Any Signs of Green Growth? A Spatial Panel Analysis of Regional Air Pollution in South Korea

Abstract Focusing on air emissions in South Korean provinces, we investigate whether economic growth has become greener since the implementation of national green strategy 2009. Given relevance regional elements and environmental policies, focus lies spatial aspects. That is, spillovers from nearby provinces are controlled for a SLX model by means Han–Phillips estimator dynamic panel data. Our results suggest mainly existence inverted N-shaped Environmental Kuznets curves sulfur oxides (SO X ) total suspended particles (TSP). As initially decrease strongly with increasing income, main cleanup is achieved mean income level. However, abatement remaining TSP only takes place at higher levels. While fixed effects estimations indicate that per capita SO have been significantly lower 2009, vanish once interactions taken into account no evidence found greener. Apart growth, population density energy consumption drivers emission changes, latter having robust spillovers. The respective distance insignificant after 150 km.