How Do Institutional Arrangements Affect Corporate Social Mobility? Evidence from Construction Land Reduction

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

CLR will be an important research topic in Shanghai. This is probably also applicable to countries and regions such as Japan and EU countries that need to make efficient use of limited land areas. It is commendable that not only the hard aspects of land use are examined, but also the intangible aspects such as the characteristics of residents and households. The fact that it reaches a valid conclusion can be said to be a properly verified paper. 1. Figure1: Are numbers from 2016 onwards necessary? (Are they correct?) 2. I would like you to add an explanation (definition) to the terms Social Mobility and Township.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

"The main research question is to promote an optimisation of building land in economically developed regions. Decremental planning areas provide more space for building land. The development of decremental planning areas can promote the social mobility of companies. In this regard, the authors analyse the impact of construction land reduction (CLR) on corporate social mobility.
The topic is original and promotes an in-depth look at the issue of how to improve corporate social mobility, which is still little explored in the literature.
In order to improve understanding of the methodological approach, it is suggested to integrate a flowchart proposing all steps in a structured manner.

No integration on controls is suggested.

The Conclusion section is consistent with the objectives and results of the research.

The references section should be integrated.

Tables and Figures are effectively organised.

It is suggested to integrate Discussion section that is currently absent".

It is suggested to check the English text of the paper.

Check the English text of the paper

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear Authors

 

I have thoroughly read and evaluated your manuscript "How does Construction Land Reduction Affect Corporate Social Mobility? Micro Evidence from Shanghai, China."

 

The manuscript reports an important research that fills a gap on how to enhance corporate social mobility. Furthermore, the research could be applied to urban planning to reduce the carbon footprint of Chinese cities.

 

I am likely to recommend your publication to the Editor of Sustainability. However, there are some flaws in its writing, and some changes must be made, so that the article is more intelligible, and better communicates its information to the journal's readers.

 

I list my recommendations below:

 

1) I consider the title obscure - it does not inform and show readers what the paper is about. I recommend that authors formulate another title, in the form of a newspaper headline. The title would be more intriguing if it mentioned the most important discovery of the research - in my opinion, the proof of Hypothesis H1.

 

2) Add more keywords. They help readers understand the content of the paper. Furthermore, keywords make the article more visible to search engines such as Google Scholar.

 

3) There are numerous footnotes that make reading the article absolutely torturous. I strongly recommend that all footnotes are incorporated into the text. This will make reading more intelligible and enjoyable.

 

4) There is an abundant use of the acronym CRL that makes reading unmotivating, especially for readers whose native language is not English. Please write "construction land reduction" in full in the pages of the manuscript, and limit the use of the acronym CRL to the minimum necessary.

 

5) You included several technical terms in the text, such as: construction land reduction; corporate social mobility; macro use conversion; non-cadre residents; cadres; incremental planning areas; planning decremental areas, but do not define in the manuscript what those terms mean. These jargons are certainly in common use by the authors, but keep in mind that the readers of Sustainability are varied (architects, administrators, urban ecologists, geographers, sociologists, etc.). I strongly recommend that authors include a BOX in the manuscript, titled Glossary of Terms, and briefly list and define in the box all technical terms used in the manuscript.

 

6) Finally, please make extensive use of any graphic elements - photos, maps, infographics, drawings to enhance readers' understanding of the various important information and messages in this article. For example, in lines 48-51 you state that: "In the process of CLR, about 25% of the land quotas resulting from the reduction in the "198" area are coordinated by the Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau for municipal projects." Pictures of the 198 area, and also of Shanghai, its scarcity of land etc will help readers to understand the paper. Willian Zinsser, in the excellent How to Write Well: The Classic American Handbook of Journalistic and Nonfiction Writing, says that the writer's task is to make life easier for readers - so images are very welcome in this paper.

 

 

Best regards,

 

The reviewer

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear Authors

 

I consider your manuscript suitable for publication in Sustainability.

 

Best Regards,

 

The Reviewer