Foreign Direct Investment and Environment in Africa

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H01935
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental policy and social systems
• Research Institution: International Christian University
• Principal Investigator: Kondo Masanori 国際基督教大学, 教養学部, 上級准教授 (30306906)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 環境 / 開発 / 海外直接投資 / アフリカ / アジア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research analyzed the differences in the impact of foreign direct investment on the environment in Africa and Asia. In Africa, and revealed that the impact of natural resource exports on the exchange rate and the lack of human resources have led foreign direct investment to be concentrated in resource-related sectors, leading to a deteriorating environment. Furthermore, based on data from individual companies, it became clear that investment in the manufacturing sector is low and does not lead to domestic job creation. The impact on environmental issues of the change in power relations with former sovereign states in Africa and recent expansion of Chinese firms were also analyzed. Finally, the environmental impact of the “Dutch disease” caused by the sharp rise of commodity price due to the recent US monetary expansion policy and the war in Ukraine was also analyzed.

Free Research Field

開発経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

世界的に企業の社会的責任が重視される中で、アフリカとアジアにおける多国籍企業がホスト国の環境に与える影響はますます無視できなくなっている。日本では注目されることがさほど多くないアフリカにおいて、旧宗主国の多国籍企業や近年増加した中国企業の対アフリカ投資が環境に与える影響を、個別企業データを基に明らかにした本研究の学術的意義は小さくない。さらに、よりグローバルな観点から見て、米国の金融緩和政策やウクライナ戦争のアフリカにおける環境破壊への影響についても明らかにした本研究の意義は大きい。研究結果は書籍の形で出版を計画しており、現在その執筆を進めているところである。