Does outward foreign direct investment improve environmental quality in home country?——Evidence from Chinese firms’ water pollution emissions

Abstract

This paper empirically examine the causal effect and mechanisms of China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on pollution emissions. Employing the difference-in-differences (DID) alongside various heterogeneity robust estimation methods based on a series of firm-level data, our findings indicate that OFDI significantly reduces firms' chemical oxygen demand (COD) emissions. Moreover, it increases total output while reducing COD emission intensity. The mechanism analysis suggests that firms primarily attain emission reductions through reverse technology spillovers stemming from OFDI in host countries with more stringent environmental regulations. Additionally, such reductions are facilitated by improvements along both the intensive and extensive margins of exports.