Much Ado about Nothing? Do Domestic Firms Really Benefit from Foreign Direct Investment?

Governments the world over offer significant inducements toattract investment, motivated by the expectation of spilloverbenefits to augment the primary benefits of a boost to nationalincome from new investment. There are several possible sourcesof induced spillovers from foreign direct investment. This articleevaluates the empirical evidence on productivity, wage, andexport spillovers in developing, developed, and transition economies.Although theory can identify a range of possible spillover channels,robust empirical support for positive spillovers is at bestmixed. The article explores the reasons and concludes with areview of policy aspects.