The relationship between foreign ownership and technology transfer

This paper focuses on technology-transfer implications of foreign-ownership restrictions. Using a theory of the multinational corporation, testable implications concerning the transfer of product and process technology via wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures are developed. Comparing selected countries that deter wholly owned foreign direct investment to less restrictive countries, two predicted results are found. First, technology transferred to countries that deter wholly owned foreign direct investment is disproportionately process rather than product technology. Secondly, the product technology transferred to countries that deter wholly owned foreign direct investment is relatively older.     

关于对外直接投资及其技术转移效应的探讨

技术进步在经济增长中的作用,正随着市场化、工业化和经济全球化而越发重要。在对外投资过程中出现的技术转移,一般是投资国利用其技术优势,通过投资行为向东道国实施先进技术转移。这种现象多发生在发达国家对发展中国家的投资行为当中,我们称之为正向技术转移。然而,随着发展中国家从事对外投资活动的逐渐增多,投资者通过对外投资项目,吸引和学习东道国有关先进技术也是一种技术转移方式。这种现象多发生在发展中国家对外投资行为中,我们称之为逆向技术转移。在这些技术转移中,技术进步收益者在通过投资利益本身直接获取技术核心…     

Finance constraints and technology spillovers from foreign to domestic firms

Scholars have suggested that externalities such as technology spillovers to domestic firms from the entry and presence of foreign firms – i.e., Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) spillovers – arise only when domestic firms possess adequate absorptive capacity. But they have also maintained a predominantly technological focus in their conceptualization of absorptive capacity, treating it mostly as a function of domestic firms' technological investments. Yet, several anecdotes point to finance constraints being equally important hurdles to absorbing technology. Given the comparatively scant attention to finance constraints in the FDI spillover literature, we present theoretical arguments and a counterfactual simulation for how finance constraints influence firms' realization of FDI spillovers. In the process, we identify two mechanisms underlying why firms facing high finance constraints experience lower FDI spillovers. (125 words).     

How firm capabilities affect who benefits from foreign technology

We explore how firm capabilities affect the diffusion of technology brought with foreign direct investment (FDI). Using a panel dataset on Indonesian manufacturers from 1988 to 1996, we measure how the productivity of differing domestic firms responds to the entry of multinational competitors. We find that firms with investments in research and development and firms with highly educated employees adopt more technology from foreign entrants than others. In contrast, firms that have a small “technology gap,” meaning that they are close to the international best-practice frontier, benefit less than firms with weak prior technical competency. This finding suggests that the marginal return to new knowledge is greater for firms that have more room to “catch up” than it is for already competitive firms.     

How firm capabilities affect who benefits from foreign technology

We explore how firm capabilities affect the diffusion of technology brought with foreign direct investment (FDI). Using a panel dataset on Indonesian manufacturers from 1988 to 1996, we measure how the productivity of differing domestic firms responds to the entry of multinational competitors. We find that firms with investments in research and development and firms with highly educated employees adopt more technology from foreign entrants than others. In contrast, firms that have a small “technology gap,” meaning that they are close to the international best-practice frontier, benefit less than firms with weak prior technical competency. This finding suggests that the marginal return to new knowledge is greater for firms that have more room to “catch up” than it is for already competitive firms.     

Privatization and entries of foreign enterprises in a differentiated industry

We investigate whether or not privatization is beneficial from the viewpoint of social welfare in a monopolistic competition model. We discuss the relationship between the welfare effects of privatization and the degree of foreign direct investment in the private sector, which is an important problem in developing countries and in transition economies such as China and Central and Eastern European countries. We find that, in the long run, privatization of a public firm is more likely to improve welfare when the country depends on foreign capital in the private sector, whereas the opposite tendency exists in the short run.     

国际技术转移与我国技术创新

在经济全球化、一体化的背景下,跨国公司作为国际技术转移主体的作用正在不断增强,FDI的流入的确推动了我国的经济进步,但跨国公司为了维持其在某些领域的垄断地位,还会千方百计地阻挠这种技术的转移和扩散,加上我国自身的经济结构和体制的障碍及吸收学习能力的有限,技术转移的效应可能达不到理想的理论水平.因此,既要注重跨国公司的技术转移,又不能忽视我国的技术创新,这是实现经济可持续增长的根本所在.     

Bank system reform and outward foreign direct investment of Chinese enterprises

Using a panel of Chinese domestic enterprises over the 2002–2008 period, we assess the effect of the state-owned commercial bank shareholding reform on the domestic enterprises' outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) decisions. We find that a modern market-oriented bank system significantly increases the likelihood of OFDI, especially for the purpose of facilitating trade and services.     

The importance of clusters for spillovers from foreign direct investment and technology sourcing

This paper examines the link between cluster development andinward foreign direct investment. The conventional policy approachhas been to assume that inward foreign direct investment (FDI)can stimulate significant clustering activity, thus generatingsignificant spillovers. This paper, however, questions thisand shows that, while clusters can generate significant productivityspillovers from FDI, this only occurs in pre-existing clusters.Further, the paper demonstrates that foreign-owned firms thatenter clusters also appropriate spillovers when domestic firmsundertake investment, raising the possibility that clustersare important locations for so called technology, or knowledgesourcing activities by MNEs.     

外商投资企业最低外资比例问题探讨及实践操作

外国投资者在外商投资企业中的投资比例问题在我国许多法律文件中都有涉及,一般规定外国投资者在外商投资企业中的投资比例不得低于25%。这个概念最初肇始于《中外合资经营企业法》。该法第4条规定,合营企业的形式为有限责任公司,在合营企业的注册资本中,外国合营者的投资比例一般不低于25%。从此开始,外资比例一般不低于25%的观念就深入到了我国吸引和利用外资的法律体系和立法执法的观念之中。直至2002年12月30日对外贸易经济合作部、国家税务总局、国家工商行政管理总局、国家外汇管理局联合颁布《关于加强外商投资企业审批、登记、外汇…     

The role of state enterprises in the transition from command to market economies

In transition from command to market economies total privatization has proved to be impossible to achieve, and a substantial part of large enterprises are likely to remain in full or partial state ownership. Hasty privatization has in many cases even proved to be destructive. There is a need to reconsider the basic approach to transition. Contrary to conventional wisdom prevailing in mainstream economics state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are not necessarily inferior to private firms in economic efficiency. J. Kornai's soft-budget constraint is reconsidered. Two models are suggested under which SOEs may prove to be viable in the long run and serve to promote a smoother physical transition. Under Model One (which is the general case) SOEs are largely separated from the state and operate on the basis of profit maximization. Under Model Two (which applies to certain industries) different objective functions are chosen for purposes of economic efficiency. Finally, preserving SOEs is seen as an alternative means of reducing inequitable income distribution at the source where primary incomes are created.     

中国企业对外直接投资面对疫情危机新挑战

近年来,我国企业的对外直接投资迅速增长,投资存量位居世界前列。新冠疫情的突然爆发,使全球经济和投资遭受重创,各国投资保护主义升温,逆全球化趋势明显,境外投资风险显著上升,我国企业对外直接投资面临严峻的挑战。     

The global financial crisis and protectionism: Substitution from tariffs to non-tariff measures

This study empirically investigates the relationships between tariffs and non-tariff measures before and after the global financial crisis (GFC). The panel analysis is based on traded products of 70 countries from 1997 to 2015. For developed countries, we find that tariffs and non-tariff measures were complementary before the crisis, but they became substitutional afterward. We do not find such shift for developing countries. We also run the analysis by income levels and by types of products and observe differential effects of the GFC on the relationship between the two trade policies.     

Research on effectiveness of technology transfer in technology alliances: evidence from Turkish SMEs

Many SMEs homed in newly industrialised countries are successful international players despite limited technological infrastructure and R&D resources. This study bridges a gap in the extant literature by examining the relationships between characteristics of partnership relationships, knowledge sharing and the effectiveness of technology transfer in partnerships between SMEs in developing countries and firms from developed countries. By studying data from Turkish SMEs and using partial least squares structural equation modelling, we find that explicit knowledge sharing forms the basis of technology transfer. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that explicit knowledge sharing is strongly contingent upon formalised technical support while trust and technical support seemed to be important antecedents of tacit knowledge sharing.     

Income insurance and the determinants of income insurance via foreign asset revenues and foreign liability payments

We document that the net factor income smoothing channel in OECD countries is primarily driven by net financial asset income, while the other two sub‐components (net compensation of employees and net taxes on imports) turn out to be ineffective. Once factor income inflows are distinguished from outflows, empirical evidence suggests a non-significant effect of inflows in terms of income smoothing as opposed to a positive and significant role of factor income outflows. Factor income outflows also appear to be robust with respect to positive output shocks, while neither factor inflows nor factor outflows provide insurance against negative output shocks. In terms of the determinants of income smoothing, results indicate that an increase in foreign equity and debt liabilities positively affect the extent of smoothing via factor income outflows. Whereas, contrary to the current literature, an increase in foreign asset holding does not have a positive impact on smoothing via factor income inflows. European investors' tendency of allocating a sizeable portion of their assets within the Euro zone is shown to undermine income smoothing.     

Innovation in foreign enterprises: the influence exerted by location and absorptive capacity

ABSTRACT

This paper has as its aim to analyse multinational enterprises’ location decisions from the perspective of the knowledge-based firm in an attempt to answer the following questions: Are innovative MNEs more likely to be located in areas with a higher degree of agglomeration? Who benefits to a greater extent ? in terms of innovation ? from geographical proximity with other agents: national or foreign enterprises? What role does absorptive capacity play in the relationship between agglomeration and innovation? According to this research work, agglomeration differently influences the innovation of MNE subsidiaries – through knowledge spillovers – depending on the types of agglomerated companies. The analysis performed with a sample of firms located in Spain includes local and foreign companies and uses data from a survey conducted by the National Statistics Institute (INE for its Spanish initials) in 2016. The results show that the agglomeration of similar enterprises favours innovation amongst foreign firms, as opposed to local ones, which absorb both positive and negative effects.     

Chinese lessons: state-owned enterprises and the regulation of foreign investment in Canada

A recent influx of Asian investment is changing the character of the Canadian oil and gas industry and reviving old debates on the regulation of foreign investment. Particular attention has been placed on investment by state-owned enterprises (SOEs), driven in part by public suspicion about investment from China, which has been the largest source of SOE capital flows to Canada. Recent amendments to the Investment Canada Act have made SOE investment more difficult and have raised questions about the country’s attractiveness as an investment destination. This paper makes the case for non-discrimination of SOEs in the investment review process. In the context of a policy framework that is fundamentally supportive of inward foreign direct investment (FDI), the Canadian government does not require a set of redundant measures to protect against the relatively low risk of undesirable investment.     

员工海外培训:对外投资的有效途径

2006年10月16日,联合国贸发会议(UNCTAD)以《来自发展中国家和转型期经济体的外国直接投资》为题,发布了《2006年世界投资报告》.报告指出,长期以来,外国直接投资一直被认为是发达国家的资金和技术流向发展中国家的重要渠道.但目前情况开始变得多样化.其中一个最突出的新特点就是来自发展中国家和转型期经济体的外国直接投资开始蓬勃兴起.2005年,发展中国家跨国公司对外直接投资额达到了创纪录的1200亿美元.2005年发展中国家最大的投资来源地依次为中国香港、俄罗斯、新加坡、中国台湾、巴西和中国大陆.中国在吸收外资保持世界第三位的同时,自身的对外直接投资也呈现出快速增长的态势,不仅如此,中国跨国公司的崛起也已引起全世界的注意.     

WTO与我国外商投资企业的有关法律

改革开放之初，我国在吸引外资方面立法不健全，外国投资者的投资利益没有可靠保障。1979年7月1日，六届全国人大第二次会议通过了我国第一部利用外资的法律《中外合资经营企业法》。不久，全国人大、人大常委会、国务院又相继制定了《中外合资经营企业所得税法》及实施细则，《中外合资经营企业劳动管理规定》、《中外合资经营企业登记管理办法》等一批有关合资经营企业方面的法规。1983年，我国又制定了《合资经营企业法实施细则》，对合资经营企业的法律地位、组织形式、出资方式、设立与登记程序以及内部管理机构等做了进一步的规定。此…     

中国企业"走出去"面临的风险及防范

近些年来,我国在海外的投资项目接连出现问题.2001年,3名中国工人在菲律宾遭绑架;2004年6月,阿富汗的11名中国建筑工人死于恐怖主义的枪口下;2004年我国两名工程技术人员在巴基斯坦被绑架;2005年1月,8名中国人在伊拉克被绑架;2007年1月,先后有5名和9名中国工人在尼日利亚南部的尼日尔河三角洲地区遭到武装分子劫持.