a model suggesting that the deadweight loss from imperfect media competition can be offset by the negative externality of pollution.
Speaker
Prof. Guojun HE is an economist working on environmental, development, and governance issues. Currently, he is a professor in Economics and Management & Strategy at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He serves as the director of HKU-Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute, director of HKU Business School’s Shenzhen ESG Research Institute, and the associate director of HKU’s Institute of China Economy. He holds a concurrent appointment at the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC) and leads research activities of its China center (EPIC-China). He is a co-editor of Journal of Environmental Economics and Management and China Economic Review. The majority of Prof. He’s work focuses on understanding the benefits and costs of environmental policies, while he also has a broader research interest in development and governance issues. His work has been published in leading economics journals (like QJE, AER, AER: Insights, AEJ: Applied) and science journals (like Science, PNAS).
All are welcome!
