A new study from UC Santa Barbara finds that government transparency could improve public health by cutting pollution.
UCSB researchers conducted a randomized experiment to test transparency in 50 Chinese cities. Half were publicly rated on how openly they shared environmental data, like pollution levels and inspection results. Those cities saw a nearly 40% drop in violations by high-polluting companies.
They also saw a 90% increase in government inspections, and up to a 10% drop in overall air pollution.
The study said public transparency was the key factor, rather than media pressure or general complaints. Researchers said just the perception of oversight pushed companies to comply with environmental rules.
The results suggest transparency policies could help countries like the U.S. better enforce environmental laws and improve health outcomes.
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
