Foreign Investment and National Interests in the Russian Oil and Gas Industry

This article examines the political economy of foreign direct investment in the Russian oil and gas industry in order to explain the limited role of foreign capital in this sector. There are three forms of foreign direct investment in the Russian oil and gas industry: (1) joint ventures, (2) investment within the framework of a production sharing agreement (PSA) and (3) foreign equity investment. The development of these three forms of foreign direct investment is analysed with special reference to the interests of the parties involved, before a conclusion on the political factors determining the conditions for foreign investment is made.     

On the new export sector in developing countries

Abstract

Many developing countries are establishing a new export sector by accepting foreign direct investment. Developing a three-sectors three-factors general equilibrium model with tariff, this paper considers the condition under which the acceptance of direct investment is desirable for the developing countries. We show that the factor intensity rankings among the sectors play a key role on the welfare effects and that direct investment increases the output of both the new export and the traditional export sector and promotes the export-led growth in developing countries.     

Foreign Direct Investment in Australia Following the Australia–US Free Trade Agreement

A model of inward foreign direct investment for Australia is estimated. Foreign direct investment is found to be positively related to economic and productivity growth and negatively related to foreign portfolio investment, trade openness, the exchange rate and the foreign real interest rate. Foreign direct investment is found to be a substitute for both portfolio investment and trade in goods and services. The exchange rate and the US bond rate affect foreign direct investment through the relative attractiveness of domestic assets. Actual foreign direct investment outperforms a model‐derived forecast in recent years, consistent with the liberalisation of foreign investment screening rules following the Australia–US Free Trade Agreement.     

Foreign Direct Investment,Female Education,Capital Formation,and Economic Growth in Japan and South Korea

ABSTRACT

The influence of foreign direct investment (FDI) on host country‘s economic growth is a widely explored issues in the existing economic literature. This study attempts to examine the role of foreign direct investment, capital formation, and expansion of female education on economic growth of Japan during the period 1971–2014, using time series observations. The study further makes a comparison regarding the association with FDI and economic growth with South Korea, another major OECD economy of Asia The study utilises the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds approach to cointegration to examine the long run causality association among the variables. Today, for sustainable economic development the social and institutional policy issues are important. The paper explores one such social issue, namely gender and economic prosperity. This paper has novel contributions in the current research on time series, econometric analysis for the following reasons: (1) it has investigated the relationship between economic growth, foreign direct investment and capital formation in a gendered differential framework (utilising the role of human capital formation among men versus women; (2) the study covers a long period and more recent time period (till 2014), which concurs with the upsurge of world FDI movements and (3) the study also explores the major structural breaks of the two economies and how economic growth is impacted thereof.     

Technology transfer: economic factors that influence transferor and transferee’s choice*

ABSTRACT

This research presents itself as one of the earliest studies to consider economic factors that influence decision making in an international technology transfer while considering the perspectives of the transferor and transferee individually. Unlike previous studies, this study takes a multi-variable analysis approach in considering these factors through the development of a common analytical framework that can be applied to similar studies. The methodology used herein is quantitative and involves a multiple regression analysis, which combines variables examined unilaterally in earlier studies. The results show that economic factors that influence a transferor’s choice of a transferee include inflation rate, currency exchange rate, and foreign direct investment while in the converse relationship, the results prove that in addition to inflation rate, currency exchange rate, and foreign direct investment, official development assistance was also relevant.     

Aid,Terrorism, and Foreign Direct Investment: Empirical Insight Conditioned on Corruption Control

ABSTRACT

This paper checks the effect of foreign aid on terrorism–foreign direct investment (FDI) nexus, while considering the extent of domestic corruption control (CC). The empirical evidence is based on a sample of 78 developing countries. The following findings were established: the negative effect of terrorism on FDI is apparent only in countries with higher levels of CC; foreign aid dampens the negative effect of terrorism on FDI only in countries with high level of CC. Also, the result is mixed when foreign aid is subdivided into its bilateral and multilateral components. While our findings are in accordance with the stance that bilateral aid is effective in reducing the adverse effect of terrorism on FDI, we find that multilateral aid also decreases the adverse effect of other forms of terrorism that can neither be classified as domestic or transnational. Policy implications are discussed in the paper.     

Characterising Japanese Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe: A Firm Level Investigation of Stylised Facts and Investment Characteristics

This article analyses the activities of Japanese investors in Central and Eastern Europe since the beginning of the region's transition. The use of firm level data on Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region allows us to focus on the industry, location and timing of affiliate establishment at a level of detail previously unexamined. This enables us to compare Japanese investment with overall regional inward investment as well as investigate country specialisation patterns within the region. We also characterise the type of investing parent, and determine how investments in CEE fit into the European-wide investment patterns for these firms. Finally, we investigate the entry mode choices of investing firms, finding a shift from minority-owned joint ventures and limited participation in the region in favour of wholly-owned subsidiaries and larger involvement in the region.     

The Rise and Fall of Foreign Direct Investment in Laos, 1988‐2000

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has played an important role in the development of Laos since the country embarked on an economic transition and business liberalisation programme in the late 1980s. However, in recent years Laos has witnessed a marked contraction in its cumulative FDI inflows. This article provides a profile of FDI activity in Laos over the past decade and identifies the various factors behind the rise, and subsequent decline, in foreign investment inflows during the 1990s. The article concludes by suggesting some of the ways in which Lao policy makers might seek to revive the country's flagging FDI sector.     

Does R&D,human capital and FDI matter for TFP in OECD countries?

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the interplay between research and development (R&D), human capital (HC), foreign direct investment (FDI) and total factor productivity (TFP) in OECD countries. We divide the sample into two sub-groups; the European and the non-European states so as to account for underlying country heterogeneity. The analysis follows a panel data approach over the period 1995–2015, taking into account the modelling on non-stationarity, long-run relationships and short-run dynamics with a panel VAR. Both R&D and HC have a positive effect on TFP, whilst FDI has a positive and significant effect only in the case of non-European countries. Moreover, the contribution of R&D is higher than that of HC and FDI in all cases. Thus, based on these findings, policymakers should design and implement policies to increase resources invested in R&D, with a consistent ongoing spending review, to attract foreign direct investment, especially for the majority of the European and some of the non-European countries and to improve education system on a more productive innovation and research base.     

The Differential Impact of Public and Private Governance Institutions on the Different Modes of Foreign Investment

This paper examines the respective impacts of public and private governance institutions on foreign direct and foreign portfolio investment inflows. We present two hypotheses: (1) there is a strong correlation between the quality of a country’s public governance institutions and the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) received while the quality of its private governance institutions has no further discernible impact on this correlation; (2) there is a strong correlation between the quality of a country’s public governance institutions and the amount of foreign portfolio investment (FPI) received while the quality of its private governance institutions has a further positive impact on this correlation. Our findings, which are based on panel data analysis, show both hypotheses to be valid.     

The Role of Foreign Direct Investment in the Privatisation and Restructuring of the Czech Motor Industry

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been considered one of the crucial factors of a successful economic transformation in Central and Eastern Europe. This article investigates the role of FDI in the privatisation and restructuring of the Czech motor industry in the 1990s. In particular, it examines how governmental policies towards FDI affected FDI inflows, the immediate effects of FDI at the enterprise level, and the contested nature of this change. Advantages of foreign ownership for Czech enterprises, such as access to investment capital, access to sale and distribution networks of parent companies and technology transfer are discussed, as well as examples of failures of FDI to result in a successful enterprise restructuring. The information presented is based upon in-depth interviews with top managers of twenty component suppliers, governmental officials and vehicle makers in the Czech Republic as well as on the secondary data.     

Direct Foreign Investment and Welfare in the Transforming Economies: The Case of Central Asia

This paper studies the welfare effects of foreign investment into an economy with a trade regime of export taxes and/or import subsidies. This regime is characteristic of the Central Asian economies but has received no consideration in previous literature. We show that in many circumstances, foreign investment into an economy with a Central-Asian-type trade regime reduces welfare. In particular, we find that foreign investment is most likely to immiserize when it is directed toward nondistorted traded sectors or free trade zones.J. Comp. Econom.,June 1997,24(3), pp. 297–312. University of Miami, P.O. Box 248126, Coral Gables, Florida 33124.     

On the Empirics of Market Integration in ECOWAS

Abstract

This paper uses the gravity model to investigate the market implications of unilateral and preferential economic reforms in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The results show that the traditional explanatory variables of the gravity model are the significant determinants of trade flows in the ECOWAS region, and that belonging to this grouping fosters trade. Hence policy advice should focus on strengthening these factors, which are likely to enhance the possibility of greater intra‐regional trade. This can contribute to drawing foreign direct investment to the region, enhancing policy credibility, and bringing greater economic and political stability.     

中国自贸试验区建设吸引了外商直接投资流入吗? ——来自216个地级市的面板数据考察

自由贸易试验区作为中国深化改革与开放的一项政策实验,尝试通过制度创新实现贸易、投资自由化,其政策效果究竟如何？研究基于2000—2019年216个地级市面板数据,运用广义合成控制法实证检验了我国自贸试验区对外商直接投资的影响。研究发现,自贸试验区在一定程度上吸引了外商直接投资流入,且随着时间推进,其对外商直接投资的正向促进作用愈发明显;控制其他政策因素的多期双重差分法的结果进一步验证了上述结论的可靠性。研究进一步发现：自贸试验区吸引外商直接投资的政策效果存在差异性。从时间趋势看,不同批次自贸试验区的政策导向不同,对外商直接投资的影响力度不同;从区域层面看,自贸试验区建设中,东部地区对外商直接投资的促进作用更强,中部地区的政策效应存在滞后性,西部地区吸引外商直接投资力度有下降趋势;从城市规模看,自贸试验区建设对一线城市外商直接投资的吸引力度更明显,级别越低的城市可塑性越强,吸引外商直接投资流入效果越显著。从不同发展梯度看,沿海自贸试验区对外商直接投资的正向影响程度高于内陆自贸试验区,而沿边自贸试验区并未发挥出对外商直接投资的吸引作用。     

Corruption and cross-border investment by multinational firms

Motivated by previous studies on the effect of corruption on foreign direct investment, we examine the impact of a distance measure of corruption between host and source countries on cross-border direct investment and find that corruption distance deters cross-border investment. The evidence indicates that corruption distance is not as serious a deterrent of outward direct investment from more-corrupt countries as it is from less-corrupt countries. We conclude that multinational firms with the capacity to engage in bribery can disregard this activity in transparent environments, whereas multinational firms accustomed to operating in transparent environments find it difficult to overcome the administrative complexities in corrupt environments. Journal of Comparative Economics 34 (4) (2006) 839–856.     

Foreign Investment and the Mediation of Trade Flows

How does foreign direct investment affect the trade between nations? While many theories of the multinational firm are based on the premise that foreign production and trade are substitutes, most empirical studies of foreign investment and trade uncover a complementary relationship. This paper shows that the mismatch between theoretical work and empirical findings is a byproduct of data aggregation. When the unique country–industry patterns of mostly OECD country foreign investments in the US are analyzed, predicted substitution patterns are revealed at the data level that roughly corresponds to broad products. The complementary effects of foreign investment on trade emerge at higher levels of aggregation.     

对外开放与中国经济增长关系的实证研究

Based on an adjusted Solow economic growth model, using econometric tools such as cointegration test and Granger causality test, taking the economic factors such as foreign trade and foreign investment into account, this paper makes regression analysis on the effect of economic opening on China’s economic growth by using the data from 1985 to 2004. The analysis indicates that the domestic capital input is still the primary element that promotes China’s economic growth, by contrast, the effect of foreign trade and foreign investment is faint. It is a bidirectional causality between foreign trade and economic growth, and the adjusting velocity of trade is larger than the foreign direct investment on the balance of the China’s long-time economic growth.      

雾霾污染对外商直接投资的影响研究

基于中国271个地级以上城市2007—2016年的PM_2.5浓度数据,实证分析了雾霾污染对外商直接投资的影响,创新性地使用年均降水量作为缓解雾霾污染内生性的工具变量,在2SLS的统一框架内估计雾霾污染对外商直接投资的影响。主要结论有:雾霾污染与外商直接投资之间存在正相关关系,地方政府进行大力的环境治理可以减少环境污染,能够缓解外商直接投资压力;2012—2016年间雾霾污染对外商直接投资的影响要显著高于2007—2011年间的,可以预见未来治霾能够更加有效地缓解外商直接投资压力;大中城市雾霾污染对于外商直接投资的影响要显著小于小城市,内陆城市对于雾霾污染治理的难度要大于沿海城市。政策启示在于,雾霾减排将不可避免地深刻影响地方政府的行为,雾霾减排可以缓解外商直接投资压力,地方政府应该积极地投入到环境治理之中,促进环境治理和地方经济增长良性循环。     

Assessing Macroeconomic Vulnerability in Central Europe

The Central European transition-accession countries Have experienced several periods of macroeconomic vulnerability since the end of output declines in the early 1990s. Some notable periods, which resulted in a necessity to implement extensive stabilisation measures, are March 1995 in Hungary, May 1997 in the Czech Republic and September 1998 in the Slovak Republic. This article shows that the standard early warning indicators provided useful information on macroeconomic vulnerability prior to the crises in Central Europe, although this information had been mainly indicative; that is, early warning indicators would not have allowed one to predict the crises and their timing. However, the growing gap between current account deficit and foreign direct investment (FDI) in all the countries analysed did provide clear early warning of subsequent economic turbulence.     

Taxi,Takeoff and Landing: Behavioural Patterns of Capital Flows to Emerging Markets

This paper analyses volatility, persistence, predictability, correlation, comovement (or contagion risk) and sudden stop (reversibility) of capital flows (foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign portfolio equity investment, long-term and short-term debt flows) using time series econometric techniques for 24 emerging economies over 1970–2014. This is informative on the pattern and relationship between capital inflows, with implications for accommodating macroeconomic policies in countries receiving inflows. The paper also addresses the predictions of conventional theory, that differences are associated with the maturity of the capital (long-term vs. short-term), with the information-based trade-off model of Goldstein and Razin [(2006). An information-based trade off between foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio investment. Journal of International Economics, 70(1), 271–295], that differences are associated with the structure of the capital (equity vs. debt). In line with the latter, equity flows (FDI and portfolio) are less volatile and persistent, more predictable and less susceptible to sudden stops than debt flows. Contrary to conventional theory, short-term flows are not more volatile, but there is evidence that correlations and risks of contagion are strong within all capital flow components.