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Brain drain: The impact of air pollution on firm performance

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  • Xue, Shuyu
  • Zhang, Bohui
  • Zhao, Xiaofeng

Abstract

Air pollution is a growing hazard to human health. This study examines whether air pollution affects the formation of corporate human capital and thereby firm performance. We find that people exhibit an intention to look for jobs in less polluted areas when air pollution is high in their location. This suggests that individuals arrange their lives at least partially in response to air pollution. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that the level of skilled executives and employees at a firm drops significantly when information on pollution in the firm's location is accessible in real time and when the pollution level in the firm's location increases, especially in locations where air pollution poses greater health concerns. In addition, parallel reductions in firm productivity and value are found and become more salient when firms have a greater dependence on human capital.

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  • Xue, Shuyu & Zhang, Bohui & Zhao, Xiaofeng, 2021. "Brain drain: The impact of air pollution on firm performance," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:110:y:2021:i:c:s0095069621001054
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2021.102546
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    3. Nan Hu & Xingnan Xue & Ling Liu, 2022. "The impact of air pollution on financial reporting quality: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 3609-3644, September.
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    9. Hao, Ying & Huang, Lixin & Huang, Yuxiu & Wei, Zi, 2023. "Air quality and CEO cross–regional turnover ——The role of compensation or incentive," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    10. Bingqian Zhang & Xiaoxiao Chu & Hong Geng, 2023. "The impact of environmental regulation on executive turnover: Evidence from listed Chinese manufacturing companies," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(2), pages 1318-1329, March.
    11. Wen Chen & Yufeng Zhu & Chenyu Wang, 2023. "Executives' overseas background and corporate green innovation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 165-179, January.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Air pollution; Brain drain; Human capital; Firm performance; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers

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