How to Implement "Combination Punches" of Environmental Policies Effectively?
Hu Yingde1, Yi Tiantian1, Han Hongyun2
1.School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China 2.School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Abstract:In order to synergize the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions, a series of environmental policy tools like “combination punches” have been implemented to stimulate companies for adopting low-carbon innovations in China. Little existing literature, however, has focused on this problem. The incentive effects of “three dimensions and six types” environmental policy tool combination, namely the regulatory dimension (punishment type, inspection type), the incentive dimension (honor type, preferential type), and the assistance dimension (guidance type, publicity type) on company adopting low-carbon innovations are analyzed in this paper from the perspective of configuration, selecting 380 polluting enterprises in Zhejiang Province as research samples and using a combination of NCA and fsQCA methods, grounded in the theoretical perspective of multiple institutional logics.The findings reveal that This study contributes to the literature in several ways: (1) It pioneers the combined application of NCA and fsQCA in this domain, enriching the methodological toolkit and jointly supporting the core argument for the importance of policy synergy through the lenses of necessity and sufficiency. (2) It integrates the multiple, co-opetitive institutional logics of deterrence, inducement, and assistance to construct a comprehensive analytical framework explaining the coupling effects of the environmental policy “combination punch”, offering a novel perspective for understanding the causal complexity behind corporate low-carbon innovation. (3) It exploratively utilizes sub-sample fsQCA analysis to delve into firm heterogeneity (technology level and size) as a boundary condition of configurational effects, clearly addressing the critical policy question of “which policy mix works best for whom”, thereby enhancing the practical guidance value of the research findings. The findings reveal that This study contributes to the literature in several ways: (1) It pioneers the combined application of NCA and fsQCA in this domain, enriching the methodological toolkit and jointly supporting the core argument for the importance of policy synergy through the lenses of necessity and sufficiency. (2) It integrates the multiple, co-opetitive institutional logics of deterrence, inducement, and assistance to construct a comprehensive analytical framework explaining the coupling effects of the environmental policy “combination punch”, offering a novel perspective for understanding the causal complexity behind corporate low-carbon innovation. (3) It exploratively utilizes sub-sample fsQCA analysis to delve into firm heterogeneity (technology level and size) as a boundary condition of configurational effects, clearly addressing the critical policy question of “which policy mix works best for whom”, thereby enhancing the practical guidance value of the research findings.
胡应得, 易甜甜, 韩洪云. 如何打好环保政策“组合拳”?[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2026, 56(5): 98-115.
Hu Yingde, Yi Tiantian, Han Hongyun. How to Implement "Combination Punches" of Environmental Policies Effectively?. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2026, 56(5): 98-115.
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