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Do environmental regulations affect FDI decisions? The pollution haven hypothesis revisited

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  • Haeyeon Yoon
  • Almas Heshmati

Abstract

This study attempts to verify the pollution haven hypothesis by investigating the impact of environmental regulations on foreign direct investment (FDI). It uses Korean outward FDI data covering the manufacturing sector for the period 2009–15. This study not only considers the stringency when measuring the degree of the host country’s environmental regulations but also the enforcement of these environmental regulations. Since the pollution haven’s effects indicate moving the polluting production stages from the home country to other (host) countries, we differentiate between investments in the ‘production’ part from those in the non-production part using location information about the host country. The main results of a FDI’s model estimation show that the stricter the regulations in host countries in Asia, the lower the FDI both intensively and extensively in these countries. This supports the prevalence of the effects of a pollution haven. However, before we separate FDI into the production and non-production parts, the effects of environmental regulations on FDI are hindered by FDI in the non-production part. The results indicate that while environmental regulations are determinants of FDI in the production part, they do not have a significant effect on FDI decisions when the entire FDI is considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Haeyeon Yoon & Almas Heshmati, 2021. "Do environmental regulations affect FDI decisions? The pollution haven hypothesis revisited," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(1), pages 122-131.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:scippl:v:48:y:2021:i:1:p:122-131.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/scipol/scaa060
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    Cited by:

    1. Muhammad Azam & Hina Khan & Zia Ur Rehman, 2024. "Analyzing the Threshold Effect in the Relationship Between Income and Environmental Degradation in the Middle East and North Africa Region," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 6057-6078, June.
    2. Xuhui Ding & Yong Chen & Min Li & Narisu Liu, 2022. "Booster or Killer? Research on Undertaking Transferred Industries and Residents’ Well-Being Improvements," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Nor Aznin Abu Bakar & Jimoh Olajide Raji & Rana Muhammad Adeel-Farooq, 2019. "Greenfield, Mergers & Acquisitions, Energy Consumption, and Environmental Performance in selected SAARC and ASEAN countries," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(2), pages 216-224.
    4. YuBiao Hao & XueCheng Zhang, 2023. "The impact of environmental regulation on urban green output efficiency: evidence from China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 5717-5735, June.
    5. Elvis D. Achuo & Clovis Wendji Miamo & Clémence Zite Kouhomou, 2024. "Resource rents and environmental pollution in developing countries: Does the quality of institutions matter?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 360-387, February.
    6. Qinghua Huang & Min Liu, 2022. "Trade openness and green total factor productivity: testing the role of environment regulation based on dynamic panel threshold model," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 9304-9329, July.
    7. Ali Çelik, 2023. "Testing Linear and Nonlinear Relationships Between Foreign Direct Investment and Fossil Energy Consumption in Fragile Five Countries," EKOIST Journal of Econometrics and Statistics, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(38), pages 1-77, June.
    8. Jianquan Guo & He Cheng, 2024. "Acquirers’ carbon risk, environmental regulation, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions: evidence from China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 15861-15904, June.
    9. Jiangfeng Hu & Zhao Wang & Qinghua Huang & Xiaoqin Zhang, 2019. "Environmental Regulation Intensity, Foreign Direct Investment, and Green Technology Spillover—An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, May.
    10. Joltreau, Eugénie & Sommerfeld, Katrin, 2016. "Why does emissions trading under the EU ETS not affect firms' competitiveness? Empirical findings from the literature," ZEW Discussion Papers 16-062, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    11. Xiaodi Yang & Di Wang, 2022. "Heterogeneous Environmental Regulation, Foreign Direct Investment, and Regional Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, May.
    12. Lyubov Tsoy & Almas Heshmati, 2024. "Is FDI inflow bad for environmental sustainability?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(11), pages 28843-28858, November.
    13. Satoğlu, E. Beyza & Salmon, Jessica Rae, 2024. "Environmental policy stringency and foreign direct investment: A study considering the impact of country-income level," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    14. Qian Wang & Zhuoya Du & Boyu Wang & Yung‐ho Chiu & Tzu‐Han Chang, 2022. "Environmental regulation and foreign direct investment attractiveness: Evidence from China provinces," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 899-917, May.
    15. Weijiang Liu & Mingze Du, 2021. "Is Technological Progress Selective for Multiple Pollutant Emissions?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-17, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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