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Mitigating pollution discharges from firms and strengthening environmental governance are key objectives for political leaders. A panel dataset comprising Chinese firms and officials' individual information is constructed to investigate the impact of female political leaders on firm pollution discharges. First, the estimation results show that female political leaders can significantly reduce firm pollution discharges by 12.3 % and this finding is robustly supported by a series of empirical strategies. Second, the heterogeneity analysis suggests that the impact of female leaders on reducing firm pollution discharges becomes more pronounced for larger-scale firms, those located in cities with older secretaries, a higher proportion of tertiary industries, and higher levels of economic growth. Moreover, the reduction effect on firm pollution discharges is found to be stronger for state-owned firms and those located in the eastern region. Third, mechanism analysis indicates that female political leaders effectively mitigate firm pollution discharges through the facilitation of technological innovation. These findings underscore the pivotal role of gender in environmental governance and offer valuable political insights for curbing firm pollution discharges. • The study examines the influence of female political leaders on firm pollution discharges. • Female political leaders significantly reduce firm pollution discharges. • The impact of female political leaders on firm pollution discharges is heterogeneous. • Female political leaders promote technological innovation to reduce firm pollution discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extant body of academic literature has thoroughly examined the influence of political promotion institutions on various aspects of economic growth and corporate behavior. However, there remains a gap in the understanding the extent and mechanisms through which the establishment of economic growth targets influences firms' pollution emissions. Addressing this gap, we construct datasets that encapsulate both micro-level and macro-level perspectives to examine the impact of economic growth targets on corporate pollution. We find that an increase in economic growth targets leads to a significant rise in pollution emissions from industrial firms. To address potential endogeneity issues, we employ various strategies, and our results remain robust across these different approaches. We then estimate the heterogeneous impact of economic growth targets and demonstrate that the positive effect of these targets on pollution emissions tends to be less pronounced for firms situated in cities governed by female mayors. Conversely, the effect appears more pronounced for firms located in the western region, those operating in cities led by older mayors, and those in cities where mayors have lower levels of education. Finally, we explore potential mechanisms through which economic growth targets impact corporate pollution. Our results show that at the firm level, a higher economic growth target primarily leads to increased pollution emissions from enterprises by reducing firms' investment in pollution control. At the city level, an elevation in economic growth targets predominantly results in escalated enterprise-related pollution, chiefly due to its hindrance of urban green innovation, reduction in fiscal allocations for science and technology, and a decrease in educational fiscal outlays. These empirical findings strongly advocate for the implementation of measures aimed at dissuading prefecture-level city governments from formulating excessively ambitious economic growth targets, as a viable strategy for mitigating pollution stemming from manufacturing firms in developing nations. In view of this, our research is conducive to advancing the process of building a sustainable development path in China and providing reliable solutions to global ecological challenges. • Examines the effect of economic growth targets on pollution emissions by industrial firms. • Identifies the causal mechanisms linking economic growth targets to pollution emissions. • Explores the heterogeneous effects of economic growth targets on pollution emissions. • Finds increased pollution effects in western regions and in cities with older, less-educated mayors. • Advocates policy changes to curb pollution emissions arising from ambitious growth targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the influence of political system changes, particularly official turnover, on pollution reduction in Chinese industrial firms—a response to the environmental challenges posed by China's economic growth. Utilizing micro-panel data from 2000 to 2014 and an official turnover database, this study assesses how these turnovers affect firm-level pollution. The analysis confirms that official turnovers significantly reduce emissions, with the effect more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, under officials who are male, hold PhDs, and are older. This impact is also stronger in areas with a larger tertiary sectors and higher economic growth. A detailed comparison reveals that mayoral turnovers have a greater abatement effect than those of municipal secretaries, especially in cases of abnormal turnovers. Crucially, this study demonstrates that mayoral turnovers lead to pollution reduction by promoting corporate exports and innovation. The baseline regression results, confirmed as robust after extensive robustness checks, underscore the significance of these findings. This paper sheds light on the political dynamics of environmental governance in China, advocating bureaucratic reforms to reduce emissions and providing strategic recommendations to improve national environmental sustainability. • Political turnover in China leads to significant pollution reduction in industrial firms. • The effect of official turnovers on reducing emissions is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises. • Turnover effects are stronger under older, male officials with PhDs. • Mayoral changes have a greater impact on pollution reduction than municipal secretaries, particularly in abnormal turnovers. • Mayor turnovers contribute to pollution reduction by promoting exports and innovation in firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]