Foreign direct investment, processing trade, and the sophistication of China's exports

China's export structure has shown a rapid shift towards more sophisticated industries. While some believe that this trend is a result of processing trade and foreign direct investment, the evidence is mixed. This paper examines variations in level of export sophistication across China's manufacturing industries. We find that an industry's level of export sophistication is positively related to the share of wholly foreign owned enterprises from OECD countries and the share of processing exports of foreign-invested enterprises, and negatively related to the share of processing exports of indigenous Chinese enterprises. Evidence from the relative export prices of Chinese goods, which measure within-product export sophistication, shows a similar pattern.     

论中国对外直接投资产业战略选择

本文通过对中国对外直接投资产业选择的现状分析,结合我国社会经济发展的需要及我国产业国际竞争力的现实条件,提出今后我国企业在对外直接投资中的产业战略。     

The color of money: The effects of foreign direct investment on economic growth in transition economies

During the initial phase of transformation to a market economy many of the Eastern European and Baltic countries experienced an initial decline of output. This paper explains, both theoretically and empirically, why they experienced negative growth initially, and how some of them started to get over and recorded positive growth recently. As a vehicle to transfer technology and managerial skills to the transition economies, as well as to increase capital work, foreign direct investment (FDI) is regarded important. Production function with a low elasticity of substitution between two inputs is employed to capture the dynamic short-run movement of these economies. Cross-sectional and panel data, are utilized to analyze the short-run dynamic movement of equilibrium paths of transformation to a market economy. The findings confirm that total factor productivity and GDP in the region grew together with the inflow of FDI, and the marginal contribution of FDI to growth is greater than that of domestic investment. JEL no. O50, P39, F21 This project is financially supproted by the ARC Small Grant, Department Research Grant, Department of Economics, UWA and Division Research Grant, Commerce, Division, Lincoln University.     

对外直接投资中的政府职能及其实现途径

积极支持企业开展对外直接投资是新形势下我国政府采取的一个重大举措。这需要企业不断提高在国际市场中的竞争能力;但对政府来说,则更需准确定位,积极发挥职能,为企业提供全面支持。本文对新形势下我国政府在对外直接投资中的职能进行了定位,并分析了当前政府职能实施中存在的问题,进而提出了有效实现政府职能的途径。     

广东省对外直接投资影响因素的实证分析

本文利用近几年的数据对广东省对外直接投资的影响因素进行了计量分析。结果表明,广东省的对外直接投资正处于投资发展周期从第二阶段向第三阶段过渡的时期,对外直接投资逐渐从偶发性的投资变为经常性、较大规模的投资。而且其对外直接投资与出口贸易的目的地有较高的重合性,且偏好对人均收入较高、自然资源较丰富的国家进行投资。     

A political economy theory of foreign investment: An alternative approach

The present paper uses the political economy model developed by Grossman and Helpman and studies the equilibrium of a game between the two countries; the home country, which exercises the trade policy for maximizing its objective function, and the foreign country, which controls the level of its capital export for the similar purpose. It is shown that if the production costs of the two countries are identical, the equilibrium of the game in which the two countries make simultaneous move will very likely achieve free trade.     

Effects of regional integration on FDI: An empirical approach

This study uses an augmented gravity model to capture the effect of regional economic integration on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows in the cases of the EU, NAFTA, MERCOSUR, and ASEAN. Three important conclusions emerge: (i) regional integration has had a positive and significant effect on FDI, which is a combination of investment creation and diversion; (ii) investment diversion does occur in a significant number of cases, and hence it is a legitimate cause for concern, especially among developing countries that are not part of a regional grouping with at least one developed country; and (iii) FDI acts as a substitute for trade in a significant number of cases, although in some cases, it complements trade.     

地方政府对国外直接投资税率竞争的博弈分析

本文采用伯川德价格竞争模型研究两个地方政府如何制定税率来竞争一个外商投资项目。分析了企业在不同地区投资的价值由公有信息和私有信息组成时,投资环境的异同对于均衡税率的影响。若投资环境同质,两地方政府税率竞争均衡时税率为零;若投资环境对企业有差异,均衡税率大于零。两种情况下的均衡税率都低于社会福利最大化时的税率水平。     

Foreign direct investment and country risk: Further empirical evidence

Global political and economic changes over the last decade have resulted into massive capital inflows to developing countries, most of these flows are foreign direct investments. In light of threats of political instability in the forms of civil wars, illegal capital flight, financial market instability, and political corruption, etc., further assessment of country risk is warranted. We examine the relationship between FDI and political and economic risks for 26 countries for the years 1992, 1993, and 1994 by using regression analysis and cross section data. The results indicate a significant relationship between FDI and these risks. This study provides more reliable estimates by using a current and eclectic measurement of risks represented by Euromoney indexes of political and economic risks. In the previous studies the perception of risk was narrowly defined and also political instability events were mistakenly interpreted as political risks.     

广东省外商直接投资技术外溢效应的差异化分析

广东是中国改革开放的最前沿地区、是吸引外资规模最大最早的地区。外商直接投资的数量和形式在不断变化,技术溢出机制、效果本身也在发生变化,本文利用数据统分析外商直接投资的技术溢出效应的阶段和效果,以及从哪些方面对我国的技术创新和技术进步产生影响。     

对我国对外直接投资区位选择的思考

本文认为我国对外直接投资的区位选择不能过于集中,目前的对策是重点投资东南亚地区,开展对发达国家周边发展中国家和资源丰富国家的投资,鼓励中小企业投资发展中国家,有针对地投资发达国家。     

Balance sheet effects and the country risk premium: An empirical investigation

Based on recent theories emphasizing financial imperfections, this paper is an empirical investigation of the link between a country's risk premium and the balance sheet effect of a devaluation. In a panel of emerging economies, balance sheet effects, due to increased external debt service after an unexpected real depreciation, significantly raise the risk premium. This result is robust to various checks and appears driven by those countries with the largest financial imperfections. Also, particularly large real depreciations turn out to be disproportionately important, meaning that balance sheet effects may be strongest at times of economic crisis. JEL no. F34, F41     

Foreign direct investment in China: Policy,recent trend and impact 1

One of the most important elements of China's economic reform has been the promotion of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow. Government polices on FDI have gone through different stages in their main objectives since the late‐1970s, from gradually opening to foreign investors, to actively encouraging inward investment, directing FDI in accordance with domestic industrial restructuring, and complying with China's World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations. FDI in China has experienced rapid growth especially since the mid‐1990s, as well as structural change. Most of the earlier investments were small scale, labor‐intensive and export‐oriented. In recent years, more investment has been large scale and more capital and technology intensive, aiming at both domestic and export markets. Moreover, increasingly more investment has come from the industrial world, and has located along the eastern coastal regions, in additional to the two southeastern provinces. FDI has played a crucial role in China's rapid growth, economic transition, and, mostly importantly, integration with the world. China's recent accession to the WTO provides more incentives to foreign investors. At the same time, it will also result in more intense competition for domestic firms.     

中印两国利用外国直接投资比较——基于美国直接投资流入的视角

本文从美国直接投资流入中印两国的现状、对中印两国的影响及影响美国直接投资流入的因素等三方面,对中印两国利用外国直接投资进行了比较研究。     

对我国中小企业对外直接投资问题的若干思考

利用外资和对外投资是对外开放的两个具体方面,中小企业在我国国民经济中占有重要的地位,中小企业的对外直接投资是我国对外直接投资的重要方面,对我国社会经济的发展具有重要的意义。本文论述了我国中小企业对外投资相对优势、存在的问题,并提出了相应的对策建议。     

Public Procurement and Foreign Direct Investment Across France,Germany, Italy and the UK

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has become an important factor of economic development during the last decades. FDI contributes to the economic growth of the host economy through learning, diffusion of technology, positive externalities and capital inflows. Attracting FDI is currently an objective in its own right for many countries and this paper aims to identify policies affecting the multinational firm’s decision to establish a subsidiary. After accounting for labour productivity and trade openness, cross-section analysis, both industry-wise and country-wise, indicates that public procurement, especially “buy national” policies, and agglomeration economies are statistically significant determinants of FDI. Although our findings pertain to four large European economies, e.g. France, Germany, Italy and the UK, they constitute relevant policy guidelines for developing countries as well.      

人民币汇率改革与外商直接投资的相关性分析

目前国内针对人民币汇率的研究很少涉及汇率与资本流动项目关系的研究,所得的结论大多都认为人民币汇率的贬值有利于我国的外商直接投资。本文探讨了汇率改革及相应的汇率变动在微观层面的影响,并对汇率改革前后外商直接投资变化的原因进行了分析。提出了发挥汇率改革的积极作用,促进外商直接投资健康有序地增长的建议。     

Optimal Exit Costs of Foreign Direct Investment

This paper examines the optimal policy on exit costs of foreign direct investment for a host country considering the impact of varying income level and host country’s risk aversion against volatile FDI flows. Based on a dynamic model about the impact of the exit costs on FDI inflows and capital formation, we demonstrate that a host country should determine the exit cost considering two counterbalancing factors, that is, facilitating higher FDI inflows and reducing volatility of FDI inflows. When a host country is less vulnerable to volatility with inelastic risk aversion against FDI volatility, it is optimal for the host country with a negative income shock to take a more aggressive approach to induce FDI inflows by lowering exit costs. However, if the host country is more vulnerable to volatility with elastic risk aversion, the host country is advised to take a conservative approach by increasing exit costs to reduce FDI volatility. These findings, supported by the OECD data on 42 countries’ exits costs, implicate that developing countries are recommended to lower exit costs to induce higher FDI inflows when they are not highly vulnerable to volatility shocks.     

Foreign direct investment and firm performance: an empirical analysis of Italian firms

Both empirical and theoretical literature show that multinational firms exhibit a competitive advantage before investing abroad. However, there are no clear empirical results regarding the ex post effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on firm performance, partially due to the inadequacy of available firm-level data. We build a brand new firm-level dataset able both to represent the extent of Italian firms’ foreign activity and to provide reliable measures of key performance indicators, especially total factor productivity (TFP) and employment. We then use a propensity score matching procedure to analyze the causal relationship between FDI and firm performance. Firms investing abroad for the very first time, especially in advanced economies, show higher productivity and employment dynamics in the years following the investment: the average positive effect on TFP is driven by new multinationals operating in specialized and high-tech sectors, while the positive employment gains are explained by an increase of the white collar component. On average there are no negative effects on the parent firm’s blue collar component.