The Determinants of Intra-European Foreign Direct Investment Flows: Market Integration and Policy Issues

SUMMARY

This paper reviews the literature on the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the European Community (EC), especially the few studies concerned with intra-European FDI. It applies international business theory to investigate the determinants of FDI flows within the EC over the period 1984–89. The key results are that the models found contrast with the standard US-EC literature, and also differ within the EC. Real variables assume the greatest importance, although financial variables do appear significant. The pattern of findings suggests that the growth of intra-EC FDI is linked to the adoption of a pan-European FDI strategy by EC firms, largely prompted by EC market integration.     

Foreign direct investment,labour relations and sector effects: US investment outflows to Europe

This paper analyses the impact of national labour relations on foreign direct investment (FDI), with emphasis on macro-markets and sector properties. Since there are sector-specific differences between industries in transferability, labour-relations effects on FDI probably vary across sectors. The paper finds that labour costs dampen FDI, while the impact of national market potential remains inconclusive. Collective labour institutions have a significantly adverse impact on FDI in manufacturing, and a relatively beneficial one on FDI in services. While investment in manufacturing seeks to minimize labour costs at given skill levels, investment in services maximizes skills at given levels of cost.     

The relationship between trade,FDI and economic growth in Tunisia: An application of the autoregressive distributed lag model

The relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness and economic growth in host countries remains one of the most important issues in the economic literature and met with renewed interest in recent years mainly for countries suffering from unemployment problems and lack of technological progress. This paper examines this issue for Tunisia by applying the bounds testing (ARDL) approach to cointegration for the period from 1970 to 2008. The bounds tests suggest that the variables of interest are bound together in the long run when foreign direct investment is the dependent variable. The associated equilibrium correction is also significant, confirming the existence of a long-run relationship. The results also indicate that there is no significant Granger causality from FDI to economic growth, from economic growth to FDI, from trade to economic growth and from economic growth to trade in the short run. Even though there is a widespread belief that FDI can generate positive spillover externalities for the host country, our empirical results fail to confirm this belief for the case of Tunisia. They go against the generally accepted idea considering the positive impact of FDI on economic growth to be automatic. The results found for Tunisia can be generalized and compared to other developing countries which share a common experience in attracting FDI and trade liberalization.     

Lowering the Marginal Corporate Tax Rate: Why the Debate?

In an effort to attract new investors and retain existing producers, governments use corporate tax rates as a policy tool for industrial recruitment, resulting in inter‐state tax competition. Foreign direct investment (FDI) growth and GDP growth are the two policy outcomes gauged in inter‐state tax competition. The assumption is that lower corporate taxes lead to increases in FDI, which results in capital formation that generates GDP growth. This 60‐nation panel study tests that assumption through examining economic indicators contingent on taxation, such as FDI and mergers and acquisitions among multinational corporations between 1999 and 2009. The results suggest that reduced corporate tax rates can increase FDI but decrease annual GDP growth. The main policy implication is that tax competition may attract investment, but may not promote overall economic growth, offering support for value‐extraction theories.     

经济转型下的外商直接投资、国内资本与经济增长——基于中国时间序列数据的计量检验与实证分析

经济转型背景下,中国经济持续增长的一个重要原因是引入外商直接投资。本文对1985年-2010年中国外商直接投资、国内投资与经济增长的总量时间序列数据进行了实证分析。结果表明:FDI与国内资本对我国的经济增长的影响显著,都是GDP的格兰杰原因,与经济增长存在长期均衡关系;但FDI对经济增长的影响小于国内资本,并且FDI与国内资本还存在相互挤入效应。     

Foreign direct investment and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A nonlinear analysis

Using the threshold regression model, we examine the effects of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and the mediating role of FDI absorptive capacity, on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. We find that the threshold level of FDI inflows per person is approximately US$ 44.67 per annum. For FDI to have an appreciable impact on economic growth, countries must have minimum capacity to absorb the growth-enhancing benefits of FDI. For instance, the technology gap between the hosted foreign enterprises and domestic enterprises should be no less than 0.6904. Thus, achieving the FDI threshold level is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for economic growth. Some countries use tax incentives to improve FDI inflows. We argue that such incentives may be counterproductive at low levels of FDI inflows: FDI coefficient estimates below the lowest threshold level are negative, implying that the higher costs of such incentives exceed the potential benefits availed by FDI’s direct contribution to economic output and spillovers.     

Causality Tests for Cross-Country Panels: a New Look at FDI and Economic Growth in Developing Countries

The remarkable increase in FDI flows to developing countries over the last decade has focused attention on whether this source of financing enhances overall economic growth. We use a mixed fixed and random (MFR) panel data estimation method to allow for cross country heterogeneity in the causal relationship between FDI and growth and contrast our findings with those from traditional approaches. We find that the relationship between investment, both foreign and domestic, and economic growth in developing countries is highly heterogeneous and that estimation methods which assume homogeneity across countries can yield misleading results. Our results suggest there is some evidence that the efficacy of FDI in raising future growth rates, although heterogeneous across countries, is higher in more open economies.     

外商直接投资的环境效应测度——基于省际面板数据的实证研究

外商直接投资对中国经济增长的贡献作用非常显著,但随着外商直接投资规模的不断扩大,其带来的环境效应也十分明显。以中国30个省份面板数据为基础的实证研究结果显示,外商直接投资对我国东中西部地区造成环境污染的程度有较大差异。从统计上看,外商直接投资与环境管制力度之间存在着显著的关系,中西部地区引进外商直接投资的数额随着环境管制力度的增强而显著减少。     

Brexit and FDI

• The potential for a departure from the EU to undermine the UK's attractiveness as a location for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is often cited as one of the key risks were the UK to leave the EU. In weighing up the threat to FDI posed by ‘Brexit’ we assess the net gain from inward investment and the role played by EU membership in attracting FDI.
• In theory, FDI benefits the economy via lower interest rates, higher wages for workers and ‘spillover’ benefits boosting economy‐wide productivity. But the evidence for these benefits is ambiguous. And FDI has potential drawbacks. These include an adverse effect on the tradeable sector, reflected in a wider current account deficit, the potential to ‘crowd out’ investment by domestic firms and the fiscal cost of subsidies paid to inward investors.
• That almost half of FDI in the UK comes from other EU countries suggests that EU membership is not the only driver of foreign investment in the UK. Other factors include the UK's business friendly environment, as reflected in global competitiveness surveys, and a relatively deregulated labour market. Of perhaps most importance is the lure provided by the UK's large domestic economy. 80% of FDI in the UK is in sectors where sales to the EU account for less than 10% of total demand.
• However, FDI in manufacturing does look vulnerable to Brexit, given the importance of the EU market. Granted, manufacturing accounts for a modest share of UK FDI. But to the extent that FDI boosts productivity, a loss of inward investment in this sector is likely to come at a disproportionate cost.
• Our modelling suggests that in a worst case Brexit scenario, the stock of FDI could ultimately be 7% lower relative to the UK remaining in the EU, potentially knocking around ½% off the level of GDP.

     

Conclusion: A new learning curve and new economic relations

The European Union has a strong interest in fostering sustainable growth in the central Asian economies, one dimension being to underpin its future energy security. This means supporting reforms that can further strengthen economic institutions, catalyze higher levels of FDI outside the energy sector, promote more broadly based economic growth, and promote financial stability. The EU thus needs to encourage policies that facilitate trade, including notably WTO membership; support institution-building, with a special emphasis on the financial sector; and foster greater regional co-operation (but not preferential regional trade). These are indeed areas in which the EU has developed a strong capacity for assistance during its engagement in Eastern Europe. The EU's policy agenda for central Asia suggests a shift of focus consistent with economic priorities along these lines.     

FDI溢出对高经济产出区的增长影响

运用空间Durbin模型和极大似然估计技术,以1991-2012年大长三角25城市和大珠三角21城市面板数据,对比检验了FDI溢出与城市生产率间的基本关系。发现：FDI对本地城市增长正效应显著存在并随时间增强,其空间溢出显著但在二地区行为相反;空间依赖在城市生产率增长中有增强趋势,但在二地区方向相异;FDI提高了二地区城市增长的条件收敛速度;空间溢出在二地区的核心和外围都存在但表现各异并有不同演变。上述结论对于二地区引进FDI和促进城市发展具有重要政策含义。     

The effect of nominal exchange rate volatility on real macroeconomic performance in the CEE countries

This paper analyzes the relation between nominal exchange rate volatility and several macroeconomic variables, namely real output growth, excess credit, foreign direct investment (FDI) and the current account balance, in the Central and Eastern European EU member states. Using panel estimations for the period between 1995 and 2008, we find that lower exchange rate volatility is associated with higher growth, higher stocks of FDI, higher current account deficits, and higher excess credit. At the same time, the recent evidence seems to suggest that following the global financial crisis, “hard peg” countries may have experienced a more severe adjustment process than “floaters”. The results are economically and statistically significant and robust.     

Legal institutions and high-growth aspiration entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is crucial for economic growth, yet comparatively little research has examined the relationship between institutions and new firm formation. I test the impact of property rights institutions and contracting institutions on high-growth-aspiration (HGA) entrants using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey data for 2000-2005. I find that property rights are more significant for profound market expansion and rule of law is more significant for high job growth. The number of procedures to enforce a contract, the number of procedures to start a business, and the number of days to start a business are negatively correlated with all types of HGA entrepreneurship. A common law legal system is negatively correlated with entrepreneurship combining high job growth and market expansion. These findings add nuance to prior studies that tout the importance of property rights and rule of law for entrepreneurship.     

广西北部湾经济区中心城市引进东盟FDI的战略思考

从东盟引进FDI一直是广西北部湾经济区中心城市利用外资的一支重要力量。广西北部湾经济区中心城市利用东盟FDI存在着行业结构、产业结构、地区结构的不均衡。因此,广西北部湾经济区中心城市应紧抓新的机遇,明确其总体发展的思路和重点发展领域,政府、企业、金融机构应采取多样化措施,共筑平台,实施区域中心城市带动发展战略,加大力度引进东盟FDI。     

Distance,trade and FDI: a Hausman–Taylor SUR approach

This paper analyses the effects of distance as a common determinant of exports and FDI in a three‐factor New Trade Theory model, assuming that distance affects both pure trade costs and plant set‐up costs. Exports and FDI are not necessarily substitutes with respect to distance, since the predicted impact depends on its importance for fixed plant set‐up costs relative to transportation costs and on the relative importance of vertical MNEs. For the empirical specification, we suggest that the impact of time‐invariant variables such as distance is most appropriately analysed in a Hausman–Taylor SUR model. We apply our model to industry‐level data of bilateral outward FDI stocks and exports of the US and Germany. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金融发展、FDI与经济增长

本文基于拉姆齐—卡斯—库普曼斯模型,利用中国29个省、市、自治区1978～2004年的面板数据,研究金融发展、外商直接投资(FDI)对经济增长的影响。研究显示FDI在一定水平下,对东道国资本积累和产出增长的影响是非线性的,随着外资数量的逐渐增加,其对资本积累和产出增长的促进效应逐渐下降,FDI进入初期的正影响最终转为负影响,研究还显示FDI在数量一定的情况下,金融发展对本国资本积累和产出增长有正影响。金融发展通过有利于吸引外商直接投资、为外资企业提供金融服务,将潜在的溢出效应转化为现实生产力,显著地促进了经济增长。     

中国对FDI吸收能力的经验性分析——基于创新角度

关于外商直接投资(FDI)与经济增长之间关系的研究,近年来国内外一些学者特别强调东道国的经济技术条件对它们的影响。我国把自主创新能力建设作为一项国家战略。从中国创新能力角度定量分析了外商直接投资对我国经济增长的影响。实证检验结果表明,在影响外商直接投资的众多因素中,东道国创新能力起着重要的作用。     

服务业FDI与区域经济增长关系研究——基于长三角地区数据的实证分析

通过建立模型，对长三角地区服务业的外商直接投资（FDI）与经济增长的关系进行实证研究。研究表明，长三角地区服务业的FDI对经济增长具有较强的促进作用，但仅凭经济总量的增加不足以进一步吸引服务业外商直接投资，制度的建设与完善才是吸引FDI的关键。     

Foreign capital inflows, economic growth and stock market capitalization in Asian countries: an ARDL bound testing approach

This study investigates the effects of foreign capital inflows and economic growth on stock market capitalization in 18 Asian countries by using the panel data from the period of 2000–2010. The ARDL bound testing cointegration approach confirms the valid long run relationship between the considered variables. Results indicate that foreign direct investment has significant negative and economic growth has significant positive relationship with the stock market capitalization, whereas, the results of workers’ remittances is found insignificant in long run. The error correction model confirms the significant positive relationship of economic growth and workers’ remittances while, FDI has negative and significant impact on stock market capitalization in short run. Results of causality test based on Toda and Yamamoto (J Econom 66: 225–250, 1995) show the bidirectional causal relationship of foreign direct investment and economic growth with stock market capitalization. However, no causal relationship is found in between workers’ remittances and stock market capitalization. It is suggested that investor should not idealize the inflow of workers’ remittances to invest in Asian stock markets in long run. Simultaneously, size of the economy is a better leading indicator for Asian stock markets. On the other hand, inflows of FDI may mislead the investor to invest. Investor should keep on eye whether FDI come in the competition of domestic market or not? If this happens so investor should not invest in the stock market of host country.     

Foreign Direct Investment in China: Determinants and Effects

This paper attempts to assess the determinants of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in China and its effects on the whole economy. After presenting the main theoretical contributions and the previous works done about China’s inward-FDI, an empirical study has been implemented extending the previous ones with a different data set (more recent) and with different methodologies. The traditional determinants of FDI seem to be relevant for China: domestic market size, cost advantages and openness to the rest of the world. Concerning the consequences of FDI on the Chinese economy, our empirical evidence supports the view that FDI affects China’s growth through the diffusion of ideas. Through the introduction of new ideas, multinational firms develop technical progress and hence long-run economic growth. The transmission of ideas seems to have had a positive effect on the Chinese growth. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.