Pub Date : 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107433
Chen You , Sijin Chen , Heer Wang
Although transition period policies are common in government reforms, their economic and environmental effects remain underexplored. From the perspective of time-bound decentralization, we argue that setting a transition period (STP) creates a paradox: it promotes economic growth while worsening air pollution. Using China's county–city merger reform from 2000 to 2022 as a quasiexperiment, this study investigates how STP influences economic development and environmental outcomes. The results show that counties with STP policies experience both faster economic growth and higher air pollution compared with those without STP. These findings remain robust across multiple validation tests. Mechanism analysis identifies resource allocation, enterprise selection, and land development as key transmission channels, while geographic conditions, policy status, and industrial foundations further shape outcomes. We conclude that additional regulatory safeguards within STP policies are essential to balance economic expansion with environmental protection.
{"title":"Growth vs. sustainability: Economic development and environmental governance in transition periods policy","authors":"Chen You , Sijin Chen , Heer Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although transition period policies are common in government reforms, their economic and environmental effects remain underexplored. From the perspective of time-bound decentralization, we argue that setting a transition period (STP) creates a paradox: it promotes economic growth while worsening air pollution. Using China's county–city merger reform from 2000 to 2022 as a quasiexperiment, this study investigates how STP influences economic development and environmental outcomes. The results show that counties with STP policies experience both faster economic growth and higher air pollution compared with those without STP. These findings remain robust across multiple validation tests. Mechanism analysis identifies resource allocation, enterprise selection, and land development as key transmission channels, while geographic conditions, policy status, and industrial foundations further shape outcomes. We conclude that additional regulatory safeguards within STP policies are essential to balance economic expansion with environmental protection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 107433"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107430
Hidekazu Niwa
We develop a New Keynesian model in which two interest groups influence fiscal policymaking and the fiscal authority issues long-term government debt. Each interest group selects a level of production subsidy that its firms receive from the fiscal authority. We compute responses of macroeconomic variables to a positive government debt shock by analyzing a dynamic game in which the interest groups act as leaders and the central bank as a follower. Because the interest groups do not fully internalize how subsidy changes affect the fiscal balance, strategic interactions between the two interest groups and the central bank through the government budget constraint delay the reduction in government debt, causing high inflation in the long run. We further show that a shorter duration of government debt intensifies each interest group's incentive to free ride on monetary policy.
{"title":"Fragmented fiscal policymaking and monetary policy: Policy game in a New Keynesian economy","authors":"Hidekazu Niwa","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We develop a New Keynesian model in which two interest groups influence fiscal policymaking and the fiscal authority issues long-term government debt. Each interest group selects a level of production subsidy that its firms receive from the fiscal authority. We compute responses of macroeconomic variables to a positive government debt shock by analyzing a dynamic game in which the interest groups act as leaders and the central bank as a follower. Because the interest groups do not fully internalize how subsidy changes affect the fiscal balance, strategic interactions between the two interest groups and the central bank through the government budget constraint delay the reduction in government debt, causing high inflation in the long run. We further show that a shorter duration of government debt intensifies each interest group's incentive to free ride on monetary policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107430"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145789955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Since the end of World War II, sanctions have significantly influenced international relations, particularly by reducing foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in targeted economies. This study empirically examines the influence of sanctions on global Greenfield FDI inflows across a large panel of emerging markets and developing economies. Specifically, we investigate whether sanctions within a country dyad deter Greenfield FDI inflows from the sender to the target. We further assess the magnitude of these effects, explore the variations by sanction type, and examine potential spillover effects on the sanctions-FDI relationship. Our empirical strategy involves assembling a comprehensive dyadic panel dataset covering international sanctions and Greenfield FDI at the bilateral level, encompassing 110 sender and 113 target countries from 2003 to 2019. We find that bilateral sanctions not only reduce Greenfield FDI inflows from the sender to the target country but also generate negative spillover effects, whereby countries outside the sender-target dyad reduce their investments in the sanctioned country. We perform a battery of robustness checks to confirm the validity of our findings.
{"title":"Do sanctions deter Greenfield FDI inflows? An empirical investigation","authors":"Usman Khalid , Sasidaran Gopalan , Kathia Bahloul Zekkari","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since the end of World War II, sanctions have significantly influenced international relations, particularly by reducing foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in targeted economies. This study empirically examines the influence of sanctions on global Greenfield FDI inflows across a large panel of emerging markets and developing economies. Specifically, we investigate whether sanctions within a country dyad deter Greenfield FDI inflows from the sender to the target. We further assess the magnitude of these effects, explore the variations by sanction type, and examine potential spillover effects on the sanctions-FDI relationship. Our empirical strategy involves assembling a comprehensive dyadic panel dataset covering international sanctions and Greenfield FDI at the bilateral level, encompassing 110 sender and 113 target countries from 2003 to 2019. We find that bilateral sanctions not only reduce Greenfield FDI inflows from the sender to the target country but also generate negative spillover effects, whereby countries outside the sender-target dyad reduce their investments in the sanctioned country. We perform a battery of robustness checks to confirm the validity of our findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107421"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-06DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107431
Xueren Zhou, Nian Liu, Ran Chen
Tax cuts may stimulate economic growth while tightening local fiscal constraints. Leveraging China’s VAT reform as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine whether local governments offset tax revenue losses by increasing fine and confiscation revenues. We manually compiled a dataset of administrative penalties and implemented a difference-in-differences regression approach. We find a significant post-reform increase in fine and confiscation revenues, providing evidence of a tax-fee substitution effect. The effect is more pronounced in regions with weaker business environments and is concentrated in authorities with greater enforcement discretion. Mechanism tests indicate that fiscal pressure, interacting with enforcement discretion, drives the increase in fine and confiscation revenues. Our findings reveal an unintended fiscal consequence of tax-cut policies. The design of tax reduction policies should fully account for local fiscal incentives to mitigate behavioral distortions that could undermine policy effectiveness.
{"title":"The impact of tax reduction policies on fine and confiscation revenues: Evidence from China’s VAT reform","authors":"Xueren Zhou, Nian Liu, Ran Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tax cuts may stimulate economic growth while tightening local fiscal constraints. Leveraging China’s VAT reform as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine whether local governments offset tax revenue losses by increasing fine and confiscation revenues. We manually compiled a dataset of administrative penalties and implemented a difference-in-differences regression approach. We find a significant post-reform increase in fine and confiscation revenues, providing evidence of a tax-fee substitution effect. The effect is more pronounced in regions with weaker business environments and is concentrated in authorities with greater enforcement discretion. Mechanism tests indicate that fiscal pressure, interacting with enforcement discretion, drives the increase in fine and confiscation revenues. Our findings reveal an unintended fiscal consequence of tax-cut policies. The design of tax reduction policies should fully account for local fiscal incentives to mitigate behavioral distortions that could undermine policy effectiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107431"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107428
Alejandro Gurrola Luna , Stephen McKnight
We analyze how bounded rationality affects the determinacy properties of forecast-based interest-rate rules in a behavioral New Keynesian model with limited asset market participation (LAMP). We show that the conventional wisdom for achieving equilibrium uniqueness under rational expectations – adherence to the Taylor principle with low/moderate LAMP, while adopting a passive policy under high LAMP – does not carry over to more realistic frameworks with myopic agents. Under moderate participation rates, the combination of myopia and LAMP have a destabilizing effect on the economy by helping to induce indeterminacy under the Taylor principle. In contrast, myopia plays a key stabilizing role in high LAMP economies, where a passive policy is no longer required to prevent indeterminacy, and determinacy under the Taylor principle can be restored. We investigate the sensitivity of our results to a policy response to output; alternative forms of bounded rationality; and the inclusion of a cost-channel of monetary policy.
{"title":"Bounded rationality and macroeconomic (in)stability","authors":"Alejandro Gurrola Luna , Stephen McKnight","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We analyze how bounded rationality affects the determinacy properties of forecast-based interest-rate rules in a behavioral New Keynesian model with limited asset market participation (LAMP). We show that the conventional wisdom for achieving equilibrium uniqueness under rational expectations – adherence to the Taylor principle with low/moderate LAMP, while adopting a passive policy under high LAMP – does not carry over to more realistic frameworks with myopic agents. Under moderate participation rates, the combination of myopia and LAMP have a destabilizing effect on the economy by helping to induce indeterminacy under the Taylor principle. In contrast, myopia plays a key stabilizing role in high LAMP economies, where a passive policy is no longer required to prevent indeterminacy, and determinacy under the Taylor principle can be restored. We investigate the sensitivity of our results to a policy response to output; alternative forms of bounded rationality; and the inclusion of a cost-channel of monetary policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107428"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107427
Deng-Kui Si , Hong-Xue Li , Tianyue Pei
Bond market liberalization plays an important role in enhancing the stable operation of firms and promoting the healthy development of financial markets. This paper investigates the impact of bond market liberalization on corporate risk-taking, addressing a critical gap in the financial liberalization literature that has predominantly focused on equity markets. Using the Bond Connect program in China as an exogenous shock, this paper finds that bond market liberalization can significantly mitigate corporate risk-taking. Our analysis reveals that alleviating financing constraints, mitigating the maturity mismatch of financing and investment, and improving information disclosure quality are three key channels. Further analysis shows that this effect exhibits significant differences in firms with different external regulatory intensity and asset characteristics. Our findings contribute new insights about the real economic effects of bond market liberalization and necessary policy suggestions towards ordering business development and optimizing structural improvement in China's bond market.
{"title":"Does bond market liberalization mitigate corporate risk-taking? Evidence from China","authors":"Deng-Kui Si , Hong-Xue Li , Tianyue Pei","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bond market liberalization plays an important role in enhancing the stable operation of firms and promoting the healthy development of financial markets. This paper investigates the impact of bond market liberalization on corporate risk-taking, addressing a critical gap in the financial liberalization literature that has predominantly focused on equity markets. Using the Bond Connect program in China as an exogenous shock, this paper finds that bond market liberalization can significantly mitigate corporate risk-taking. Our analysis reveals that alleviating financing constraints, mitigating the maturity mismatch of financing and investment, and improving information disclosure quality are three key channels. Further analysis shows that this effect exhibits significant differences in firms with different external regulatory intensity and asset characteristics. Our findings contribute new insights about the real economic effects of bond market liberalization and necessary policy suggestions towards ordering business development and optimizing structural improvement in China's bond market.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107427"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107424
Steven Zhongwu Li , Fengzhi Lu
This study investigates whether female educational advantages—defined as accumulating more educational credits than males—affects female labor force participation (FLFP) in China. Using nationally representative data from the China Family Panel Studies and instrumental variable strategies to address endogeneity, we find that females who surpass their spouses in education are less likely to participate in the labor force. This negative association is stronger among females with traditional gender beliefs, lower education, older age, more children, lower family status, or who live in conservative regions, and weaker among highly educated females, those with highly educated spouses, and in areas with higher FLFP. Mechanism analysis shows that gender display norms, rather than bargaining power or labor market discrimination, primarily drive this pattern. Notably, men with higher education than their wives are more likely to participate in the labor force, underscoring a gender asymmetry. These findings suggest that the reversal of the educational gender gap may unintentionally reinforce traditional roles, and that addressing persistent gender norms is essential to converting educational gains into real progress in gender equality at work and at home.
{"title":"Gender-gap reversal in education and the female labor supply: Evidence from China","authors":"Steven Zhongwu Li , Fengzhi Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates whether female educational advantages—defined as accumulating more educational credits than males—affects female labor force participation (FLFP) in China. Using nationally representative data from the <em>China Family Panel Studies</em> and instrumental variable strategies to address endogeneity, we find that females who surpass their spouses in education are less likely to participate in the labor force. This negative association is stronger among females with traditional gender beliefs, lower education, older age, more children, lower family status, or who live in conservative regions, and weaker among highly educated females, those with highly educated spouses, and in areas with higher FLFP. Mechanism analysis shows that gender display norms, rather than bargaining power or labor market discrimination, primarily drive this pattern. Notably, men with higher education than their wives are more likely to participate in the labor force, underscoring a gender asymmetry. These findings suggest that the reversal of the educational gender gap may unintentionally reinforce traditional roles, and that addressing persistent gender norms is essential to converting educational gains into real progress in gender equality at work and at home.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107424"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107425
Yongwei Ye , Boyang Xie , Zhaoda Liu , Yiyu Wang
Intelligent technologies are increasingly integrated into traditional manufacturing, making it essential to assess their economic implications for production and operational decisions. However, the link between intelligent manufacturing and firms' markup remains unclear. Using a quasi-natural experiment based on China's Intelligent Manufacturing Pilot Demonstration Projects, this study examines how intelligent manufacturing affects firms' markup. The findings show that intelligent manufacturing significantly increases markup, driven by innovation incentives and efficiency-enhancing effects. Heterogeneity tests indicate that this positive influence is stronger in firms with higher capital intensity, in more competitive industries, and in regions with richer human capital. Overall, the study demonstrates that intelligent manufacturing can effectively raise firms' markup and offers guidance for emerging economies seeking to upgrade and transform their manufacturing sectors through advanced digital technologies.
{"title":"Intelligent manufacturing and Firm Markup: Evidence from China","authors":"Yongwei Ye , Boyang Xie , Zhaoda Liu , Yiyu Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107425","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107425","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intelligent technologies are increasingly integrated into traditional manufacturing, making it essential to assess their economic implications for production and operational decisions. However, the link between intelligent manufacturing and firms' markup remains unclear. Using a quasi-natural experiment based on <em>China's Intelligent Manufacturing Pilot Demonstration Projects</em>, this study examines how intelligent manufacturing affects firms' markup. The findings show that intelligent manufacturing significantly increases markup, driven by innovation incentives and efficiency-enhancing effects. Heterogeneity tests indicate that this positive influence is stronger in firms with higher capital intensity, in more competitive industries, and in regions with richer human capital. Overall, the study demonstrates that intelligent manufacturing can effectively raise firms' markup and offers guidance for emerging economies seeking to upgrade and transform their manufacturing sectors through advanced digital technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107425"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107423
Xiaoyu Chen, Qi Luo
Excessive financial investment can hinder corporate sustainable development and broader economic growth. However, the influence of common institutional ownership on corporate financial investment remains insufficiently studied. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2022, this study examines whether, and through which channels, common institutional ownership influences corporate financial investment. We find that common institutional ownership significantly curbs financial investment and exacerbates investment structure bias toward real investment. Mechanism tests indicate that common institutional ownership inhibits financial investment by strengthening financing capacity, improving operational efficiency, and increasing innovative activities. The financialization inhibitory effect is stronger for single-segment firms, those in less competitive industries, and firms located in regions with stronger future-oriented culture. In addition, common institutional ownership alleviates the negative impact of financialization on future corporate core performance. Overall, the findings provide novel empirical evidence on the positive role of common institutional ownership in supporting real economic development.
{"title":"Common institutional ownership and corporate financial investment","authors":"Xiaoyu Chen, Qi Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excessive financial investment can hinder corporate sustainable development and broader economic growth. However, the influence of common institutional ownership on corporate financial investment remains insufficiently studied. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2022, this study examines whether, and through which channels, common institutional ownership influences corporate financial investment. We find that common institutional ownership significantly curbs financial investment and exacerbates investment structure bias toward real investment. Mechanism tests indicate that common institutional ownership inhibits financial investment by strengthening financing capacity, improving operational efficiency, and increasing innovative activities. The financialization inhibitory effect is stronger for single-segment firms, those in less competitive industries, and firms located in regions with stronger future-oriented culture. In addition, common institutional ownership alleviates the negative impact of financialization on future corporate core performance. Overall, the findings provide novel empirical evidence on the positive role of common institutional ownership in supporting real economic development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107423"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We explore the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on outbound income shifting by U.S. firms, offering valuable insights into how firms adapt their tax strategies under uncertain economic conditions. Using a unique dataset from De Simone et al. (2019) originally derived from confidential IRS records, we find a significant positive effect of EPU on outbound income shifting. Firms respond to uncertainty by more actively reallocating profits across jurisdictions to mitigate risk. These findings are consistently validated through rigorous methods, including propensity score matching, entropy balancing, and instrumental-variable analysis. We also show that firms with higher tax burdens are more inclined to shift income, while those with significant dividend commitments tend to adopt conservative approaches. Income shifting attributable to EPU is shown to erode firm value and profitability, possibly due to regulatory scrutiny and reputational risks. However, strong governance, particularly independent and gender-diverse boards, helps mitigate income shifting during uncertain times.
{"title":"Strategic income shifting in uncertain times: Insights from economic policy uncertainty","authors":"Pattanaporn Chatjuthamard , Pandej Chintrakarn (Corresponding author.) , Pornsit Jiraporn","doi":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We explore the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on outbound income shifting by U.S. firms, offering valuable insights into how firms adapt their tax strategies under uncertain economic conditions. Using a unique dataset from De Simone et al. (2019) originally derived from confidential IRS records, we find a significant positive effect of EPU on outbound income shifting. Firms respond to uncertainty by more actively reallocating profits across jurisdictions to mitigate risk. These findings are consistently validated through rigorous methods, including propensity score matching, entropy balancing, and instrumental-variable analysis. We also show that firms with higher tax burdens are more inclined to shift income, while those with significant dividend commitments tend to adopt conservative approaches. Income shifting attributable to EPU is shown to erode firm value and profitability, possibly due to regulatory scrutiny and reputational risks. However, strong governance, particularly independent and gender-diverse boards, helps mitigate income shifting during uncertain times.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48419,"journal":{"name":"Economic Modelling","volume":"155 ","pages":"Article 107420"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}