Convergence of air pollution-related death rates across EU countries

KASMAN A., KASMAN S., Yildirim B.

Atmospheric Pollution Research, cilt.15, sa.8, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 15 Sayı: 8
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.apr.2024.102196
  • Dergi Adı: Atmospheric Pollution Research
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, CAB Abstracts, INSPEC, Pollution Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Club convergence, Environmental policies, EU countries, Premature death, Stochastic convergence
  • Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Over the past two decades, the European Parliament has set air quality targets through directives to prevent any negative effects on both human health and the overall environment. This paper aims to investigate whether these policies had any impact on the convergence of air pollution-related death rates across EU countries from 1990 to 2019. This paper utilizes a new panel unit root test to test for stochastic convergence in addition to traditional convergence tests. The novelty of this test lies in its ability to account for structural breaks and cross-correlations within the panel. The club convergence algorithm is also employed to examine the existence of multiple equilibria within groups of countries. The results from the traditional convergence test indicate that convergence of air pollution-related death rates exists across the EU countries. Furthermore, the stochastic convergence test results indicate that there is a convergence of relative air pollution-related death rates. Regarding break dates, the majority of the first and second break dates are generally observed within the years 2000–2005 and 2012–2015, respectively. Finally, the results from the club convergence test reject the full panel club convergence, revealing the existence of seven convergent clubs and three divergent countries.