The impact of foreign direct investment on productivity: New evidence for developing countries

We provide new empirical evidence on the relationship between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and total factor productivity (TFP) growth using cross-country data for 51 developing countries over the period 1984–2010. Our results suggest a weak direct effect of FDI on TFP growth but, after accounting for the roles of human capital and institutions as contingencies in the FDI-TFP growth relationship, we find a robust FDI-induced productivity growth response dependent on these ‘absorptive capacities’. However, the relevance of the human capital contingency effect diminishes when the effect of institutions is also considered, which suggests that improving institutions is relatively more important than human capital development for developing countries to realise productivity gains from FDI.     

HARD OR SOFT? INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING AS DETERMINANTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN CHINA*

We examine whether hard infrastructure in the form of more highways and railroads or soft infrastructure in the form of more transparent institutions and deeper reforms lead to more foreign direct investment (FDI). We use data on FDI from the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Korea to various regions of China from 1990 to 2002. We control for the standard determinants of FDI—regional market sizes, wage rates, human capital and tax policies. Then we add indices of hard and soft infrastructures. We found that empirically soft infrastructure consistently outperforms hard infrastructure as a determinant of FDI.     

FDI and productivity growth: the role of inter‐industry linkages

Abstract There is a large literature on the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on productivity through inter‐industry economic linkages. This paper contributes to the literature by focusing on the developed economy of Canada. It finds that FDI generates strong effects on total factor productivity (TFP) growth through both forward and backward inter‐industry linkages, and increase in an industry's absorptive capacity raises the effects of FDI on TFP growth through forward inter‐industry linkages. For R&D intensive industries, the effects of FDI on TFP growth through inter‐industry linkages are small, but imports turn out to be an important source for TFP growth.     

技术吸收能力对技术溢出和全要素生产率的影响——基于1995—2009年中国省区面板数据

利用1995—2009年我国28个省(自治区、直辖市)的面板数据,采用数据包络分析法,实证检验了地区的技术吸收能力对地区获得的技术溢出及其全要素生产率的影响。研究表明:省际技术溢出以及来自进出口贸易、FDI和ODI渠道的技术溢出都是影响地区TFP及其分解变量——技术进步、技术效率的重要因素;人力资本、制度因素、技术差距和吸收能力综合变量通过与技术溢出发生交互作用,对地区TFP、技术效率和技术进步产生显著影响。     

Are the FDI inflow spillover effects on Malaysia's economic growth input driven?

This paper inspects the influence of human capital, labour force, and absorptive capacity, physical capital as a control variable, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and gross domestic product (GDP) on Malaysia's productivity growth. A time series quarterly data from the period of 1999 to 2008 was used. The effects of FDI inflows on human capital, labour force, absorptive capacity and physical capital were investigated. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression was applied to estimate the data in the first step and in the second step productivity indicators were calculated. The results show that the FDI inflows and inputs used are negatively contributed to total factor productivity (TFP). Meanwhile, FDI plays a significant role in achieving economic growth through input driven as indicated by the contribution of the TFP. In this regard, a significant positive relationship between human capital, labour force and absorptive capacity which determines the spillover effect on Malaysian economic growth (GDP) was found and the physical capital has shown negative relationship.     

China’s catch-up to the US economy: decomposing TFP through investment-specific technology and human capital

We implement a neoclassical growth model that incorporates investment-specific technology (IST) modifying capital investment in the law of motion of capital and bifurcates productivity into human capital and total factor productivity (TFP) in the production function. We focus on the role of changes in the quality-adjusted price of investment goods on China’s growth by comparing the effects of IST and human capital on the decomposition of US and Chinese productivity. The results show that both human capital and IST play an important role in the decomposition of US TFP. For China, human capital accounts for an increasingly higher portion of Chinese TFP for the period 1952–2009; however, IST contributes to the explanation of TFP only after the 1979 reforms. The analysis is extended by considering the impact of IST in the consumer’s investment decision and by projecting both countries’ GDP while modelling unbalanced Chinese growth using catch-up. Our model predicts that the Chinese economy will surpass the US economy in 2024.     

适宜技术、人力资本与区域知识溢出——基于1995—2009年中国省际面板数据的实证分析

采用1995—2009年中国28个省(自治区、直辖市)的面板数据,运用基于数据包络分析的Malmquist生产率指数法,实证检验了适宜技术、人力资本对地区知识溢出和TFP的影响。研究结果表明:人力资本、省际R&D资本溢出和国际R&D资本溢出都是影响地区TFP的重要因素;人力资本除了可直接影响地区TFP外,还可通过对来自省际、国际进出口、FDI和ODI渠道的知识溢出发挥"同化器"作用来间接影响的地区TFP;人力资本对知识溢出具有"同化器"作用,但在不同的适宜技术下人力资本的影响机制和作用路径不同。     

The long-run effect of foreign direct investment on total factor productivity in developing countries: a panel cointegration analysis

This paper examines the long-run effect of the level of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the level of total factor productivity (TFP) for 49 developing countries for the period 1981–2011 using panel cointegration and causality techniques. It is found that (i) FDI has, on average, a negative long-run effect on TFP in developing countries, (ii) long-run causality runs in only one direction, from FDI to TFP, (iii) in the short run, TFP has a negative effect on FDI, and (iv) the long-run effect of FDI of TFP differs between selected groups of countries: While the estimated long-run FDI–TFP coefficients are always relatively large, negative, and significant for countries with lower levels of human capital, financial development, and trade openness, the estimated effects are relatively small, insignificant, or even significantly positive for subgroups of countries with higher levels of human capital, financial development, and trade openness.     

Political Institutions, Capital Flows, and Developing Country Growth: An Empirical Investigation

The paper examines the real per-capita growth effects of the quality of democracy, the rule of law, and capital flows in developing countries. The direct growth effects of democracy are positive and often statistically significant. Moreover, the estimates from a three-stage least-squares regression offer evidence that democracy has indirect growth effects that work by encouraging schooling and that the rule of law influences growth indirectly by encouraging foreign direct investment. A higher FDI to GDP ratio is associated with a faster growth rate. The estimated growth effect of the FDI to GDP ratio is several times higher than the estimated growth effect of the domestic investment to GDP ratio. By contrast, this study does not find a clear asso-ciation between other types of capital flows and growth.     

集聚经济、基础设施与制造业全要素生产率:来自中国207个地级市的证据

随着我国经济高质量发展战略的实施,经济发展的基础设施有了很大改进。地区基础设施改进会从外部性上促进企业内部和企业之间的有效连接,降低物流成本和交易成本,提高产业全要素生产率。在基础设施变化条件下,我国分地区集聚经济对全要素生产率提升的影响差异需作分类研究,以便深入讨论产业经济高质量发展问题。使用PSTR模型,引入非期望产出的GML指数,以及有关计算产业集聚和相关多样化的指标,实证研究不同地区制造业集聚经济随着基础设施变化影响全要素生产率的机制。结果显示:产业集聚与相关多样性均对全要素生产率产生非线性影响,并基本为正;集聚经济对GML指数的正向作用小于传统的全要素生产率;集聚经济与全要素生产率的非线性关系在不同地区表现出不同的特征,东部地区出现过度集聚现象;人力资本、研发投入和外商投资均随着基础设施增加对全要素生产率产生更强的正向作用,东部地区政府干预促进当地生产水平,中西部地区政府干预作用随着基础设施增加而降低。     

ChinHow R&D Investments Influence TFP Growth: Evidence from China’s Large and Medium- Sized Industrial Enterprises

This paper investigates the potential channels through which R&D may influence TFP growth using industry-level panel data of China’s large and medium-sized industrial enterprises over the period of 2000–2007. Comparing with existing literature, we provide a closer look of the relationship between R&D and TFP growth by decomposing TFP growth into efficiency change and technical change components using Malmquist productivity index and distinguishing between upstream R&D spillovers and downstream R&D spillovers. We find TFP grow slightly during 2000–2007, and R&D investment indeed serves as an engine of productivity growth just as endogenous growth theories argued, which is largely because R&D accelerates technical progress even it also results in enlarging technical inefficiency. However, we find a robust negative effect of downstream R&D spillovers on TFP growth, the effects of upstream is positive but not statistically significant. In addition, we do not find the positive effects of human capital on TFP as endogenous growth theories indicated, but find human capital severs as “assimilation device” for R&D spillovers both in promoting TFP growth and increasing technical efficiency even the effects on technical progress is adverse.     

中国省区TFP测算及影响因素分析

本文依据1998 -2007年中国28个省区的相关数据,采用修正索洛模型和随机前沿模型测算了中国省区历年的全要素生产率水平和增长率,并利用静态和动态面板数据模型检验了R&D、人力资本、进口、出口以及外商直接投资对我国省区全要素生产率的影响.结果显示,我国省区全要素生产率水平总体呈上升趋势,而增长率则趋于下降,并且地区差距明显.地区间R&D、出口、人力资本对我国省区全要素生产率水平的提高具有显著的正向作用,而外商直接投资和进口的正向作用并不明显;出口对中国省区全要素生产率增长率的提高有明显促进作用,而进口则对其具有明显的阻碍作用,R&D、人力资本及外商直接投资对全要素生产率增长率的提高虽有促进作用,但它们在静态和动态面板数据模型中的显著性则有所差异;另外,研究还发现,中国省区全要素生产率具有显著的“滞后效应”.     

我国FDI和OFDI技术溢出效应的实证检验

对国内外有关国际直接投资渠道的技术溢出的研究文献进行了梳理,测算了1994—2008年我国以外商直接投资和对外直接投资反映的外国R&D资本存量,并建立了R&D溢出回归模型,对其进行回归分析。研究结果显示:国内R&D资本和外商直接投资对我国全要素生产率的提升具有促进作用,且国内R&D资本的作用更大;对外直接投资对我国全要素生产率的提升有微弱的阻碍作用。因此,在政策层面上应继续加大国内R&D支出,加强外商直接投资,积极开展对外直接投资,以推动我国技术进步。     

Foreign direct investment, regional market conditions and regional development

This paper uses regional panel data to investigate the mechanism whereby foreign direct investment (FDI) has contributed to China's regional development through quantifying regional marketization levels. It is found that FDI inflow generates a demonstration effect in identifying regional market conditions for investment in fixed assets and hence affects industrial location. In addition, its effects on regional export and regional income growth have varied across east, central and west China since the second half of the 1990s, depending on differences in FDI orientation between different regions. In east China, geographical advantage in exports attracts FDI inflow and FDI promotes exports. In addition, the rise of the FDI–GDP ratio increases east China's share in national industrial value added. These effects contribute positively to regional income growth in east China although there is a direct crowding‐out effect between FDI and domestic investment (as input) in growth. In contrast, the negative impact of FDI inflow on regional export orientation in central China weakens its contribution to regional income growth. Furthermore, the contribution of the improvement in the market mechanism to regional development is evidenced in attracting FDI, in promoting export and directly contributing to regional income growth.     

ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CHINA'S WTO ACCESSION ON INVESTMENT

Abstract.  After a boom in foreign direct investment (FDI) in China in the early 1990s, FDI slowed in the late 1990s. More recently, with China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) a reality, FDI has once again picked up. This paper explores the linkage between WTO accession and investment in China. We find that investment and capital stocks increase substantially. Moreover, foreign ownership of Chinese assets doubles by 2020. Central to this increase is the expected catch-up in the productivity of the services sectors driven by reforms. These estimates are far larger than those predicted by earlier studies, which ignored the reforms affecting Chinese services sectors, and abstracted from international capital mobility.     

Regional analysis of the impact of inward foreign direct investment on economic growth in the Chinese electronic industry

This article empirically investigates the impact of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) on regional economic growth in the Chinese electronic industry (CEI). Utilizing a provincial-level panel data spanning the period 1989 to 2009, we specify and estimate an endogenous economic growth model for the CEI. Empirical results indicate that, for the coastal region, FDI inflows have been growth enhancing, while in the central and western regions the impact of FDI on economic growth is mixed, depending on the channel of capital flow. Results also indicate that exports, human capital, science and technology investment and fixed asset investment are growth enhancing, while unemployment and foreign R&D investment are growth impeding in the CEI.     

FDI、人力资本与我国技术水平提升——基于DEA与VAR的实证分析

本文在运用数据包络分析(DEA)测算我国1983—2007年全要素生产率的变动情况的基础上,使用基于VAR的Granger因果检验、脉冲响应函数等方法研究外商直接投资(FDI)、人力资本存量与全要素生产率变动之间的动态关系。结果表明:FDI与人力资本存量的提高显著提升了我国全要素生产率水平;FDI与人力资本存量之间存在互为因果关系,且人力资本对FDI的促进作用更强。基于此,本文认为促进人力资本积累、提升技术吸收消化能力,对于引进外资和推动技术进步意义重大。     

影响中国电子行业出口决定因素的经验分析

本文利用中国电子工业子行业面板数据实证分析1999—2002年期间该行业出口的决定因素,特别是外商直接投资(FDI)的作用。我们发现FDI尤其是来自港澳台的FDI和规模经济对出口有正向作用。我们同时发现国有资本份额与出口负向相关,而资本密集度、研发和人力资本并不是影响中国电子行业出口的重要因素,表明中国的电子企业大多仍处于国际产品分工链的低端。本文有两个原创性贡献:第一是区分不同国别(地区)FDI对中国电子产品出口影响的差异,并发现港澳台地区资本较西方国家资本对中国电子产品出口影响更大;第二是发现劳动力成本水平因素影响FDI对出口作用程度的大小。这些结果具有重要的政策涵义。     

How R&;D investments influence TFP growth: Evidence from China’s large and medium-sized industrial enterprises

This paper investigates the potential channels through which R&D may influence TFP growth using industry-level panel data of China’s large and medium-sized industrial enterprises over the period of 2000–2007. Comparing with existing literature, we provide a closer look of the relationship between R&D and TFP growth by decomposing TFP growth into efficiency change and technical change components using Malmquist productivity index and distinguishing between upstream R&D spillovers and downstream R&D spillovers. We find TFP grow slightly during 2000–2007, and R&D investment indeed serves as an engine of productivity growth just as endogenous growth theories argued, which is largely because R&D accelerates technical progress even it also results in enlarging technical inefficiency. However, we find a robust negative effect of downstream R&D spillovers on TFP growth, the effects of upstream is positive but not statistically significant. In addition, we do not find the positive effects of human capital on TFP as endogenous growth theories indicated, but find human capital severs as “assimilation device” for R&D spillovers both in promoting TFP growth and increasing technical efficiency even the effects on technical progress is adverse.