Uncovering hidden cross-regional environmental risks: Network evidence from off-site penalties and implications for pollution transfer in China

The pressures of economic development and environmental governance are growing increasingly intense. This study uses 2014-2023 off-site environmental penalty data of Chinese listed firms to construct weighted intercity networks of cross-regional environmental violation linkages and compares the spatial patterns between firms in polluting industries and those in other industries via social network analysis, spatial statistics, and geographical detector methods. The results show that cross-regional environmental violation linkages have become increasingly dense, with firms in other industries accounting for a fast-growing share of cross-city violations, and these linkages exhibit significant spatial clustering patterns. Specifically, levels of economic development, industrial structure, and financial capacity are positively and significantly associated with cities' network centrality and intensity, while environmental regulation and public health factors show no significant associations. These findings contribute to the literature by offering a behavioral and outcome-based perspective on cross-regional environmental violations and highlighting the need for unified governance frameworks.