MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING STATE BANK OF VIETNAM HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF BANKING GRADUATION THESIS THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) FACTORS ON FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI): A CASE FROM ASEAN COUNTRIES MAJOR: FINANCE – BANKING CODE: 73402021 DO DIEU LINH HO CHI MINH CITY, 2024 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING STATE BANK OF VIETNAM HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF BANKING GRADUATION THESIS THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) FACTORS ON FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI): A CASE FROM ASEAN COUNTRIES MAJOR: FINANCE AND BANKING CODE: 73402021 Full name: DO DIEU LINH Student ID: 050608200214 Class: HQ8-GE04 SUPERVISOR DR. LUU THU QUANG HO CHI MINH CITY, 2024 ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates whether and how Sovereign ESG, ESG pillars, and ESG categories affect Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows. The author uses a panel data analysis with three linear regression models at the overall – pillar – category levels to examine the relationship between the sustainability factors and FDI inflows of six Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, from 2010 to 2021. Data for the analysis was collected from the World Development Indicators Database and the Sovereign ESG Data Portal of World Bank.
The research findings reveal that at the overall level of the first model, Sovereign ESG has a positive impact on FDI inflows. At the pillar level of the second model, all three pillars significantly influence FDI inflows. Specifically, Social pillar and Governance pillar have a positive impact on FDI inflows, while Environment pillar has a negative impact. At the category level of the third model, all six categories examined have a significant impact on FDI inflows.
Among them, Emissions & pollution, Natural capital endowment & management, Employment, Government Effectiveness, and Human Rights categories have positive impacts, while the Education & skills category has a negative impact. In addition, the results show that trade openness, inflation, and real interest rates have positive impacts on FDI inflows. Keywords: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, Sovereign ESG, ESG pillar, ESG category, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), sustainable investment. i TÓM TẮT KHOÁ LUẬN Luận án này nghiên cứu các yếu tố ESG có chủ quyền, trụ cột ESG và ESG danh mục có ảnh hưởng đến dòng vốn đầu tư trực tiếp nước ngoài (FDI) hay không và ảnh hưởng như thế nào.
Tác giả dử dụng phương pháp phân tích dữ liệu bảng từ mức tổng hợp đến chi tiết với 3 mô hình hồi quy tuyến tính được xây dựng ở 3 cấp độ tổng thể – trụ cột – danh mục để kiểm định mối quan hệ giữa các yếu tố phát triển bền vững và dòng vốn FDI của 6 quốc gia Đông Nam Á, gồm Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thái Lan và Việt Nam, trong giai đoạn 2010 – 2021. Dữ liệu dùng cho phân tích được thu thập từ World Development Indicators Database và Sovereign ESG Data Portal của World Bank. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy ở cấp độ tổng thể của mô hình thứ nhất, ESG có chủ quyền có ảnh hưởng tích cực đến FDI. Ở cấp độ trụ cột của mô hình thứ hai, cả 3 trụ cột đều có ảnh hưởng đến FDI.
Cụ thể, trụ cột Xã hội và Quản trị có tác động tích cực lên FDI, trong khi trụ cột Môi trường tác động theo chiều ngược lại. Ở cấp độ chi tiết của mô hình thứ ba, cả 6 danh mục được nghiên cứu đều có ảnh hưởng đến FDI. Trong đó, Phát thải và ô nhiễm, Tài nguyên thiên nhiên và quản lý, Việc làm, Hiệu quả quản trị chính phủ và Nhân quyền có tác động tích cực, Giáo dục và kỹ năng có tác động tiêu cực. Ngoài ra, kết quả nghiên cứu cũng cho thấy độ mở thương mại, lạm phát và lãi suất thực có tác động tích cực đến dòng FDI chảy vào.
Từ khóa: Các yếu tố Môi trường - Xã hội - Quản trị (ESG), ESG có chủ chuyền, trụ cột ESG, danh mục ESG, đầu tư trực tiếp nước ngoài (FDI), đầu tư bền vững. ii DECLARATION I hereby declare that this graduation thesis is the result of my own independent research conducted at the university. The models and research findings presented in this thesis are entirely my own work and have not been published in any previous research. All data was collected from real-world sources.
I take full responsibility for the accuracy of this research thesis. The author Do Dieu Linh iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Luu Thu Quang, my supervisor, for his invaluable guidance and support, who has always spent plenty of time and effort to guide, support, and help me during the research process. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the teachers at Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking, whose insightful lectures and mentorship have significantly enhanced my understanding of the subject matter.
Furthermore, I am deeply grateful to my family, friends, and loved ones for their encouragement and emotional support throughout the process of completing the thesis. Despite my best efforts, this thesis may have certain limitations. I hope that teachers and those interested in the topic will continue to have comments and contributions to help the topic be more complete. I sincerely thank you! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.
i TÓM TẮT KHOÁ LUẬN. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. viii LIST OF TABLES. ix LIST OF FIGURES .4 RESEARCH SUBJECT AND SCOPE.1 Building research models.2 Data collecting method .3 Data analysis method .4 Summary and evaluation of research results .7 THE STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH.
THEORETICAL BASIS AND LITERATURE REVIEW .1 THEORETICAL BASIS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT .2 FACTORS AFFECTING FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT .1 Sovereign ESG and its components .2 Other macroeconomic factors .23 Summary of Chapter 2 .5 DATA ANALYSIS METHOD .4 Choosing regression model .5 Regression defect testing .6 Fixing regression model defect .7 Endogenous variables handling .45 Summary of Chapter 3. EMPIRICAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS .1 Dependent variable descriptive statistics .2 Independent variable descriptive statistics .2 FIRST MODEL ANALYSIS .3 POLS/FEM/REM regression result summary .4 Choosing suitable regression model .5 Regression defect testing .6 Fixing regression model defect .7 Endogenous variables handling .3 SECOND MODEL ANALYSIS .3 POLS/FEM/REM regression result summary .4 Choosing suitable regression model .5 Regression defect testing .6 Fixing regression model defect .7 Endogenous variables handling .4 THIRD MODEL ANALYSIS .3 POLS/FEM/REM regression result summary .4 Choosing suitable regression model .5 Regression defect testing .6 Fixing regression model defect .7 Endogenous variables handling. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .1 Recommendations for Sovereign ESG .2 Recommendations for each pillar .3 Recommendations for each category .3 LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH DIRECTIONS .1 Limitations of thesis.2 Further research directions .103 Summary of Chapter 5. xxvi vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Meaning ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations BOP Balance of Payments EGMM Efficient generalized method of moments ESG Environmental, Social and Governance FDI Foreign Direct Investment FEM Fixed effects model FGLS Feasible generalized least squares ILO International Labor Organization IMF International Monetary Fund MNC Multinational Company/ Corporation POLS Pooled Ordinary Least Squares REM Random effects model UNCTAD United Nations Trade and Development WIR World Investment Report viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Summary of factors affecting FDI inflow .2 Sovereign ESG Data Framework .2 First model pairwise correlations .3 First model Variance inflation factor .4 First model F and Chi2 result.5 Summarizing first model regression .6 First model F-test result.7 First model Hausman FEM-REM test results .8 First model Modified Wald test .9 First model Wooldridge test for autocorrelation .10 First model Cross-sectional time-series FGLS regression .11 Difference-in-Sargan test regressor for endogeneity results .12 Sargan-Hansen test overidentifying restriction results.13 Difference-in-Sargan test regressor for endogeneity result.14 Sargan-Hansen test overidentifying restriction for all instrumental variables result .15 Difference-in-Sargan test overidentifying restriction for each instrumental variable results .16 Multicollinearity and duplicate variable test results .17 First model EGMM regression results .18 Wald test results .19 Ramsey/Pesaran-Taylor RESET test results.20 Skewness and kurtosis tests for normality result .21 Second model pairwise correlations .22 Second model Variance inflation factor .23 Second model F and Chi2 result .24 Summarizing second model regression .25 Second model F-test result .26 Second model Hausman test results .27 Second model Modified Wald test .28 Second model Wooldridge test for autocorrelation .29 Second model Cross-sectional time-series FGLS regression.30 Difference-in-Sargan test regressor for endogeneity results .31 Sargan-Hansen test overidentifying restriction results.32 Difference-in-Sargan test regressor for endogeneity result.33 Sargan-Hansen test overidentifying restriction for all instrumental variables result .34 Difference-in-Sargan test overidentifying restriction for each instrumental variable results .35 Multicollinearity and duplicate variable test results .36 Second model EGMM regression results .37 Wald test results .38 Ramsey/Pesaran-Taylor RESET test results.39 Skewness and kurtosis tests for normality result .40 Third model pairwise correlations .41 Third model Variance inflation factor .42 Third model F and Chi2 result .43 Third model summarizing regression .44 Third model F-test result .45 Third model Hausman test results .46 Third model Modified Wald test .47 Third model Wooldridge test for autocorrelation .48 Third model Cross-sectional time-series FGLS regression .49 Difference-in-Sargan test regressor for endogeneity results .50 Sargan-Hansen test overidentifying restriction results.51 Difference-in-Sargan test regressor for endogeneity result.52 Sargan-Hansen test overidentifying restriction for all instrumental variables result .53 Difference-in-Sargan test overidentifying restriction for each instrumental variable results .54 Multicollinearity and duplicate variable test results .55 Third model EGMM regression result .56 Wald test results .57 Ramsey/Pesaran-Taylor RESET test results.58 Skewness and kurtosis tests for normality result .89 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 FDI in Developing Regions .2 ASEAN-6 Sovereign ESG Score in 2010, 2021 .3 FDI - Sovereign ESG score of ASEAN-6 .2 Data analysis process .1 Distribution of variables.
INTRODUCTION In Chapter 1, the author introduces an overview of the research, including reasons for choosing the research topic, research objectives and questions, research subjects and scope, research methods, and practical contributions.1 INTRODUCTION Investment is an indispensable factor for a country to achieve sustainable economic growth. Capital investment is essential for building infrastructure, improving labor productivity, and technological innovation. However, domestic capital accumulation often requires a long period, especially for large-scale projects. Therefore, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) is a shortcut for countries to take advantage of capital and modern technology quickly.
The importance of FDI is evident in its positive impacts. Firstly, FDI supplements the domestic capital, thereby promoting industrialization and modernization. Secondly, FDI enterprises often bring new production technologies and modern management methods, contributing to improving labor productivity and product quality. Thirdly, FDI creates new jobs, and increases workers' income, helping to reduce poverty and improve living standards.
However, over-reliance on FDI also poses risks. Multinational corporations (MNCs) may prioritize short-term profits, putting pressure on the environment and society. Therefore, governments need appropriate policies to manage FDI inflows while ensuring national interests. Figure 1 below shows the robust growth of FDI inflows into developing regions, especially Southeast Asia.
The region has become an attractive investment destination with an impressive 85% increase from 2010 to 2021, reaching 208.5 billion USD in 2021. Among them, Singapore remains the top FDI recipient, with an annual average of 72. Therefore, identifying the determinants of FDI is crucial for ASEAN-6 countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. With socio-economic similarities such as a young population, abundant labor force, and improving infrastructure, ASEAN-6 countries still possess great potential for development.
Identifying these factors will 1 help the Governments of the six member countries formulate appropriate policies to maximize their potential.1 FDI in Developing Regions 900 000.0 South-East Asia 200 000.0 North Africa (Source: the author’s summary from UNCTAD data) However, in the context of increasingly severe climate change, investors are gradually aware of the importance of sustainable development and, consequently, sustainable investment.