Foreign Direct Investment Inflows and Intellectual Property Rights: Empirical Evidence from Different Income Groups

This study examines the impact of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows by considering global data with three income groups classified by World Bank (i.e. high-, middle-, and low-income groups). The empirical model relates FDI inflows to IPRs, controlled by a set of known variables, namely GDP per capital, trade openness, real exchange rate, and real interest rate. The study covers panel data of between 35 and 100 countries for the period 1980–2014. The panel cointegration tests suggest that FDI inflow and IPRs with the other control variables are cointegrated for full countries and high-income group. Their estimated (long-run) coefficients are 0.04 and 0.18, respectively, but insignificant in the short-run. The impact (short-run) of TRIPS agreement is positive for full countries, but negative for low-income group. Non-causality tests further support the role of IPRs on FDI. Various transmission channels have been identified, in particularly for low-income countries. This study enlightens policymakers about the policy on creating a conducive and sustainable environment for IPRs in order to encourage FDI inflows to their countries.     

The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Malaysia: A Revisit

Abstract

The paper re-examines the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia, for the period 1970–2006. The cointegration results show that market size of both Malaysia and China have major, and a statistically significant impact, on FDI inflow to Malaysia. The results seem to support the argument that foreign investors tend to be more attracted to the country with a higher growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP) because it indicates a larger potential demand for their products. In addition, the results also demonstrate that openness level of the country has a positive and statistically significant effect on FDI inflow, which supports the hypothesis that FDI can be attracted to a country with more liberalized economic reforms. Finally, the results show that literacy rate (human capital development) has significant positive effect on FDI inflow. The finding suggests the need for labor force expansion and education policy to raise the stock of human capital in the country. Using Granger causality test, we also find that there exist unidirectional causality from real GDP of both Malaysia and China, degree of openness and literacy rate to FDI inflow.     

FDI对中国收入分配差距的影响及对策——基于多维变量基础上的实证研究

FDI对中国城乡总量收入差距之间并不存在关联,但与人均收入差距有着明显的正相关关系。FDI与地区生产总值的差异存在很大关联,但只在东部和中部地区以及东部和西部地区的实证数据得到验证。FDI和产业生产总值的差距,由于FDI在第二产业上的大量存在,使得一、二产业和二、三产业间的现象比较明显。正因为FDI对地区和行业收入分配的复杂影响,加上FDI的溢出效应、产业和劳动力转移等因素,使得FDI和全国基尼系数之间的关联并不显著,FDI并不是全国收入分配差距拉大的重要变量。因此,为更好地利用FDI,发挥其对收入分配的积极影响,应鼓励和引导外商投资企业在中西部地区投资,进一步降低外资在某些产业上的进入门槛,培育和壮大国内民营企业。     

对外贸易和外商直接投资对中国人力资本存量影响的实证研究——基于岭回归分析法

文章首先建立模型,然后利用我国1983～2008年的时间序列数据,运用岭回归法实证研究了对外贸易和外商直接投资对人力资本存量的影响.结果发现,进口贸易显著地提升了我国人力资本;出口贸易对人力资本的正面影响系数很小;外商直接投资有利于人力资本的提升,但提升的幅度较小;国内生产总值和教育经费增加有助于提升人力资本.最后,文...     

Human Capital and FDI Inflows to Developing Countries: New Empirical Evidence

Despite the dramatic increase in total foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing countries in the last few years, the bulk of the inflows has been directed to only a limited number of countries. It has been argued that developing countries might enhance their attractiveness as locations for FDI by pursuing policies that raise the level of local skills and build up human resource capabilities. Nevertheless, the empirical evidence in the literature in support of this recommendation for a large sample of developing countries is scant. This paper evaluates this argument in the light of the evolution in the structural characteristics of FDI and empirically tests the hypothesis that the level of human capital in host countries may affect the geographical distribution of FDI. The empirical findings are: (a) human capital is a statistically significant determinant of FDI inflows; (b) human capital is one of the most important determinants; and (c) its importance has become increasingly greater through time.     

The impact of foreign direct investment and human capital on economic growth: Evidence from Chinese cities

Using a panel of Chinese cities over the period 1991–2010, we examine the determinants of economic growth, focusing on the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) and human capital. Consistent with the predictions of a human capital-augmented Solow model, we find that the growth rate (along the path to the steady-state income level) of per capita GDP is negatively correlated with population growth rate and positively correlated with investment rate in physical capital and human capital. We find that FDI has a positive effect on the per capita GDP growth rate and this effect is intensified by the human capital endowment of the city. The latter suggests that one way that human capital contributes to growth is to serve as a facilitator for technology transfers stemming from FDI. Furthermore, we find some suggestive evidence that the FDI-human capital complementary effect is stronger for technology-intensive FDI than for labor-intensive FDI. Our results are robust to alternative measures of human capital, model specifications, and estimation methods.     

Foreign direct investment, intellectual property rights, and wage inequality in China

This article incorporates foreign direct investment (FDI) and product differentiation in a general equilibrium trade model. The analysis shows that freer trade and FDI will upgrade China's technology, improve its skills of labor, and increase the competitiveness of local firms in the international market. At the same time, the relative wage of skilled labor to unskilled labor will rise. The size of this rise will be affected by the degree of protection for intellectual property rights. These theoretical results are consistent with empirical evidence. The analysis provides insights in coordinating policies on FDI, labor market reform, and intellectual property rights protection.     

Migration,FDI, and Welfare

We investigate migration and foreign direct investment (FDI) for a small trading economy. Historically, immigration in small countries has been accompanied by FDI inflows (complementary capital movements). Based on the skill composition of migrants, empirical evidence finds that skilled immigration is accompanied by FDI inflows but unskilled immigration is accompanied by FDI outflows (substitutable capital movements). We prove that the Heckscher-Ohlin model cannot reconcile these apparently contradictory observations. We introduce a theoretical model in which capital and unskilled labor are sector specific, and demonstrate that this model can reconcile the historical and empirical observations on migration and FDI.     

我国隐性资本流入的影响因素实证研究

在资本账户尚未开放的情形下,贸易伪报、FDI等构成国际金融资本流入中国的重要渠道。隐性资本的持续大规模流入,对我国央行宏观调控及经济正常发展具有潜在的负面影响。因此,理解隐性资本流入的决定因素具有现实意义。实证结果表明,宏观经济基本变量等内部因素是吸引隐性资本流入的主要"拉动"力,而日美经济增长速度则是"推动"隐性资本流入的重要变量。为此,我国应从经济发展战略的高度强化经济增长质量,完善金融市场体系,提升抵御外部冲击的能力,同时逐步有序开放资本账户,降低隐性资本流动规模。     

知识产权保护与国际R&D溢出实证研究

进口贸易和FDI是国际R&D溢出的主要渠道,知识产权保护水平是影响国际技术效应的重要因素。运用中国1985～2009的时间序列数据实证分析表明,进口贸易和FDI能显著促进国际R&D的技术溢出,且吸收能力的加强有助于技术效应的扩大。但是在现有中国经济的发展水平下,知识产权保护的加强会抑制国际技术溢出,阻碍中国劳动生产率的提高。因此,作为发展中国家,完善现有教育体制和提高人力资本自主创新才是关键,同时在不违反WTO协议的前提下,应采取适度的知识产权保护水平。     

外商直接投资对零售业的溢出效应研究——基于省际面板数据的实证检验

运用2006—2018年省际面板数据分析对外直接投资(FDI)对中国零售业的溢出效应.结果显示,FDI对中国内资零售业的溢出效应和挤出效应并存:FDI的参与度会对中国内资零售业的技术进步产生负面影响,不利于FDI集聚性行业内溢出效应的产生;而外资零售企业的劳动生产率有利于中国内资企业的技术溢出,表现为FDI效率性行业内溢出效应.此外,企业规模在中部地区的影响更显著,资本密集度对中国内资零售业的技术进步具有显著的正向影响.     

我国双重二元经济结构下FDI的异质性

我国存在着双重的二元经济结构,这对流入我国FDI的性质有着重要的影响。本文的实证结果显示,2002～2009年我国东部地区的外资利用以能带来更大技术溢出并促进产业结构升级的水平型FDI为主,我国中部地区FDI性质不明确,而西部地区的外资利用则以垂直型为主。门槛回归结果显示,我国各地区不同的金融发展水平、对外依赖度以及国家干预程度对流入我国FDI性质都存在明显的门槛效应。     

Effects on China and ASEAN of the ASEAN-China FTA: The FDI perspective

The ASEAN-China FTA (ACFTA) is a significant step in regional economic integration for both China and the ASEAN countries. While analysis of the effects of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) most commonly focuses on the trade effects, the closeness of the link between trade and investment implies that the effect of an FTA on foreign direct investment (FDI) is also potentially significant. FTAs may stimulate FDI through the effects of market expansion and vertical fragmentation, while they may also reduce FDI through a plant rationalization effect. The overall effect of an FTA on FDI flows is an empirical question. This paper examines the impact of ACFTA on FDI flows through an econometric model that captures the influence of East Asian production networks on FDI, which we expect to be an important explanatory factor. The model finds that ACFTA has a significant and positive effect on FDI flows. A brief survey of the theoretical literature on the welfare and other related effects of FDI serves to emphasize that the extent to which individual member countries of the ACFTA will benefit from this increase in FDI will depend in important ways on the policies pursued in each country.     

Human capital,FTAs and foreign direct investment flows into ASEAN

In this paper, we examine the impact of foreign direct investment flows into ASEAN in a gravity model using the bilateral FDI data from 2000 to 2009. In particular, we study the key factors that determine the FDI flows into the region including human capital development and whether membership of a bilateral or regional trade agreement has a differential impact on FDI flows using an extended gravity model. The empirical results indicate that free trade agreements do have positive impact on FDI inflows. However, the returns on FDI inflows depend on the domestic absorptive capacity of the economy and region. It is imperative for ASEAN to align its infrastructure, human capital and technologies to provide MNCs with the necessary linkages to the global network and also to move the domestic industries seamlessly up the global production value-chain. The paper highlights that this is crucial for deeper ASEAN integration and for sustainable growth in the region.     

Memories of colonial law: The inheritance of human capital and the location of joint ventures in early-reform China

Using a unique data set of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) contracts from the 1980s and early 1990s, we explore those mechanisms of historical persistence resulting from China's unique colonial experience. Adopting difference-in-differences as well as difference-in-difference-in-differences analysis within conditional logit, we provide evidence that foreign investors favored locating FDI in Chinese cities in which their home country had a colony in the 19th century and that a human-capital channel best explains this persistent impact of colonial experience. While alternative explanations for long-term persistence are not consistent with the empirical findings, the results suggest that legal human capital inherited from colonial times affected economic decisions after 1978. Thus, we attempt to advance the literature on history's long-lasting influence by proposing one particular mechanism of persistence—memory of legal institutions, or inheritance of legal human capital.     

The Impact of Industry Characteristics and IPR Policy on Foreign Direct Investment

This paper investigates the interaction of industry characteristics and intellectual property rights (IPRs) on multinational firm behavior. The results suggest that firms in industries with high capital costs are more likely to maintain control over production knowledge in countries with less intellectual property protection by engaging in foreign direct investment (FDI). Moreover, when IPRs are strong, firms in industries with high investment in research and development (R&D) are more likely to enter a market by licensing to an unaffiliated host firm. JEL no. F23, C25, O34     

Do Institutions Matter for Foreign Direct Investment?

Using a panel of 69 countries during 1981 and 2005, we investigate the role of institutions in determining foreign direct investment (FDI). We find that institutions are a robust predictor of FDI and that the most significant institutional aspects are linked to propriety rights. Using a novel data set, we also study the impact of institutions on FDI at the sectoral level. We find that institutions do not have a significant impact on FDI in the primary sector but that institutional quality matters for FDI in manufacturing, and particularly in services.     

FDI对我国制造业升级的影响研究——基于省级面板数据的实证

当前FDI流入我国增速已经放缓;然而,FDI流入高技术制造业的比重却正在提高。FDI流向正在发生的深刻变化将对我国制造业升级产生深远影响。在FDI流入总量及流向正发生深刻变化的新条件下,探讨如何更加合理有效地利用FDI,促推我国制造业升级,正成为急需探讨的新课题。本文运用1996~2014年中国省级面板数据,通过构建FGLS模型,对FDI影响制造业升级的效应进行了实证检验,结果表明：从全国层面来看,FDI对劳动密集型与技术密集型制造业发展都有明显的促推作用;而对资本密集型制造业的发展则存在较为明显的负向影响。从分地区层面来看,FDI促进了劳动密集型制造业从东部向中部地区转移,资本密集型制造业由东部向中、西部地区转移;此外,FDI还促进了东部地区技术密集型制造业占比提高。但是,FDI在西部对制造业的投资方向过于单一,主要集中于资本密集型制造业,这对我国西部地区制造业的长期发展不利。因而,要顺应FDI新变化,发挥政府宏观调控作用,更加合理、有效地利用好FDI。     

The Role of Property Rights in the Relationship between Capital Flows and Economic Growth in SSA: Do Natural Resources Endowment and Country Income Level Matter?

This paper studies the role played by the quality of property rights in the linkages of international capital flows into sub‐Saharan African (SSA) economies. Using panel data of 36 SSA countries over the period 1996–2015 and the ARDL procedure with the Pooled Mean Group regression method appropriate for non‐stationary panel data estimation, we account for the joint effects of property rights quality and openness to foreign capital flows on economic growth. We uncover the existence of a property rights quality threshold beyond which property rights either amplifies the spillovers effects or attenuates the negative effect of capital flows on economic growth. For instance, it takes a level of property rights of at least 60 to have a positive long‐term impact of capital flows on economic growth in natural resource‐poor African countries. The quality of property rights matters more to obtain spillover effects of capital flows on growth in natural resource‐poor countries than in their peer natural resource‐rich countries. Finally, with regard to the countries' income levels, capital flows have significant long‐term spillovers effects on economic growth in advanced African economies than in their low‐income peers.     

自主创新背景下的FDI技术溢出效应——以我国长三角地区为例

本文基于长三角地区2000年-2007年的统计数据，通过对外资引进现状的考察，建立面板数据模型来研究FDI技术外溢效应。实证分析表明，FDI在长三角地区存在显著的正向的技术外溢效应，长三角地区开放的市场环境和自主创新能力对FDI的技术外溢产生了正面影响。此外，具有高等教育水平的人力资本对FDI技术外溢效应的发挥有明显的促进作用，而具有中等教育水平的人力资本的作用较小且不显著。