Abstract
Title: “Shine on Small Mines: Size-Based Economic Effects of Coal Mine Closure”
Abstract:
This study examines how mine size shapes the local economic consequences of coal mine closures in China.
Combining granular information on 7,006 coal mines with nighttime-light data, we employ staggered difference-in-differences and instrumental-variable strategies and document divergent effects: closure of large mines (with annual capacity above 300,000 tons) reduces nighttime-light intensity within a 10-km buffer by approximately 7%, whereas closure of small mines, which account for more than 85% of all documented closures, does not generate comparable negative local effects.
Large-mine closures disrupt local service-sector activity and disproportionately reduce women's income; in contrast, small-mine closures are followed by a significant shift toward agricultural development.
Mechanism analyses indicate that top-down government transfers and bottom-up clan networks mitigate the local economic costs of mine closure.
Overall, our mine size-based evidence suggests that a context-differentiated rather than one-size-fits-all policy design is needed to reduce economic losses during coal phase-out.
Time
10.30.2026
10:00-11:00
Zoom Meeting
Online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 880 7737 8673
Passcode: 221341
Speaker
Yangsiyu Lu
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)
Yangsiyu Lu is an Assistant Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the Thrust of Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), and recipient of talent programs from the Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province.
She has long been committed to research on energy transition, and has published more than ten academic papers in SCI journals such as Joule and Nature Communications, as well as SSCI journals such as the Journal of Public Economics and World Development.
Prior to joining HKUST(GZ), She conducted postdoctoral research at Boston University in the United States and the Paris School of Economics in France.
She has led research projects including the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Guangzhou Municipal University (Institute) Enterprise Joint Funding Program.
Discussant
King Yoong Lim
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Dr. King Yoong Lim is a Senior Associate Professor in Economics at the International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
In the past 5 years, Dr. Lim has published 17 SSCI journal articles, including publications in Research Policy, Energy Economics, The Energy Journal, and Journal of Regional Science.
He holds a RFIS-II grant awarded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Direct cost: RMB580,000), and has received one of the 2025 SIP Research Backbone Talent Awards.
He is an Associate Editor of the journal, Economic Issues, and served as STC Consultant for the World Bank Group on three separate occasions.
Broadly, his research interests include energy economics, innovation strategy, and development macroeconomics.
At present, Dr. Lim largely focuses on studying China’s non-renewable energy transformation, notably on the modelling of the four pillars of green transformation: full-scale, innovative, safety-oriented, and collaborative.
Why Join?
- Understand the local impacts of energy transition: Explore how coal mine closures affect local economies, employment, and livelihoods in China.
- Discover why mine size matters: Learn why closing large coal mines leads to significant economic losses, while small-mine closures can create opportunities for agricultural development.
- Explore the social dimensions of coal phase-out: Understand how mine closures affect different sectors and communities, including their disproportionate impact on women's income.
- Identify strategies for a just energy transition: Discover how government transfers and local social networks can help communities adapt to coal mine closures.
- Gain evidence-based policy insights: Learn why tailored, context-specific policies are essential for reducing economic losses and supporting sustainable development during the energy transition.