A recent study has demonstrated the effectiveness of an innovative environmental policy—referred to as the Resident Work (RW) policy—in significantly improving water quality in the Yangtze River Basin. Conducted by a team of interdisciplinary researchers, the study utilized a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model to evaluate the policy's impact on water quality between 2016 and 2021.
The RW policy, launched in 2018, involved deploying over 5,000 scientific experts to 58 cities across the Yangtze River Basin. These experts provided technical assistance and management strategies to local governments, focusing on pollution control and sustainable water management. According to the study, cities that implemented the policy experienced a significant reduction in total phosphorus concentration, a key indicator of water pollution. Additionally, the policy's effectiveness increased over time, with the most significant improvements observed in 2021.
One of the notable findings is that the policy had a more pronounced impact in economically disadvantaged cities, where the resident teams filled critical gaps in governance and technical expertise. Furthermore, cities with higher evaluation scores for policy implementation saw even greater water quality improvements.
This research underscores the importance of targeted environmental policies and collaborative efforts between scientific teams and local governments. The RW policy model offers a scalable approach that can be adapted for other regions facing similar environmental challenges.
The study calls for broader adoption of the RW policy framework and further investment in infrastructure and interdisciplinary collaboration to sustain and expand water quality improvements in the region.
