No abstract

In this paper, we examine the effect of export expansion on the health of children under the age of 6 years in China. Using the CHNS survey, we exploit trade exposure variation among regions after China's entry into the WTO to construct a difference‐in‐differences and instrumental variable identification. We show that 1% increase in export expansion over GDP share exacerbates child' illness rates by 0.6%, and the effect is more pronounced for less educated parents. The increasing workloads and having less time to look after the child account for the increasing illness rates, especially for mothers.

Agricultural product trade openness is a crucial factor impacting agricultural carbon emissions. This study analyzes the relationship between trade openness and carbon emissions in China. Using panel data from 2002 to 2020 for 31 provinces, a threshold panel model is employed to examine the non-linear relationship from an environmental regulation perspective. The findings reveal a significant single-threshold effect of environmental regulation. When environmental regulation intensity is low, trade openness is positively associated with agricultural carbon emissions. However, when environmental regulation intensity is high, trade openness significantly reduces carbon emissions. Regional regression analysis indicates that this single-threshold effect holds true in major grain-producing, grain-selling, and grain- producing- selling balance areas, although regional differences exist. This study emphasizes the need to coordinate environmental regulations and trade policies, strengthen environmental control, and leverage the threshold effect of environmental regulation in reducing carbon emissions through agricultural product trade openness.