The environmental performance of firms: The role of foreign ownership, training, and experience

被引:142
作者
Cole, Matthew A. [1 ]
Elliott, Robert J. R. [1 ]
Strobl, Eric [2 ,3 ]
机构
[1] Univ Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, W Midlands, England
[2] Ecole Polytech Paris, Paris, France
[3] SALISES, Paris, France
关键词
environment; spillovers; foreign direct investment;
D O I
10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.07.025
中图分类号
Q14 [生态学(生物生态学)];
学科分类号
071012 ; 0713 ;
摘要
In this paper we extend the debate on the environmental implications of foreign direct investment in developing countries by examining a new mechanism through which foreign influence can affect the environmental performance of firms. We focus on the extent to which key workers who have had previous training or experience in a foreign owned firm transfer and utilise their knowledge gained to the benefit of the local environment. To this end we use detailed firm-level data on manufacturing firms in Ghana. Our econometric results suggest that the foreign training of a firm's decision maker does reduce fuel use, particularly so in foreign owned firms. Foreign ownership per se does not influence fuel use or total energy use but is found to increase electricity use, perhaps the cleanest form of energy used by Ghanaian firms. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:538 / 546
页数:9
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