IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/worlde/v31y2008i2p236-254.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Are ASEAN Countries Havens for Japanese Pollution‐Intensive Industry?

Author

Listed:
  • Robert J. R. Elliott
  • Kenichi Shimamoto

Abstract

In an era of closer worldwide economic integration, the role that environmental regulations play in shaping a country's comparative advantage is greater than ever. This has led to fears that ‘dirty’ firms will relocate from developed to developing countries where environmental regulations may be less stringent – the so‐called pollution haven hypothesis. To date, however, there is little support for the existence of pollution havens despite anecdotal evidence and the theoretical predictions. In this paper we employ a unique industry‐level dataset for Japan and examine whether Japanese industries have relocated production to their ASEAN neighbours in response to the relative stringency of Japanese environmental regulations. Not only do we find no evidence for pollution‐haven‐consistent behaviour but also some indication that the complex relationship between the characteristics of Japanese dirty industries and environmental regulations may actually have reduced Japanese outward FDI to the Philippines.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:31:y:2008:i:2:p:236-254
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.01088.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.01088.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.01088.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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James R. Markusen, 2004. "Multinational Firms and the Theory of International Trade," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262633078, December.
    2. 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..
    3. Lucas, Robert E.B. & Wheeler, David & Hettige, Hemamala, 1992. "Economic development, environmental regulation, and the international migration of toxic industrial pollution : 1960-88," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1062, The World Bank.
    4. Susmita Dasgupta & Ashoka Mody & Subhendu Roy & David Wheeler, 2001. "Environmental Regulation and Development: A Cross-country Empirical Analysis," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 173-187.
    5. Dean, Judith M., 1992. "Trade and the environment : a survey of the literature," Policy Research Working Paper Series 966, The World Bank.
    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. Aparna Sawhney & Rashmi Rastogi, 2019. "FDI in Indian Manufacturing: Whither high-tech industries?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(3), pages 2192-2209.
    2. Rezza, Alief A., 2013. "FDI and pollution havens: Evidence from the Norwegian manufacturing sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 140-149.
    3. 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.
    4. Yuping Deng & Yanrui Wu & Helian Xu, 2020. "Political Connections and Firm Pollution Behaviour: An Empirical Study," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 75(4), pages 867-898, April.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Copeland, Brian R., 2012. "International trade and green growth," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6235, The World Bank.
    8. 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.
    9. Rashmi Rastogi & Aparna Sawhney, "undated". "What Attracts FDI in Indian Manufacturing Industries?," Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Discussion Papers 13-02, Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
    10. Xiao Chen & Alan Woodland, 2013. "International trade and climate change," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 20(3), pages 381-413, June.
    11. Zhu, Huiming & Duan, Lijun & Guo, Yawei & Yu, Keming, 2016. "The effects of FDI, economic growth and energy consumption on carbon emissions in ASEAN-5: Evidence from panel quantile regression," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 237-248.
    12. Kaiyuan Ji & Xiangya Kong & Chun-Kai Leung & Kwok-Leung Shum, 2025. "Navigating Sustainability Through Environmental Regulations: Assessing the Effects of Command-and-Control and Market-Incentive Policies on Carbon Emissions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-25, March.
    13. Zhao, Jinjing & Li, Ai & Roh, Taewoo & Su, Miao, 2025. "Escaping regulation or embracing innovation? Substantive green Innovation's role in moderating environmental policy and outward foreign direct investment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    14. Jensen, Camilla & Mina, Andrea, 2019. "Did transition bring cleaner air? Effects of ownership, territorial and technology policy on air pollution," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    15. Yang Lu, 2010. "Do environmental regulations influence the competitiveness of pollution-intensive products?," Frontiers of Economics in China, Springer;Higher Education Press, vol. 5(2), pages 276-298, June.
    16. Ai, Hongshan & Xiong, Shiya & Li, Ke & Jia, Pinrong, 2020. "Electricity price and industrial green productivity: Does the “low-electricity price trap” exist?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    17. Al-mulali, Usama & Foon Tang, Chor, 2013. "Investigating the validity of pollution haven hypothesis in the gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 813-819.
    18. Michikazu Kojima & Etsuyo Michida, 2011. "Trade and the Environment," Chapters, in: Masahisa Fujita & Ikuo Kuroiwa & Satoru Kumagai (ed.), The Economics of East Asian Integration, chapter 18, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    19. 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.
    20. Chandran, V.G.R. & Tang, Chor Foon, 2013. "The impacts of transport energy consumption, foreign direct investment and income on CO2 emissions in ASEAN-5 economies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 445-453.
    21. Arimura, Toshihide & Iguchi, Hakaru & Michida, Etsuyo, 2014. "Product-related environmental regulation and voluntary environmental actions : impacts of RoHS and REACH in Malaysia," IDE Discussion Papers 454, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    22. Masayoshi Ike & Jerome Denis Donovan & Cheree Topple & Eryadi Kordi Masli, 2024. "Pollution Havens in South-East Asia: Examining Japanese Multinational Enterprises in the Philippines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-14, May.

    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. M A Cole & R J R Elliott & K Shimamoto, 2003. "US Specialization in Pollution-Intensive Industries: Factor Intensities versus Environmental Regulations," Economics Discussion Paper Series 0321, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    2. Selim Cagatay & Hakan Mihci, 2003. "Industrial Pollution, Environmental Suffering And Policy Measures: An Index Of Environmental Sensitivity Performance (Iesp)," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(02), pages 205-245.
    3. 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.
    4. Rothman, Dale S., 1998. "Environmental Kuznets curves--real progress or passing the buck?: A case for consumption-based approaches," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 177-194, May.
    5. Kakali Mukhopadhyay & Debesh Chakraborty, 2005. "Is liberalization of trade good for the environment? Evidence from India," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 12(1), pages 109-136, June.
    6. Moinul Islam & Keiichiro Kanemoto & Shunsuke Managi, 2016. "Impact of Trade Openness and Sector Trade on Embodied Greenhouse Gases Emissions and Air Pollutants," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 20(3), pages 494-505, June.
    7. Lynch, Lori & Malcolm, Scott A. & Zilberman, David, 2005. "Effect of a Differentially Applied Environmental Regulation on Agricultural Trade Patterns and Production Location: The Case of Methyl Bromide," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 34(01), pages 1-21, April.
    8. Wilson,John S. & Tsunehiro Otsuki & Sewadeh, Mirvat, 2002. "Dirty exports and environmental regulation : do standards matter to trade?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2806, The World Bank.
    9. Reppelin-Hill, Valerie, 1999. "Trade and Environment: An Empirical Analysis of the Technology Effect in the Steel Industry," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 283-301, November.
    10. Katrin Millock & Natalia Zugravu & Gérard Duchene, 2008. "The Factors Behind CO2 Emission Reduction in Transition Economies," Working Papers 2008.58, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    11. Di Ubaldo, Mattia & Gasiorek, Michael, 2022. "Non-trade provisions in trade agreements and FDI," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    12. Xiaoping He & Xin Yao, 2017. "Foreign Direct Investments and the Environmental Kuznets Curve: New Evidence from Chinese Provinces," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(1), pages 12-25, January.
    13. 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.
    14. Ding, Haoyuan & Fan, Haichao & Li, Chang & Qiu, Larry D., 2023. "The effects of discriminatory protections on cross-border mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 501-523.
    15. Chai, Joseph C.H., 2000. "Trade and Environment: Evidence from China's Manufacturing Sector," Economics, Ecology and Environment Working Papers 48005, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    16. 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..
    17. Cole, Matthew A. & Elliott, Robert J.R. & Shimamoto, Kenichi, 2005. "Why the grass is not always greener: the competing effects of environmental regulations and factor intensities on US specialization," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 95-109, July.
    18. Pieter J.H. van Beukering & Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh & Marco A. Janssen & Harmen Verbruggen, 2000. "International Material-Product Chains: An Alternative Perspective on International Trade and Trade Theories," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 00-034/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    19. Mayer, T. & Mejean, I. & Nefussi, B., 2010. "The location of domestic and foreign production affiliates by French multinational firms," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 115-128, September.
    20. Mayer, T. & Mejean, I. & Nefussi, B., 2010. "The location of domestic and foreign production affiliates by French multinational firms," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 115-128, September.

    More about this item

    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:bla:worlde:v:31:y:2008:i:2:p:236-254. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0378-5920 .

    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.