Publications
Presented at International Studies Association (ISA) 2015, Duck Family Graduate Workshop 2015
2016 Environmental Studies Graduate Paper Award Winner, International Studies Association
Does foreign direct investment (FDI) decrease access to clean water in developing nations? Governments use economic growth from globalization to fund investment in infrastructure to improve water access, but FDI is hindering these efforts through pollution and increased water usage that put pressure on the supply of this public good. I test the hypothesis that growing pressure from increased use and pollution of water by foreign investors reduces water access in developing countries, where impacts are felt more acutely than in developed countries where public goods institutions are stronger. Using a country-year fixed effects regression model on a panel data set of over 130 countries from 1990 to 2010, I assess whether FDI increases or decreases potable water access in developing countries and the role that development plays in moderating this effect. I find strong evidence of a negative relationship between FDI and access to potable water in developing countries.
Working Papers/Briefing Papers (Please contact the author if interested)
Neafie, Jessica. “The Global Economy and the Environment: A New Perspective on the ‘Source Effects’ of Investment on Environmentalism in Developing Countries”
Presented at the International Political Science Association Congress 2018
Are multinational corporations (MNCs) exporting environmentalism to developing countries? Current literature suggests that international economic flows are channels by which countries can project regulatory standards on to the recipient country. This paper explores the possibility of a unique state effect in globalization where developing countries begin to reflect the environmental practices of their most prominent investor. I demonstrate that when there is an increase in investment to a developing country from a country with lower environmental standards, the net effect of these flows on environmental standards is apparent in both policy and practice. I demonstrate this by comparing investment from middle-income countries to investment from western countries with stronger environmentalism. I craft a quasi-experimental design in the context of developing countries economic ties with China, now a large investor in the “Global South.” I hypothesize that as Chinese FDI displaces other forms of investment, growing pressure from Chinese investors is constraining good environmental practices in developing countries, but a particular domestic condition can mitigate this effect: the existence of poor domestic infrastructure. Empirical evidence from 63 developing countries from 1990 to 2015 is used in a difference-in-difference regression model to examine the relationship between Chinese international economic flows and environmental degradation in developing countries, specifically looking at problems of pollution, water contamination, and deforestation. This study provides preliminary evidence for a new perspective on international economic flows, and reveals a modest source effect on environmental policy in developing countries.
Huber-Stearns, Heidi, Autumn Ellison, Olivia Molden, Jessica Neafie, and Cassandra Moseley, 2016. “Profiles of Fire Suppression Contracting Businesses”, Ecosystem Workforce Center. Briefing paper.
Neafie, Jessica and Ksenia Bergantz. “The social foundations of the critical economic transitions in the Russian Federation and China”
Presented at International Studies Association Conference 2016
Neafie, Jessica. “How geospatial intelligence provides an integrative solution for Whole of Government challenges: Focus on the Environment and Security”
Presented at the Strategic Multi-layer Assessment Conference 2015
