Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates the controversial impact of environmental regulations and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, specifically in 32 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries from 2005 to 2020. Challenging the widely debated "pollution haven" hypothesis—which posits that lax environmental standards attract FDI—we investigate whether stringent environmental policies deter investment inflows in this underexplored region. Our comprehensive panel data analysis reveals a surprising outcome, strict environmental regulations in OIC nations do not deter FDI. in fact, they may even encourage it. These findings defy conventional wisdom and offer crucial insights for policymakers, suggesting that robust environmental frameworks can enhance a country's attractiveness to foreign investors. This research encourages a fundamental reassessment of how we understand the interplay between environmental stewardship and global investment.
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References
- Aziz, O. G. (2018). Institutional quality and FDI inflows in Arab economies. Finance Research Letters, 25, 111-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2017.10.026
- Bu, M., & Wagner, M. (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, 47, 1032-1057. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-016-0013-4
- Bouchoucha, N., & Benammou, S. (2020). Does institutional quality matter foreign direct investment? Evidence from African countries. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 11, 390-404. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-018-0552-y
- Boulouta, I., & Pitelis, C. N. (2014). Who needs CSR? The impact of corporate social responsibility on national competitiveness. Journal of Business Ethics, 119, 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1633-2
- Cai, X., Zhu, B., Zhang, H., Li, L., & Xie, M. (2020). Can direct environmental regulation promote green technology innovation in heavily polluting industries? Evidence from Chinese listed companies. Science of the Total Environment, 746, 140810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140810
- Chen, F., & Jiang, G. (2021). Investigating the impact of institutional quality on FDI: Are there promotional effects in economic integration regions?. Sustainability, 13(20), 11309. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011309
- Chipalkatti, N., Le, Q. V., & Rishi, M. (2021). Sustainability and society: Do environmental, social, and governance factors matter for foreign direct investment?. Energies, 14(19), 6039. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14196039
- Chung, S. (2014). Environmental regulation and foreign direct investment: Evidence from South Korea. Journal of Development Economics, 108, 222-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.01.003
- Contractor, F. J., Dangol, R., Nuruzzaman, N., & Raghunath, S. (2020). How do country regulations and business environment impact foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows?. International Business Review, 29(2), 101640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2019.101640
- Dean, J. M., Lovely, M. E., & Wang, H. (2009). Are foreign investors attracted to weak environmental regulations? Evaluating the evidence from China. Journal of development Economics, 90(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2008.11.007
- Dechezleprêtre, A., & Sato, M. (2017). The impacts of environmental regulations on competitiveness. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 11(2), 183-206. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rex013
- Gao, D., Li, G., Li, Y., & Gao, K. (2022). Does FDI improve green total factor energy efficiency under heterogeneous environmental regulation? Evidence from China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(17), 25665-25678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-17771-1
- Fahad, S., Bai, D., Liu, L., & Baloch, Z. A. (2022). Heterogeneous impacts of environmental regulation on foreign direct investment: do environmental regulation affect FDI decisions?. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(4), 5092-5104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15277-4
- Han, Y. (2023). Promoting green economy efficiency through fiscal decentralization and environmental regulation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(5), 11675-11688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22952-7
- Hashmi, M. A., Damanhouri, A., & Rana, D. (2015). Evaluation of sustainability practices in the United States and large corporations. Journal of Business Ethics, 127, 673-681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2056-4
- Huang, S. Z. (2022). The effect of natural resources and economic factors on energy transition: New evidence from China. Resources Policy, 76, 102620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102620
- Keller, W., & Levinson, A. (2002). Pollution abatement costs and foreign direct investment inflows to US states. Review of Economics and Statistics, 84(4), 691-703. https://doi.org/10.1162/003465302760556503
- Khoshnava, S. M., Rostami, R., Zin, R. M., Štreimikienė, D., Yousefpour, A., Strielkowski, W., & Mardani, A. (2019). Aligning the criteria of green economy (GE) and sustainable development goals (SDGs) to implement sustainable development. Sustainability, 11(17), 4615. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174615
- Kim, Y., & Rhee, D. E. (2019). Do stringent environmental regulations attract foreign direct investment in developing countries? Evidence on the “Race to the Top” from cross-country panel data. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 55(12), 2796-2808. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2018.1531240
- Lall, S. (1995). Employment and foreign investment: Policy options for developing countries. International Labour Review, 134(4-5), 521.
- List, J. A., & Co, C. Y. (2000). The effects of environmental regulations on foreign direct investment. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 40(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1006/jeem.1999.1095
- Loiseau, E., Saikku, L., Antikainen, R., Droste, N., Hansjürgens, B., Pitkänen, K., Leskinen, P., Kuikman, P., & Thomsen, M. (2016). Green economy and related concepts: An overview. Journal of Cleaner Production, 139, 361-371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.024
- Luo, Y., Salman, M., & Lu, Z. (2021). Heterogeneous impacts of environmental regulations and foreign direct investment on green innovation across different regions in China. Science of the Total Environment, 759, 143744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143744
- Lv, C., Shao, C., & Lee, C. C. (2021). Green technology innovation and financial development: Do environmental regulation and innovation output matter?. Energy Economics, 98, 105237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105237
- Mentes, M. (2023). Sustainable development economy and the development of green economy in the European Union. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 13(1), 1-18.
- Porter, M., & Van der Linde, C. (1995). Green and competitive: ending the stalemate. Harvard Business Review, 33, 120-134.
- Qoyum, A., Al Hashfi, R. U., Zusryn, A. S., Kusuma, H., & Qizam, I. (2021). Does an Islamic-SRI portfolio really matter? Empirical application of valuation models in Indonesia. Borsa Istanbul Review, 21(2), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2020.08.002
- Sabir, S., Rafique, A., & Abbas, K. (2019). Institutions and FDI: evidence from developed and developing countries. Financial Innovation, 5(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-019 0123-7
- Saini, N., & Singhania, M. (2018). Determinants of FDI in developed and developing countries: A quantitative analysis using GMM. Journal of Economic Studies, 45(2), 348-382.
- Sajilan, S., Islam, M. U., Ali, M., & Anwar, U. (2019). The determinants of FDI in OIC countries. International Journal of Financial Research, 10(5), 466-473. http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/ijfr.v10n5p466
- Sambharya, R. B., & Rasheed, A. A. (2015). Does economic freedom in host countries lead to increased foreign direct investment?. Competitiveness Review, 25(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-05-2013-0047
- Shuai, S., & Fan, Z. (2020). Modeling the role of environmental regulations in regional green economy efficiency of China: Empirical evidence from super efficiency DEA-Tobit model. Journal of Environmental Management, 261, 110227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110227
- Sultana, S., Zulkifli, N., & Zainal, D. (2018). Environmental, social and governance (ESG) and investment decision in Bangladesh. Sustainability, 10(6), 1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061831
- Tao, H., Tao, M., & Wang, R. (2022). Do education human capital and environmental regulation drive the growth efficiency of the green economy in China?. Sustainability, 14(24), 16524. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416524
- Ullah, I., & Khan, M. A. (2017). Institutional quality and foreign direct investment inflows: evidence from Asian countries. Journal of Economic Studies, 44(6), 1030-1050. https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-10-2016-0215
- United Nations Environment Programme. International Resource Panel. (2011). Decoupling natural resource use and environmental impacts from economic growth. UNEP/Earthprint.
- Wanner, T. (2015). The new ‘passive revolution’of the green economy and growth discourse: Maintaining the ‘sustainable development’of neoliberal capitalism. New Political Economy, 20(1), 21-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2013.866081
- Xiao, D., Gao, L., Xu, L., Wang, Z., & Wei, W. (2023). Revisiting the Green Growth Effect of Foreign Direct Investment from the Perspective of Environmental Regulation: Evidence from China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2655. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032655
- Zhang, W., Li, G., Uddin, M. K., & Guo, S. (2020). Environmental regulation, foreign investment behavior, and carbon emissions for 30 provinces in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, 119208. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-05-2013-0047
References
Aziz, O. G. (2018). Institutional quality and FDI inflows in Arab economies. Finance Research Letters, 25, 111-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2017.10.026
Bu, M., & Wagner, M. (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, 47, 1032-1057. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-016-0013-4
Bouchoucha, N., & Benammou, S. (2020). Does institutional quality matter foreign direct investment? Evidence from African countries. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 11, 390-404. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-018-0552-y
Boulouta, I., & Pitelis, C. N. (2014). Who needs CSR? The impact of corporate social responsibility on national competitiveness. Journal of Business Ethics, 119, 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1633-2
Cai, X., Zhu, B., Zhang, H., Li, L., & Xie, M. (2020). Can direct environmental regulation promote green technology innovation in heavily polluting industries? Evidence from Chinese listed companies. Science of the Total Environment, 746, 140810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140810
Chen, F., & Jiang, G. (2021). Investigating the impact of institutional quality on FDI: Are there promotional effects in economic integration regions?. Sustainability, 13(20), 11309. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011309
Chipalkatti, N., Le, Q. V., & Rishi, M. (2021). Sustainability and society: Do environmental, social, and governance factors matter for foreign direct investment?. Energies, 14(19), 6039. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14196039
Chung, S. (2014). Environmental regulation and foreign direct investment: Evidence from South Korea. Journal of Development Economics, 108, 222-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.01.003
Contractor, F. J., Dangol, R., Nuruzzaman, N., & Raghunath, S. (2020). How do country regulations and business environment impact foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows?. International Business Review, 29(2), 101640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2019.101640
Dean, J. M., Lovely, M. E., & Wang, H. (2009). Are foreign investors attracted to weak environmental regulations? Evaluating the evidence from China. Journal of development Economics, 90(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2008.11.007
Dechezleprêtre, A., & Sato, M. (2017). The impacts of environmental regulations on competitiveness. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 11(2), 183-206. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rex013
Gao, D., Li, G., Li, Y., & Gao, K. (2022). Does FDI improve green total factor energy efficiency under heterogeneous environmental regulation? Evidence from China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(17), 25665-25678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-17771-1
Fahad, S., Bai, D., Liu, L., & Baloch, Z. A. (2022). Heterogeneous impacts of environmental regulation on foreign direct investment: do environmental regulation affect FDI decisions?. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(4), 5092-5104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15277-4
Han, Y. (2023). Promoting green economy efficiency through fiscal decentralization and environmental regulation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(5), 11675-11688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22952-7
Hashmi, M. A., Damanhouri, A., & Rana, D. (2015). Evaluation of sustainability practices in the United States and large corporations. Journal of Business Ethics, 127, 673-681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2056-4
Huang, S. Z. (2022). The effect of natural resources and economic factors on energy transition: New evidence from China. Resources Policy, 76, 102620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102620
Keller, W., & Levinson, A. (2002). Pollution abatement costs and foreign direct investment inflows to US states. Review of Economics and Statistics, 84(4), 691-703. https://doi.org/10.1162/003465302760556503
Khoshnava, S. M., Rostami, R., Zin, R. M., Štreimikienė, D., Yousefpour, A., Strielkowski, W., & Mardani, A. (2019). Aligning the criteria of green economy (GE) and sustainable development goals (SDGs) to implement sustainable development. Sustainability, 11(17), 4615. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174615
Kim, Y., & Rhee, D. E. (2019). Do stringent environmental regulations attract foreign direct investment in developing countries? Evidence on the “Race to the Top” from cross-country panel data. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 55(12), 2796-2808. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2018.1531240
Lall, S. (1995). Employment and foreign investment: Policy options for developing countries. International Labour Review, 134(4-5), 521.
List, J. A., & Co, C. Y. (2000). The effects of environmental regulations on foreign direct investment. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 40(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1006/jeem.1999.1095
Loiseau, E., Saikku, L., Antikainen, R., Droste, N., Hansjürgens, B., Pitkänen, K., Leskinen, P., Kuikman, P., & Thomsen, M. (2016). Green economy and related concepts: An overview. Journal of Cleaner Production, 139, 361-371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.024
Luo, Y., Salman, M., & Lu, Z. (2021). Heterogeneous impacts of environmental regulations and foreign direct investment on green innovation across different regions in China. Science of the Total Environment, 759, 143744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143744
Lv, C., Shao, C., & Lee, C. C. (2021). Green technology innovation and financial development: Do environmental regulation and innovation output matter?. Energy Economics, 98, 105237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105237
Mentes, M. (2023). Sustainable development economy and the development of green economy in the European Union. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 13(1), 1-18.
Porter, M., & Van der Linde, C. (1995). Green and competitive: ending the stalemate. Harvard Business Review, 33, 120-134.
Qoyum, A., Al Hashfi, R. U., Zusryn, A. S., Kusuma, H., & Qizam, I. (2021). Does an Islamic-SRI portfolio really matter? Empirical application of valuation models in Indonesia. Borsa Istanbul Review, 21(2), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2020.08.002
Sabir, S., Rafique, A., & Abbas, K. (2019). Institutions and FDI: evidence from developed and developing countries. Financial Innovation, 5(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-019 0123-7
Saini, N., & Singhania, M. (2018). Determinants of FDI in developed and developing countries: A quantitative analysis using GMM. Journal of Economic Studies, 45(2), 348-382.
Sajilan, S., Islam, M. U., Ali, M., & Anwar, U. (2019). The determinants of FDI in OIC countries. International Journal of Financial Research, 10(5), 466-473. http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/ijfr.v10n5p466
Sambharya, R. B., & Rasheed, A. A. (2015). Does economic freedom in host countries lead to increased foreign direct investment?. Competitiveness Review, 25(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-05-2013-0047
Shuai, S., & Fan, Z. (2020). Modeling the role of environmental regulations in regional green economy efficiency of China: Empirical evidence from super efficiency DEA-Tobit model. Journal of Environmental Management, 261, 110227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110227
Sultana, S., Zulkifli, N., & Zainal, D. (2018). Environmental, social and governance (ESG) and investment decision in Bangladesh. Sustainability, 10(6), 1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061831
Tao, H., Tao, M., & Wang, R. (2022). Do education human capital and environmental regulation drive the growth efficiency of the green economy in China?. Sustainability, 14(24), 16524. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416524
Ullah, I., & Khan, M. A. (2017). Institutional quality and foreign direct investment inflows: evidence from Asian countries. Journal of Economic Studies, 44(6), 1030-1050. https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-10-2016-0215
United Nations Environment Programme. International Resource Panel. (2011). Decoupling natural resource use and environmental impacts from economic growth. UNEP/Earthprint.
Wanner, T. (2015). The new ‘passive revolution’of the green economy and growth discourse: Maintaining the ‘sustainable development’of neoliberal capitalism. New Political Economy, 20(1), 21-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2013.866081
Xiao, D., Gao, L., Xu, L., Wang, Z., & Wei, W. (2023). Revisiting the Green Growth Effect of Foreign Direct Investment from the Perspective of Environmental Regulation: Evidence from China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2655. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032655
Zhang, W., Li, G., Uddin, M. K., & Guo, S. (2020). Environmental regulation, foreign investment behavior, and carbon emissions for 30 provinces in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, 119208. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-05-2013-0047