Does Market Integration Improve Air Quality: A Study Based on Spatial Models

Studying the impact and mechanism of market integration on air quality is significant for promoting continuous improvement of air quality and green development. This article selects panel data from provinces in China from 2014 to 2021, uses a dynamic spatial lag model to test market integration’s impact on air quality empirically, and further tests spatio-temporal heterogeneity through geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR). The research results indicate that overall, both commodity market integration and capital market integration have improved air quality, while labor market integration has worsened air quality. There are temporal dynamic effects and spatial spillover effects on air quality. There is spatial heterogeneity in the regression coefficients of commodity market integration, labor market integration, and capital market integration.