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Environmental Regulations and New Plant Location Decisions: Evidence from a Meta‐Analysis
Author(s) -
Jeppesen Tim,
List John A.,
Folmer Henk
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of regional science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1467-9787
pISSN - 0022-4146
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9787.00248
Subject(s) - empirical evidence , capital (architecture) , environmental regulation , economics , empirical research , environmental impact assessment , porter hypothesis , public economics , geography , political science , philosophy , archaeology , epistemology , law
Stricter environmental regulations are often opposed on the grounds that they will alter equilibrium capital flows. Empirical evidence in this area remains largely unresolved, mainly due to the quite disparate results found in the literature. This paper takes a positive look at the relationship between new manufacturing plant location decisions and environmental regulations by examining data from 11 studies that provide more than 365 observations. One major result from our meta‐analysis is that methodological considerations play a critical role in shaping the body of received estimates. Our empirical estimates also lend insights into future research that is necessary before any robust conclusions can be made regarding the effects of environmental regulations on capital flows.