IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i2p590-d1316093.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Green Overseas Investment Improve Public Perception in Host Countries? Evidence from Chinese Energy Engagement in 32 African Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Christoph Nedopil

    (Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
    Green Finance and Development Center, Fanhai International School of Finance (FISF), Fudan University, Shanghai 200437, China)

  • Mengdi Yue

    (Green Finance and Development Center, Fanhai International School of Finance (FISF), Fudan University, Shanghai 200437, China)

Abstract

This study examines whether and how green overseas economic engagement impacts public perception in host countries as a form of soft power. We build an extensive country-level dataset on Chinese bilateral engagement in 32 African countries from 2015 to 2019 and use a fixed-effect model. We find that increased investment in green energy improves the average public perception of China. In contrast, for non-green energy investment (like coal, gas, and oil), which might also be considered as contributing to economic and employment growth, we did not find such effects. The results indicate that green economic engagement has positive non-monetary returns on the macro-scale and that by taking environmental considerations into investment decision-making, long-term bilateral relationships can be positively impacted.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoph Nedopil & Mengdi Yue, 2024. "Does Green Overseas Investment Improve Public Perception in Host Countries? Evidence from Chinese Energy Engagement in 32 African Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:590-:d:1316093
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/2/590/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/2/590/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tancrède Voituriez & Wang Yao & Mathias Lund Larsen, 2019. "Revising the ‘host country standard’ principle: a step for China to align its overseas investment with the Paris Agreement," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(10), pages 1205-1210, November.
    2. Lukas Wellner & Axel Dreher & Andreas Fuchs & Bradley C. Parks & Austin M. Strange, 2022. "Can Aid Buy Foreign Public Support? Evidence from Chinese Development Finance," CESifo Working Paper Series 9646, CESifo.
    3. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Wing Thye Woo & Naoyuki Yoshino & Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2019. "Why is Green Finance Important ?," Working Papers id:12983, eSocialSciences.
    4. Matthias Busse & José Luis Groizard, 2008. "Foreign Direct Investment, Regulations and Growth," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 861-886, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Musakwa Mercy T. & Odhiambo Nicholas M., 2019. "Foreign Direct Investment Dynamics in South Africa: Reforms, Trends and Challenges," Studia Universitatis „Vasile Goldis” Arad – Economics Series, Sciendo, vol. 29(2), pages 33-53, June.
    2. Kelly Sims Gallagher & Qi Qi, 2021. "Chinese Overseas Investment Policy: Implications for Climate Change," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(3), pages 260-272, May.
    3. Wang, Mei Ling, 2023. "Effects of the green finance policy on the green innovation efficiency of the manufacturing industry: A difference-in-difference model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    4. Aleksandra Parteka & Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz, 2013. "The Impact of Trade Integration with the European Union on Productivity in a Posttransition Economy: The Case of Polish Manufacturing Sectors," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(2), pages 84-104, March.
    5. Kose,Ayhan & Ohnsorge,Franziska Lieselotte & Ye,Lei Sandy & Islamaj,Ergys, 2017. "Weakness in investment growth : causes, implications and policy responses," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7990, The World Bank.
    6. Beverelli, Cosimo & Fiorini, Matteo & Hoekman, Bernard, 2017. "Services trade policy and manufacturing productivity: The role of institutions," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 166-182.
    7. Cristina JUDE & Grégory LEVIEUGE, 2013. "Growth Effect of FDI in Developing Economies: the Role of Institutional Quality," LEO Working Papers / DR LEO 2251, Orleans Economics Laboratory / Laboratoire d'Economie d'Orleans (LEO), University of Orleans.
    8. Dinuk Jayasuriya, 2011. "Improvements in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Rankings: Do they translate into greater foreign direct investment inflows?," Development Policy Centre Discussion Papers 1108, Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    9. Petr Jakubik & Sibel Uguz, 2021. "Impact of green bond policies on insurers: evidence from the European equity market," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 45(2), pages 381-393, April.
    10. Ines TROJETTE, 2016. "The Effect Of Foreign Direct Investment On Economic Growth: The Institutional Threshold," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 43, pages 111-138.
    11. Krammer, Sorin M.S., 2014. "Assessing the relative importance of multiple channels for embodied and disembodied technological spillovers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 272-286.
    12. Brandon Pizzola, 2018. "Business regulation and business investment: evidence from US manufacturing 1970–2009," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 243-255, June.
    13. Mastromarco Camilla & Laura Serlenga & Yongcheol Shin, 2013. "Globalisation and technological convergence in the EU," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 15-29, August.
    14. Lewis Davis & Claudia R. Williamson, 2018. "Open Borders for Business? Causes and Consequences of the Regulation of Foreign Entry," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 85(2), pages 508-536, October.
    15. Masron, Tajul Ariffin, 2013. "Promoting intra-ASEAN FDI: The role of AFTA and AIA," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 43-48.
    16. Dalila NICET-CHENAF & Eric ROUGIER, 2009. "FDI and growth: A new look at a still puzzling issue," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2009-13, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    17. James Broughel & Robert W. Hahn, 2022. "The impact of economic regulation on growth: Survey and synthesis," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(2), pages 448-469, April.
    18. Christoph Nedopil & Mathias Lund Larsen & Mengdi Yue & Yao Wang, 2022. "Prospects of the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) to catalyse infrastructure financing," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 81-110, January.
    19. Dalila NICET- CHENAF (GREThA-GRES) & Eric ROUGIER (GREThA-GRES), 2008. "Recent exports matter: export discoveries, FDI and Growth, an empirical assessment for MENA countries," Cahiers du GRES (2002-2009) 2008-17, Groupement de Recherches Economiques et Sociales.
    20. Fotini Economou & Christis Hassapis & Nikolaos Philippas & Mike Tsionas, 2017. "Foreign Direct Investment Determinants in OECD and Developing Countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 527-542, August.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:590-:d:1316093. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.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.