IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/regeco/v54y2018i2d10.1007_s11149-018-9366-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The spatial correlation and interaction between environmental regulation and foreign direct investment

Author

Listed:
  • Zhonghua Cheng

    (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology)

  • Lianshui Li

    (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology)

  • Jun Liu

    (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology)

Abstract

This paper uses spatial simultaneous equation models to analyze the two-way mechanism between environmental regulation and foreign direct investment (FDI). The results, based on data from 285 cities in China from 2003 to 2014, show the following. (1) Not only does environmental regulation have a significant impact on the location choice of FDI, but FDI tends to flow to a city with more relaxed environmental regulation. Environmental regulation can also trigger the near transfer effect of FDI. (2) FDI has a significant spatial spillover effect and this spatial spillover effect has an important impact on FDI and environmental regulation in a particular city. (3) Although multinationals choose a city with more relaxed environmental regulations when they invest in China, FDI inflows have increased both the number and severity of local environmental regulations, indicating that the “pollution haven” hypothesis does not hold in China. (4) Environmental regulation has a significant spatial spillover effect, and this spatial spillover effect has an important impact on both environmental regulation and FDI in cities. In China, there is also a local competitive effect of environmental regulation, albeit with significant regional differences.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhonghua Cheng & Lianshui Li & Jun Liu, 2018. "The spatial correlation and interaction between environmental regulation and foreign direct investment," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 124-146, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:regeco:v:54:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11149-018-9366-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11149-018-9366-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11149-018-9366-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11149-018-9366-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:wly:soecon:v:82:1:y:2015:p:257-284 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Abay Mulatu & Reyer Gerlagh & Dan Rigby & Ada Wossink, 2010. "Environmental Regulation and Industry Location in Europe," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 45(4), pages 459-479, April.
    3. Dam, Lammertjan & Scholtens, Bert, 2008. "Environmental regulation and MNEs location: Does CSR matter?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 55-65, August.
    4. Robert J. R. Elliott & Kenichi Shimamoto, 2008. "Are ASEAN Countries Havens for Japanese Pollution‐Intensive Industry?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 236-254, February.
    5. Jitao Tang, 2015. "Testing the Pollution Haven Effect: Does the Type of FDI Matter?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 60(4), pages 549-578, April.
    6. Edward Manderson & Richard Kneller, 2012. "Environmental Regulations, Outward FDI and Heterogeneous Firms: Are Countries Used as Pollution Havens?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 51(3), pages 317-352, March.
    7. Matthew A. Cole & Robert J. R. Elliott & Per G. Fredriksson, 2006. "Endogenous Pollution Havens: Does FDI Influence Environmental Regulations?," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 108(1), pages 157-178, March.
    8. Daniel L. Millimet & Jayjit Roy, 2016. "Empirical Tests of the Pollution Haven Hypothesis When Environmental Regulation is Endogenous," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(4), pages 652-677, June.
    9. List, John A. & Co, Catherine Y., 2000. "The Effects of Environmental Regulations on Foreign Direct Investment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 1-20, July.
    10. Kelejian, Harry H. & Prucha, Ingmar R., 2004. "Estimation of simultaneous systems of spatially interrelated cross sectional equations," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 118(1-2), pages 27-50.
    11. Judith M. Dean & Mary E. Lovely & Hua Wang, 2017. "Are foreign investors attracted to weak environmental regulations? Evaluating the evidence from China," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Mary E Lovely (ed.), International Economic Integration and Domestic Performance, chapter 9, pages 155-167, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    12. Robert Elliott & Ying Zhou, 2013. "Environmental Regulation Induced Foreign Direct Investment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 55(1), pages 141-158, May.
    13. Levinson, Arik, 2003. "Environmental Regulatory Competition: A Status Report and Some New Evidence," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 56(1), pages 91-106, March.
    14. Baltagi, Badi H. & Egger, Peter & Pfaffermayr, Michael, 2007. "Estimating models of complex FDI: Are there third-country effects?," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 140(1), pages 260-281, September.
    15. Bouwe R. Dijkstra & Anuj Joshua Mathew & Arijit Mukherjee, 2011. "Environmental Regulation: An Incentive for Foreign Direct Investment," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(3), pages 568-578, August.
    16. Harry Garretsen & Jolanda Peeters, 2009. "FDI and the relevance of spatial linkages: do third-country effects matter for Dutch FDI?," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 145(2), pages 319-338, July.
    17. Shen, Junyi, 2006. "A simultaneous estimation of Environmental Kuznets Curve: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 383-394.
    18. Baltagi, Badi H. & Egger, Peter & Pfaffermayr, Michael, 2008. "Estimating regional trade agreement effects on FDI in an interdependent world," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 145(1-2), pages 194-208, July.
    19. Colin Kirkpatrick & Kenichi Shimamoto, 2008. "The effect of environmental regulation on the locational choice of Japanese foreign direct investment," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(11), pages 1399-1409.
    20. Steven Poelhekke & Frederick Ploeg, 2015. "Green Havens and Pollution Havens," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 1159-1178, July.
    21. Daniela Marconi, 2012. "Environmental Regulation and Revealed Comparative Advantages in Europe: Is China a Pollution Haven?," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 616-635, August.
    22. Baomin Dong & Jiong Gong & Xin Zhao, 2012. "FDI and environmental regulation: pollution haven or a race to the top?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 216-237, April.
    23. Jing Lan & Makoto Kakinaka & Xianguo Huang, 2012. "Foreign Direct Investment, Human Capital and Environmental Pollution in China," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 51(2), pages 255-275, February.
    24. Cole, Matthew A. & Fredriksson, Per G., 2009. "Institutionalized pollution havens," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 1239-1256, February.
    25. Chung, Sunghoon, 2014. "Environmental regulation and foreign direct investment: Evidence from South Korea," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 222-236.
    26. José-Antonio Monteiro & Madina Kukenova, 2008. "Does Lax Environmental Regulation Attract FDI When Accounting For "Third-Country" Effects?," IRENE Working Papers 08-01, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    27. Matthew A. Cole & Robert J. R. Elliott, 2005. "FDI and the Capital Intensity of “Dirty” Sectors: A Missing Piece of the Pollution Haven Puzzle," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(4), pages 530-548, November.
    28. Bruce A. Blonigen & Ronald B. Davies & Glen R. Waddell & Helen T. Naughton, 2019. "FDI in Space: Spatial Autoregressive Relationships in Foreign Direct Investment," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Foreign Direct Investment, chapter 2, pages 55-88, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    29. Lise Tole & Gary Koop, 2011. "Do environmental regulations affect the location decisions of multinational gold mining firms?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(1), pages 151-177, January.
    30. David M. Konisky, 2007. "Regulatory Competition and Environmental Enforcement: Is There a Race to the Bottom?," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 51(4), pages 853-872, October.
    31. Ayse M. Erdogan, 2014. "Foreign Direct Investment And Environmental Regulations: A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 943-955, December.
    32. Margarita Kalamova & Nick Johnstone, 2012. "Environmental Policy Stringency and Foreign Direct Investment," Chapters, in: Frank Wijen & Kees Zoeteman & Jan Pieters & Paul van Seters (ed.), A Handbook of Globalisation and Environmental Policy, Second Edition, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    33. Eskeland, Gunnar S. & Harrison, Ann E., 2003. "Moving to greener pastures? Multinationals and the pollution haven hypothesis," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 1-23, February.
    34. Ulrich Wagner & Christopher Timmins, 2009. "Agglomeration Effects in Foreign Direct Investment and the Pollution Haven Hypothesis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 43(2), pages 231-256, June.
    35. Ki-Dong Lee & Woohyung Lee & Kichun Kang, 2014. "Pollution Haven with Technological Externalities Arising from Foreign Direct Investment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 57(1), pages 1-18, January.
    36. Fredriksson, Per G. & Millimet, Daniel L., 2002. "Strategic Interaction and the Determination of Environmental Policy across U.S. States," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 101-122, January.
    37. Kellenberg, Derek K., 2009. "An empirical investigation of the pollution haven effect with strategic environment and trade policy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(2), pages 242-255, July.
    38. Apergis, Nicholas, 2016. "Environmental Kuznets curves: New evidence on both panel and country-level CO2 emissions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 263-271.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Koichi Fukumura & Atsushi Yamagishi, 2020. "Minimum wage competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(6), pages 1557-1581, December.
    2. Sheng, Jichuan & Tang, Weizong & Zhu, Bangzhu, 2019. "Incentivizing REDD+: The role of cost-sharing mechanisms in encouraging stakeholders to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    3. Cheng, Zhonghua & Li, Lianshui & Liu, Jun, 2020. "Natural resource abundance, resource industry dependence and economic green growth in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Kou, Po & Han, Ying & Qi, Xiaoyuan, 2022. "The operational mechanism and effectiveness of China's central environmental protection inspection: Evidence from air pollution," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    5. Nihal Ahmed & Zeeshan Hamid & Khalil Ur Rehman & Piotr Senkus & Nisar Ahmed Khan & Aneta Wysokińska-Senkus & Barbara Hadryjańska, 2023. "Environmental Regulation, Fiscal Decentralization, and Agricultural Carbon Intensity: A Challenge to Ecological Sustainability Policies in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    6. Shiwen Liu & Zhong Zhang & Guangyao Xu & Zhen Zhang & Hongyuan Li, 2021. "How Promotion Incentives and Environmental Regulations Affect China’s Environmental Pollution?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.
    7. Federico Carril-Caccia & Juliette Milgram Baleix, 2023. "Impact of Environmental Regulation on Cross-Border MAs in high- and low-polluting sectors," ThE Papers 23/04, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada..
    8. Shi Wang & Wen Zhang & Hua Wang & Jue Wang & Mu-Jun Jiang, 2021. "How Does Income Inequality Influence Environmental Regulation in the Context of Corruption? A Panel Threshold Analysis Based on Chinese Provincial Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-18, July.
    9. Cheng, Zhonghua & Jin, Wei, 2022. "Agglomeration economy and the growth of green total-factor productivity in Chinese Industry," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    10. Sheng, Jichuan, 2019. "Neoliberal environmentality and incentive-coordinated REDD+ contracts," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 400-407.
    11. Xiaodong Yang & Jianlong Wang & Jianhong Cao & Siyu Ren & Qiying Ran & Haitao Wu, 2022. "The spatial spillover effect of urban sprawl and fiscal decentralization on air pollution: evidence from 269 cities in China," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 847-875, August.
    12. Artie W. Ng & Sally Mingle Yorke & Jatin Nathwani, 2022. "Enforcing Double Materiality in Global Sustainability Reporting for Developing Economies: Reflection on Ghana’s Oil Exploration and Mining Sectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-22, August.
    13. Ling-Yun He & Hong-Zhen Zhang, 2021. "Spillover or crowding out? The effects of environmental regulation on residents’ willingness to pay for environmental protection," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 105(1), pages 611-630, January.
    14. Song Wang & Jiexin Wang & Chenqi Wei & Xueli Wang & Fei Fan, 2021. "Collaborative innovation efficiency: From within cities to between cities—Empirical analysis based on innovative cities in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 1330-1360, September.
    15. Wugan Cai & Peiyun Ye, 2022. "Local-neighborhood effects of different environmental regulations on green innovation: evidence from prefecture level cities of China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 4810-4834, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sylwia Bialek & Alfons J. Weichenrieder, 2021. "Do Stringent Environmental Policies Deter FDI? M&A versus Greenfield," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 80(3), pages 603-636, November.
    2. José-Antonio Monteiro & Madina Kukenova, 2008. "Does Lax Environmental Regulation Attract FDI When Accounting For "Third-Country" Effects?," IRENE Working Papers 08-01, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    3. Imad Moosa, 2019. "The Environmental Effects of FDI: Evidence from MENA Countries," Working Papers 1321, Economic Research Forum, revised 21 Aug 2019.
    4. Natalia Zugravu-Soilita, 2017. "How does Foreign Direct Investment Affect Pollution? Toward a Better Understanding of the Direct and Conditional Effects," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 66(2), pages 293-338, February.
    5. Millimet, Daniel L. & Roy, Jayjit, 2011. "Three New Empirical Tests of the Pollution Haven Hypothesis When Environmental Regulation is Endogenous," IZA Discussion Papers 5911, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Assad Ullah & Xinshun Zhao & Muhammad Abdul Kamal & Jiajia Zheng, 2022. "Environmental regulations and inward FDI in China: Fresh evidence from the asymmetric autoregressive distributed lag approach," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 1340-1356, January.
    7. Mingquan Li & Qi Wang, 2020. "Does industrial relocation alleviate environmental pollution? A mathematical economics analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 4673-4698, June.
    8. Francesca Sanna-Randaccio & Roberta Sestini & Ornella Tarola, 2017. "Unilateral Climate Policy and Foreign Direct Investment with Firm and Country Heterogeneity," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 67(2), pages 379-401, June.
    9. Jitao Tang, 2015. "Testing the Pollution Haven Effect: Does the Type of FDI Matter?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 60(4), pages 549-578, April.
    10. Grégoire Garsous & Tomasz Kozluk, 2017. "Foreign Direct Investment and The Pollution Haven Hypothesis: Evidence from Listed Firms," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1379, OECD Publishing.
    11. Sunghoon Chung, 2012. "Environmental Regulation and the Pattern of Outward FDI: An Empirical Assessment of the Pollution Haven Hypothesis," Departmental Working Papers 1203, Southern Methodist University, Department of Economics.
    12. Liu, Wei & Zhao, Zhihui & Wen, Zhao & Cheng, Shixiong, 2022. "Environmental regulation and OFDI: Evidence from Chinese listed firms," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 191-208.
    13. Saussay, Aurélien & Zugravu-Soilita, Natalia, 2023. "International production chains and the pollution offshoring hypothesis: An empirical investigation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    14. Abay Mulatu, 2017. "The Structure of UK Outbound FDI and Environmental Regulation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 68(1), pages 65-96, September.
    15. Aparna Sawhney & Rashmi Rastogi, 2019. "FDI in Indian Manufacturing: Whither high-tech industries?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(3), pages 2192-2209.
    16. Ben Kheder, Sonia & Zugravu, Natalia, 2012. "Environmental regulation and French firms location abroad: An economic geography model in an international comparative study," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 48-61.
    17. Rezza, Alief A., 2013. "FDI and pollution havens: Evidence from the Norwegian manufacturing sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 140-149.
    18. Edward Manderson & Richard Kneller, 2012. "Environmental Regulations, Outward FDI and Heterogeneous Firms: Are Countries Used as Pollution Havens?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 51(3), pages 317-352, March.
    19. Maoliang Bu & Marcus Wagner, 2016. "Racing to the bottom and racing to the top: The crucial role of firm characteristics in foreign direct investment choices," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(9), pages 1032-1057, December.
    20. Lorena D’Agostino, 2015. "How MNEs respond to environmental regulation: integrating the Porter hypothesis and the pollution haven hypothesis," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 32(2), pages 245-269, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental regulation; Foreign direct investment; Interaction; Pollution haven; Regulation competition; Spatial spillover effect;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C3 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables
    • F6 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:regeco:v:54:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11149-018-9366-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.