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The Effects of Environmental Regulations on the Productivity of Large Companies: An Empirical Analysis of the Spanish Case

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  • Conchita Ayerbe
  • Carmen Górriz

Abstract

This article provides evidence to the debateabout whether or not investments designated forcompliance with environmental performance andtechnology standards favor or harm the workproductivity of companies. A panel data modelis analyzed, which panel refers to 53 largeSpanish companies quoted on the stock exchangeand that have participated in a subsidizedenvironmental protection program during the1990–1995 period, specifically in theIndustrial and Technological Program for theEnvironment (PITMA). A Cobb-Douglas productionfunction is used to relate the workproductivity to a measure of the pollutionabatement investment dedicated to compliancewith standards. The resulting negativecoefficient, although close to zero, should notbe interpreted as a result derived from justany kind of regulation, but rather a result ofthe kind of regulation analyzed in this work,meaning the command and control regulation thatoften binds companies to make environmentalinvestments that are not productive in theconventional economic sense, although they areproductive in terms of environmental quality.In addition, and in order to specify the kindof company to which the conclusions of thispaper are applicable, the characteristics ofthe companies that participated in PITMA areanalyzed comparatively with companies that didnot participate. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2001

Suggested Citation

  • Conchita Ayerbe & Carmen Górriz, 2001. "The Effects of Environmental Regulations on the Productivity of Large Companies: An Empirical Analysis of the Spanish Case," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 5(2), pages 129-152, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:5:y:2001:i:2:p:129-152
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1013061723180
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    1. Thanh Tam Nguyen-Huu & Khac Minh Nguyen & Quoc Tran-Nam, 2022. "The role of environmental practices and innovation in total factor productivity convergence -Evidence from small-and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam," Post-Print hal-04248191, HAL.
    2. Dechezleprêtre, Antoine & Kozluk, Tomasz & Kruse, Tobias & Nachtigall, Daniel & de Serres, Alain, 2019. "Do Environmental and Economic Performance Go Together? A Review of Micro-level Empirical Evidence from the Past Decade or So," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 13(1-2), pages 1-118, April.
    3. Siedschlag, Iulia & Meneto, Stefano, 2020. "Green innovations and export performance," Papers WP674, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    4. Siedschlag, Iulia & Yan, Weijie, 2020. "Green investments and firm performance," Papers WP672, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    5. Yiling Zhu & Tong Zhao, 2022. "Exploring the Role of Environmental Regulation and Technological Innovation in Financial Performance: Evidence from Chinese Heavy-Polluting Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-18, August.
    6. Siedschlag, Iulia & Yan, Weijie, 2023. "Do green investments improve firm performance? Empirical evidence from Ireland," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PB).

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