To prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games, China adopted a number of radical measures to improve air quality. Using officially reported air pollution index (API) from 2000 to 2009, we show that these measures improved the API of Beijing during and after the Games, but 60% of the effect faded away by...

Protecting the environment during economic growth is a challenge facing every country. This paper focuses on two regulatory measures that China has adopted to incentivize air quality improvement: publishing a daily air pollution index (API) for major cities since 2000 and linking the API to...

We use county-level panel data to estimate the long-run effect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution on mortality in China. Causal inference relies on changes in local pollution correlated with demand shocks from export destinations amid the global economic crisis during the late 2000s....