Work

The Impacts of the Sanitation Campaign on Improving Living Environments: Evidence From Rural China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT To narrow the gap in living environments between rural and urban areas, the Chinese government launched a nationwide sanitation campaign to improve the rural living environment. This paper uses rural household survey data and employs an econometric approach to evaluate the various effects of this top‐down sanitation campaign. The empirical results indicate that the environmental benefits of the sanitation campaign are statistically significant, whereas the short‐term health and income effects are not. Villages completing the sanitation campaign (or with higher completion scores) enjoy a relatively better living environment: a statistically significant decline in the probability of having household waste, domestic sewage and human and animal excrement (odour) near homes. In addition, we also find that rural sanitation campaigns stimulate environmentally friendly behaviours of rural residents. JEL Classification: P28, P25, Q52

Source: Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics

DOI: 10.1111/1467-8489.70011

Authors: Qingen Gai, Chengzheng Li, Xiong Xiao

Institutions: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Jinan University, Renmin University of China

Language: English

Topic: Public Health and Environmental Issues

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: No poverty, Clean water and sanitation, Good health and well-being, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: bronze