Vertical foreign direct investment: Evidence from Japanese and U.S. multinational enterprises

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries has increased since the 1990s, but there is mixed evidence of vertical FDI associated with factor-seeking motives. This paper estimates the vertical motive of offshore production by multinational enterprises (MNEs) by exploiting past schooling characteristics as instruments for skilled-labor abundance in a host country. Using panel data on Japanese and U.S. MNEs in the 1990s, I find that skilled-labor abundance has a significantly negative impact on sales of manufacturing foreign affiliate only for Japanese MNEs. The results suggest that vertical FDI activity was more prevalent in Japanese MNEs than U.S. MNEs. A plausible explanation is that Japanese MNEs might be more vertically integrated with their offshore production than U.S. MNEs. A difference in foreign outsourcing activities could generate the observed deviation between Japanese and U.S. MNEs.     

FDI and productivity convergence in Central and Eastern Europe: an industry-level investigation

This paper presents empirical evidence of the effect of FDI inflows on productivity convergence in Central and Eastern Europe, using a new and harmonized industry-level data set. Four conclusions stand out. First, there is a strong convergence effect in productivity, both at the country and at the industry level. Second, FDI inflow plays an important role in accounting for productivity growth. Third, the impact of FDI on productivity critically depends on the absorptive capacity of recipient countries and industries. Fourth, there is important heterogeneity across countries, industries and time with respect to some of the main findings.     

Location choice in low-income countries: Evidence from Japanese investments in East Asia

Unlike most existing studies, this paper examines the location choices of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in low-income countries. Specifically, we investigate the location choices of Japanese MNEs among East Asian developing countries by estimating a four-stage nested logit model and a mixed logit model at the province level. Our findings are as follows. First, Japanese MNEs consider Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam to be host countries different from China and the forerunners of ASEAN. In other words, for Japanese investors, ASEAN forerunners are countries replaceable by China. Second, the mechanics of vertical FDI are more likely to appear in FDIs in low-income countries. For example, rather than the market size of the host country, tariff rates on products from investing countries are more crucial location elements.     

东道国交通运输能力与中国企业跨国并购:基于生产率调节效应的视角

文章将东道国交通运输能力和生产率引入理论模型,并基于宏观和微观层面数据,研究东道国交通基础设施对中国企业跨国并购完成率的影响机制,实证结果表明:高交通运输能力国家的企业为中国企业并购所青睐,尤其是水路运输;劳动生产率较高的国家的企业对中国资本吸引力并不显著,但东道国交通运输能力与劳动生产率的双向互动却明显促进了中国企业跨国并购,而且不同行业劳动生产率的调节效应不尽相同,服务业劳动生产率引起的间接调节效应最大,其次是工业,最后是农业。这对于有效促进中国企业成功"出海"并实现全球资本区域结构优化具有现实价值。     

Country of origin,branding strategy and internationalisation: the case of Chinese piano companies

This paper studies the internationalisation of Chinese piano firms from a branding perspective. The purpose of the paper is twofold. First, it examines the interplay between the country of origin (COO) effect and international branding, and how COO affects the choice of branding strategies in international markets. Second, it explores the possible link between international branding decisions and international expansion of the firm. A model is introduced that illustrates the relationships between COO, branding options and internationalisation. Corresponding to its progress in internationalisation, a firm's branding development in international markets may follow certain stages. As the firm moves to advanced stages, it increases its international brand equity; the impact from negative COO will decrease and eventually become irrelevant. The literature on internationalisation is largely based on the experience of MNEs from Western developed countries. Multinational firms from developing countries such as China possess some unique characteristics that make it very difficult to apply Western theories to them. The emergence of MNEs from developing countries calls for the development of new theories.     

探讨金融市场发展对提升外商直接投资质量的作用

外商直接投资通过溢出效应可以促进东道国经济的持续增长,但这种促进作用的实现受到东道国"吸收能力"的影响。金融市场发展是提升吸收能力的一个重要因素。实证研究表明,金融市场信贷规模的扩大以及两者间的交互作用,有助于增强FDI对经济增长的促进作用。不过,目前我国由金融市场发展而决定的FDI溢出效应尚不明显,为此,本文提出了如何推动国内金融市场发展提升FDI质量的相关政策建议。     

Impact of Terrorism on Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As): Prevalence,Frequency and Intensity

This paper contributes to the literature on the impact of terrorism on international business by focusing on the specific case of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) using bilateral data for 59 countries over the period 2000–2011. We are interested in the following set of questions: (a) the impact of source and host country terrorism on bilateral M&A flows using various measures of terrorism (i.e. prevalence, frequency and intensity); (b) whether terrorism affects developing countries differently; (c) whether good institutions in developing host countries can offset the negative effects of terrorism; and (d) whether terrorism incidents in a particular economy has negative spillovers to its neighbors. To preview the main conclusions, we find that an augmented gravity model fits the data well. While the occurrence of terrorism in either the host or source does not appear to have any impact on bilateral M&A, the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks significantly deter M&A flows, especially in the latter. We also find that good institutions negate the impact of terrorist attacks in the developing host country. There is also some evidence that regional spillovers reduce M&As in the host country.     

模仿、吸收能力和创新能力关系的实证研究

文章通过建立一个概念框架,考察了企业模仿对吸收能力和创新能力的影响。数据分析结果表明：结构方程模型的分析结果表明：模仿对企业的吸收能力具有正向影响,吸收能力对企业创新能力具有正向影响;吸收能力在模仿与创新能力之间的关系中扮演完全中介的角色;模仿能够推动企业的生产可能性边界向外扩展,但缺乏吸收能力的企业仍不具备创新能力。在转型经济的背景下,具有战略眼光以及对机会具有极端敏感性的企业家对于企业从模仿阶段过渡到创新阶段具有非常重要的作用。     

FDI,Education, and Economic Growth: Quality Matters

In this paper, we revisit the results from the influential study by Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998), which argues that inward foreign direct investment (FDI) promotes the economic growth in a less developed host country only when the host country obtains a threshold level of secondary schooling. Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998) only focus on the quantity of education. We take into consideration both the quantity and the quality of education. We adjust the original schooling data in Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998) by two quality of education indices and re-estimate their model. We find that the complementarity between inward FDI and schooling still exists, but the threshold level of schooling in our study is lower than the threshold calculated in Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998). Our results support the importance of education quality and suggest that with improved quality of education, it does not take as much quantity of schooling, as established in Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998), for inward FDI to have a positive impact on economic growth in the host country.     

The Role of Human Capital in Networks Effects: Evidence from US Exports

Abstract

Previous literature suggested that immigrants have a positive impact on international transactions such as exports. However, even though previous studies emphasize the role of individual and families in enhancing networks effects, none of these studies, surprisingly, have considered the heterogeneity of immigrants. Since each individual has different social and educational backgrounds, the impact of immigrants on exports may differ among individuals depending on their personal attributes. The main contribution of this paper is to go one step further in discussing the role of immigrants in enhancing host country exports. This research attempts to answer the question of whether all immigrants encourage host country exports or not. Using US state-level data, we find that the human capital level of immigrants plays an important role in enhancing US exports. Furthermore, using the data-sorting method developed by Hansen, we find that immigrants from countries with a high level of human capital increase US exports while immigrants from countries with a low level of human capital do not.     

Assertive pragmatism and the Multinational Enterprise

This article proposes a simple conceptual framework regarding the literature on the impact of MNEs on developing host countries, specifying three approaches along a continuum. The acceptance approach conceives of MNE expansion as economically rational and advocates minimizing the role of government. The rejection approach sees MNE activity as essentially baleful and advocates rejecting or minimizing the role of MNEs. The pragmatic approach sees mixed effects and advocates host-government bargaining. The article submits a brief for a particular form of pragmatism, denominated assertive pragmatism, and it suggests that a process of convergence toward such an approach is under way.     

对外直接投资、逆向研发溢出与母国技术进步——数理模型与实证研究

本文在国际技术溢出理论的基础上,建立了一个对外直接投资促进母国技术进步的数理模型。该数理模型重点对Cohen & Levinthal的"吸收能力"理论作了扩展,将母国研发支出的"双重身份"扩展到"三重身份"。随后本文使用OECD国家数据对该模型进行了实证检验,认为:(1)对外直接投资获得的逆向研发溢出可以促进母国技术进步;(2)母国的研发存量和东道国研发溢出之间的交互作用以"替代作用"为主;(3)通过"门槛回归"发现,随着母国研发存量的增加,该"替代作用"逐渐增加,但是其增幅较为微弱。     

Outward Foreign Direct Investment and Domestic Performance: the Italian Manufacturing and Services Sectors

How does outward foreign direct investment (FDI) affect employment and productivity growth in the home country? Does the impact of outward investment differ among manufacturing and service sectors? In this paper we analyze the effects of investing abroad using firm-level data for Italy for the period 2003–2006. We adopt matching techniques in combination with a difference-in-difference estimator in order to investigate the causal effect of becoming multinational on domestic employment and productivity. Preliminary results suggest that Italian outward FDI has limited effects on domestic employment and performance of internationalizing firms on average. However, results significantly differ depending on the sector (manufacturing versus services) where the MNEs are operating. In particular, we find that while in the manufacturing sector, outward FDI tends to strengthen both productivity and, to less extent, employment. In the service sector, we find a negative effect on employment (two years after the investment).     

How Does Corruption Influence the Effect of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth?

Abstract

We investigate the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth in 130 countries from 1995 to 2008, considering the role of corruption in each country as an absorptive factor. The estimation results indicate that although FDI alone does not promote economic growth, it has a significant effect on economic growth if the interaction term between FDI and corruption is considered. Specifically, FDI has a positive impact on economic growth when corruption is severe, but a negative impact if corruption is below a certain threshold.     

中国跨国公司合法化进程研究——基于种群密度制约模型

本文将生态系统学中的种群生态理论引入中国跨国公司的海外扩张研究中,运用种群密度制约模型,采用中国2003~2008年对外直接投资面板数据,对中国跨国公司的合法化过程进行研究。研究发现,不同于以发达国家为样本的相关研究,中国跨国公司进入该国的可能性与该东道国中来自中国的跨国公司密度之间的关系更为复杂多元。这为中国公司海外扩张时的地域选择和合法化过程提供了决策依据。同时,也有利于促进新兴市场国家跨国公司和对外直接投资理论的发展和完善。     

Economic growth,local industrial development and inter-regional spillovers from foreign direct investment: Evidence from China

In many countries inward foreign direct investment (FDI) typically concentrates in a few regions. However, there is little empirical evidence on whether spatially concentrated FDI boosts economic growth in other regions within the same country. We use a dataset that covers 96% of Chinese cities from 1996 to 2004 and find that “inter-regional spillovers” from FDI concentrated in China's coastal cities have a positive and significant effect on the growth of inland cities. In addition, an inland city's industrial development affects its absorptive capacity to gain such inter-regional spillovers from coastal FDI.     

Catching Up or Pulling Away: Intra-Industry Trade,Productivity Gaps and Heterogeneous Firms

In this paper we develop a heterogeneous firm, intra-industry trade model in which countries are asymmetric in both technology and size. In the trading equilibrium, the industry productivity levels countries are jointly determined by the technology gap and trade barriers. We find that the (exogenous) technological gap is a key determinant of the size and direction of the intra-industry resource reallocation introduced by trade. Most importantly, the effect of trade on the (endogenous) productivity gap could be non monotonic over time. In the short-run, where the number of incumbents cannot adjust to trade, the effect of import competition dominates and the productivity gap between countries is closed as domestic firms in the laggard country face tougher competition from leading country exporters. However, in the long run when entry is possible, the effect of the increased export opportunities in the leading country dominates and the productivity gap is widened as a consequence of entry in the technological leader.     

研发密集度与跨国公司组织模式选择——基于金融市场摩擦的分析

本文探讨了在东道国金融市场不完善的条件下,行业研发密集度与跨国公司组织模式之间的关系。本文的基本逻辑是,因为研发密集度高的行业对东道国金融市场的依赖程度更高,而跨国公司可以通过选择组织模式和投资区位以消除金融市场不完全的影响,因此,不同的行业跨国公司的组织模式和区位选择会随行业研发密集度的不同而不同。本文分析结果表明:首先,在研发密集度较高的行业,更多的企业会选择在发达地区进行FDI,而在落后地区进行外包;其次,随着落后地区金融市场效率的提高,所有行业在发达和落后地区的外包都会变得更加普遍;最后,本文还进一步分析了行业生产率分布对企业组织模式的影响。本文的结论为现有经验研究结果提供了理论支持。     

Demographic Aspects of Urbanization in Korea

Abstract

This study analysed the location selection determinants of Korean foreign direct investment (KFDI) from the perspectives of OLI paradigm and resource- and knowledge-based views. The study involved a sample of 1911 Korean multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their 3095 foreign subsidiaries during the period of 1999–2004. Specifically, the study compared the differences of foreign direct investment (FDI) location decisions (1) between less-developed and developed countries (LDCs and DCs) and (2) between chaebols and non-chaebols. The results showed that the partitioned sample model of chaebols versus non-chaebols was found to have more detailed effects on the location decision between the two regions than the combined full sample model. In addition, the results showed that there are clear, effectual differences for subsidiary scale and prior host country experience between chaebols and non-chaebols.     

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.