Abstract: Is there an environmental championship in China? Based on the panel data of 277 prefecture level cities from 2004 to 2018, this paper makes an empirical study and finds that: First, faster improvement of urban air quality will significantly improve the promotion probability of mayors, and there is an environmental championship; Second, GDP championship still plays a significant role in the promotion of mayors. Environmental championship and GDP championship coexist, and environmental championship does not replace GDP championship; Third, since 2013, the incentive effect of the environmental championship on the promotion of mayors has increased, and in cities with stronger administrative power, the incentive effect of the environmental championship on the promotion of mayors is greater. Based on the above research, this paper believes that the environmental championship implemented in China is an important mechanism for improving China's environmental quality. In the future, we should further promote the transformation of official performance assessment, optimize the relevant system design of environmental championship, and continuously promote the improvement of local government environmental governance efficiency.
