Co-auteur : Federico Carril-Caccia (University of Granada)

Résumé : This study contributes to the literature seeking to test the pollution haven’s hypothesis (PHH), by focusing on the influence of environmental policy on the location’s decision of cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As). To this end, we build an original database for M&As for 34 host countries, 100 source countries, 54 sectors during the period 1995-2015. An important contribution of the study is to implement a structural gravity approach that accounts for omitted bias, border effects and simultaneity bias. This is the first study applying this method to bilateral FDI at the sector level. Our aim is to test whether laxer environmental regulation may favour inward M&As in general or in more polluting sectors in particular. Our preliminary results confirm that more stringent environmental policies make countries less attractive to foreign investors planning to invest through M&As. This especially the case, as expected, when sectors of destination contaminate more than the average as measured by greenhouse gases emissions per employee. Finally, the effect of more stringent environmental policy does not significantly affect the amount invested (intensive margin).

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