Jiahui Chen (PhD Candidate) - CEEP-BIT
Coal-fired power plants closure and labor mobility: Evidence from China
Date: 04/11/2025 (Fri)
Time: 2:00pm- 3:00pm
Location: This seminar will be held both on-site and remotely. The on-site location will be: Rubenstein 149- Sanford School. It will also be held remotely via Zoom. (Please sign in to see the link.)
Organizer: Alex Herrera, Paula Sarmiento and Xingchen Chen
Meeting Schedule: (Not currently open for scheduling. Please contact the seminar organizer listed above.)
All meetings will be held in the same location as the seminar unless otherwise noted.
2:00pm - Seminar Presentation (2:00pm to 3:00pm)
Additional Comments: Abstract: Phasing out coal is essential for reducing carbon emissions but poses serious unemployment and social justice, especially for millions of coal workers who may be displaced in the process. This paper examines the impact of how coal power plant closures affect the migration decisions of local labour force and long-term settlement intentions in China. The results show that the exit of coal-fired power plants significantly increases the probability of local labor outmigration (with an average effect of 12%) and reduces the long-term settlement intention by 4 percentage points, revealing the objective pattern of regional population reallocation triggered by the exit of traditional energy industries. Mechanism analyses indicate that these effects are driven by job loss, wage reductions, and fiscal contraction at the local level, although the transition also brings moderate improvements in air quality. Further analyses reveal that mobile workers who are older, less skilled, and in precarious employment are less likely to consider permanent residence following coal plant shutdowns. The outmigration effects are also more pronounced in less developed, mid-western regions and non-resource cities. These findings highlight the unintended demographic consequences of energy transitions on labour market and the need for targeted policy responses. Stage: intermediate stage Feedback: I’d greatly appreciate any feedback.