The composition of international capital flows: risk sharing through foreign direct investment

Evidence on international capital flows suggests that foreign direct investment (FDI) is less volatile than other financial flows. To explain this finding I model international capital flows under the assumptions of imperfect enforcement of financial contracts and inalienability of FDI. Imperfect enforcement of contracts leads to endogenous financing constraints and the pricing of default risk. Inalienability implies that it is not as advantageous to expropriate FDI relative to other flows. These features combine to give a risk sharing advantage to FDI over other capital flows. This risk sharing advantage of FDI translates into a lower default premium and lower sensitivity to changes in a country’s financing constraint.The model offers the new implication that financially constrained countries should borrow relatively more through FDI. This is because FDI is harder to expropriate and not because FDI is more productive or less volatile. Using several creditworthiness and country risk ratings to measure financing constraints, I present new evidence linking FDI and financing constraints. Moreover, numerical simulations of the model generate stronger serial correlation for FDI than for other flows into developing countries. This corroborates the view that non-FDI flows are more short-term and more likely to change direction.     

全球外商直接投资周期波动因素的实证分析

文章结合外商直接投资的有关理论,选择全球GDP,世界经济自由度指数以及全球跨国公司经营业绩三个变量作为全球外商直接投资波动的解释变量,建立跨度为23年的全球外商直接投资非常定模型。模型表明这三个因素对全球外商直接投资的影响每年都在发生变化,且遵循一定规律,模型在总体上也很好地解释全球FDI的周期波动。     

Foreign direct investment and wages: a cross-country analysis

While globalization has led to overall economic growth in a number of countries, questions abound on its distributional effects, especially on rising wage inequality across nations. The main objective of this study is to investigate empirically the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on wages in a cross-country setting. We investigate the general equilibrium propositions that capital inflows (outflows) increase (lower) wages in host (home) countries due to the change in relative factor endowments. We also explore whether capital inflows have differential impacts on skilled and unskilled wages in developing economies. Time-series data on 26 countries, 15 developed and 11 developing, are used to fit the labour share equation derived from a translog GNP function with net FDI stock as one of its arguments. Results confirm that capital movement brings about a cross-country convergence of wages. However, there is some evidence that inward FDI flows increase the wage gap between skilled and unskilled workers in developing countries.     

The Role of Geography in Financial and Economic Integration: A Comparative Analysis of Foreign Direct Investment,Trade and Portfolio Investment Flows

The objective of this paper is to examine the role of geography in explaining the patterns of financial and economic integration among both developed and developing countries. Using a gravity model, we compare North‐North, North‐South and South‐North FDI, trade and portfolio investment flows to examine how geographical factors influence these bilateral flows. The results indicate that the impact of geography variables on FDI and portfolio are similar to their effect on trade. Geography variables have a statistically significant effect both on FDI and portfolio investment, but FDI is more sensitive to distance. We interpret the negative effect of distance as the existence of information costs in financial flows. Also bilateral FDI, trade and portfolio investment flows react to macroeconomic fundamentals in the same way, however, with different degrees of sensitivity. There are significant differences between North‐North and North‐South flows. Our results find support for the argument that most FDI among industrial countries are horizontal, whereas most FDI investment in developing countries is vertical. The fact that the significance of geographical variables on financial flows still remained even after controlling for the macroeconomic fundamentals, is in contrast with the standard capital market model. The results can, however, be reconciled if geographical factors can proxy for information costs, which may in turn explain why country portfolios are still home‐biased. The significant effect of distance on financial flows may also explain how idiosyn cratic shocks are spread (i.e. contagion) to other countries in the same region. Ultimately, the geographical location of a country may determine its economic and financial integration into the world economy.     

FDI in Chinese Cities: Spillovers and Impact on Growth

This study reconsiders the question of impact of FDI on growth performance. We rely on a dataset of Chinese cities between 1990 and 2002 to investigate the effects of FDI in the traditional growth regression framework using the GMM estimator for dynamic panels. Our growth model incorporates an explicit consideration of spatial dependence effects in the form of spatially lagged income and FDI. Our results reveal that Chinese cities take advantage not only of FDI flows received locally but also of FDI flows received by their neighbours.     

Bilateral FDI and Canadian Export Activity

This study examines how Canadian exports to a specific trading partner are influenced by outward and inward direct investment flows to/from that country. A gravity-type empirical model guides a dynamic panel analysis which utilizes Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country-level data from 1989–2007. Besides refuting the contention that outward foreign direct investment (FDI) displaces exports, the findings also imply a strong role for intra-firm based export growth in response to inward FDI. The analysis is enriched by explicitly accounting for the dominant position of the United States within the context of Canada's overall trade and investment flows.     

Does it matter where you invest? The impact of foreign direct investments on domestic job creation and destruction

This study examines how foreign direct investment (FDI) affects domestic employment by using unique division-level data of Japanese firms. Contrary to most previous studies focusing on the effect of FDI on net employment growth, we decompose it into job creation (JC) and job destruction (JD) for each individual firm. We find that FDI destination plays an important role: FDI to Asia increases JC, whereas FDI to Europe/North America decreases it; furthermore JD decreases, regardless of FDI destination. A frictional search-and-matching model with heterogeneous jobs can explain the differential effects. The model provides additional predictions on JC and JD by job type, which are also empirically confirmed.     

Host market characteristics,FDI, and the FDI – trade relationship

This paper empirically examines how a host nation's market characteristics, particularly its market maturity and role as an export platform, affect the amount of inward FDI it receives and its FDI?–?bilateral trade relationship with the FDI source. For the period 1989?–?1999, using Japanese outward FDI into 85 geographically and developmentally diverse countries, we find a positive and significant relationship between FDI inflows and the host's market maturity levels. However, the FDI?–?trade interaction between the host and the FDI source appears to vary inversely with the host country's market maturity level. In addition, after controlling for the host's market maturity, we find that the nature of the host's ‘export platform’ status also significantly impacts both inward FDI flows and the FDI?–?trade relationship.     

Does foreign direct investment promote institutional development in Africa?

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Africa have increased since the turn of the millennium, mainly due to FDI growth into African countries by multinational enterprises (MNEs) from developing economies. While African governments view this growth as a positive development for the continent, many governments in the West have raised concerns regarding the institutional impact of investments from developing economies. This paper examines the impact of FDI flows on institutional quality in African countries by distinguishing investments from developed versus developing economies. Previous empirical studies have found a significant relationship between FDI flows and institutional quality in African countries but regard the relationship as MNEs rewarding African countries for adopting institutional reforms. However, little attention has been paid to the reverse causality, i.e. that FDI can cause an institutional change in African countries. Using bilateral greenfield FDI flows between 56 countries during 2003?2015, we find no significant FDI effect from developed and developing economies on institutional quality in host countries. However, aggregate FDI flows from developed and developing economies have a significant positive effect on host country institutional quality but differ concerning the impact's timing. In contrast, we find no significant effect of FDI flows from China on host country institutional quality. Our results are robust to alternative measures of institutional quality.     

FDI as an outcome of the market for corporate control: Theory and evidence

Much foreign direct investment (FDI) takes the form of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). It is commonplace in finance to view acquisitions as manifestations of the market for corporate control. Following on that insight we propose a model of FDI in which headquarters bid to control overseas assets. We derive an equation for bilateral FDI stocks that resembles the recently developed fixed effects approach to modelling bilateral trade flows. We estimate the model and use its parameters to construct benchmarks for evaluating multilateral inward and outward FDI.     

The role of FDI in structural change: Evidence from Mexico

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to Mexico are substantial and play an important role in the Mexican economy since the mid-1990s. These investments reflect the activities of multinational firms that shape to some extent the economic landscape and sectoral structure in this host country. We illustrate that there is considerable variation in the amounts of FDI and structural change within the country and across time. Based on this, the paper's main purpose is to analyse whether there is a significant impact of FDI on structural change. We conduct an empirical analysis covering the period 2006–16. We use the fixed-effects estimator where the unit of observation is a Mexican state for which we calculate structural change from the reallocation of labour between sectors. The results suggest that (if any) there is a positive effect from FDI on growth-enhancing structural change. This effect depends critically on the lag structure of FDI. Moreover, there is some evidence that the positive effect (a) arises from FDI flows in the industry sector and (b) is present for medium and low-skilled labour reallocation.     

Trade Protection During the Crisis: Does it Deter Foreign Direct Investment?

This paper looks empirically at the implications that protectionist measures implemented during the current crisis may have had for a country’s ability to attract foreign direct investment. The research utilises data on such measures that are available from Global Trade Alert, combined with bilateral FDI data between OECD countries and a large number of partner countries for 2006 to 2009. This allows us to examine the short‐run effect that protectionist measures may have had on bilateral FDI flows. The verdict from this analysis is clear: a country that implements new protectionist measures may expect that this may result in lower foreign direct investment inflows into the economy. The point estimates from our preferred specifications suggest that, depending on the empirical model, the implementation of a trade protection measure is associated with about 40 to 80 per cent lower FDI inflows. Trade protection does not appear to have any implications for the country’s FDI outflows, however. The negative effect on FDI inflows does not appear to be due to direct investment measures but rather to actions related to intellectual property rights protection and other more trade‐related measures.     

The role of multinational production in a risky environment

This paper explores the aggregate consequences of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the opportunities for risk diversification available to consumers. The crucial difference between FDI and other international financial flows is that the former involves technology flows across countries. We present a model where firm-embedded productivity can be transferred costly across countries through the activity of multinational firms. We find that risk patterns affect multinationals' location decisions and, in turn, these decisions change the scope for international risk diversification even in a world with complete financial markets.     

FDI促进国内投资的最优规模——理论模型与中国实证

本文首先构建了一个FDI影响国内投资的理论模型,说明存在一个最优的FDI规模,此时FDI对国内投资的促进作用最大。然后利用1985-2005年我国省区面板数据进行了实证检验。考虑到投资在不同地区之间的空间相关性,估计方法上采用最新提出的空间GM方法。结果发现:我国确实存在一个最优的FDI规模,约占GDP的6%;我国大部分省区的FDI小于这个最优规模,而FDI超过最优规模的省区主要集中在东部地区;从FDI对国内投资的长期效应来看,东部地区要低于中西部地区。     

Ireland's Foreign Direct Investment Competitive Advantage and Japanese Outward Foreign Direct Investment

This article addresses Ireland's record in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). FDI has been identified as one of the key factors that has spurred the growth of the Celtic Tiger. An adaptation of Porter's Diamond is offered to explain the determinants of Ireland's competitive advantage in attracting FDI. The overall trends in FDI inflows to Ireland are considered. The study then focuses on Japanese FDI into Europe and Ireland in particular. The pattern of Japanese FDI flows into Ireland is analysed in the context of Ireland's determinants of FDI competitive advantage. Future considerations around Ireland's model of competitive advantage are addressed.     

长三角FDI与城市经济增长比较研究

自上世纪90年代以来,长三角地区经济保持着高速的增长势头。其中．外国直接投资（FDI）的大量进入,无疑是促进其经济高速增长的一个重要因素。从FDI与东道国经济增长的相互关系理论入手．针对FDI对长三角地区不同城市经济增长影响的差异,考察了FDI占GDP比重的演变与经济增长速度之间的关系．并构建了实证模型,对FDI与经济增长之间的关系进行了比较研究。结果表明：长三角三大区域经济增长速度与FDI流量的变化之间具有很强的正相关性,不同区域FDI的产出弹性有很大的区别．且FDI对国内资本产生了一定的“挤出效应”.     

Political Risk and Foreign Direct Investment in Africa: The Case of the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows are expected to be influenced by political risk factors. However, studies that evaluate the relationship between political risk and FDI flows in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) are scarce. This study examines the impact of political risk on FDI flows in an SSA context using the 12 political risk components published as the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) by the Political Risk Services (PRS) Group with the Nigerian telecommunications sector as a case study. The study finds that political risk has a significant influence on the inflow of FDI into developing economies in SSA such as Nigeria and that the 12 components affect FDI in different ways. Irrespective of the political risk rating, a consistent improvement in composite political risk enhances FDI inflow. Among the 12 components, corruption, law and order, democratic accountability, and investment profile were found to have significant influences on FDI inflow into the Nigerian telecommunications sector. Corruption, in particular, explains nearly two‐thirds of the FDI inflow. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

税收饶让抵免对涉外投资影响效应的实证研究

为研究双边税收协定中饶让抵免条款对我国涉外投资的影响效应,运用2003~2010年37个国家的宏观面板数据,通过一个简单的实证分析模型分别检验了外国予以我国的税收饶让对外国对华直接投资（FDI）的影响以及我国予以外国的税收饶让对我国对外直接投资（ODI）的影响。结果表明,税收饶让明显刺激了外国直接投资流量,但并未发现税收饶让对我国对外直接投资具有显著的促进作用。据此,建议在进行双边税收谈判与协定签订时,既要争取外国对我国的饶让抵免优惠,也要积极给予对外投资战略合作国家以税收饶让,从而充分利用国际税收协定,促进国内战略资本的优化布局,实现＂引进来＂与＂走出去＂的双向协调。     

Capital Flows and Economic Growth in Ghana

ABSTRACT

The study examines the differential effects of capital flows on economic growth in Ghana over the period 1970–2014 using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL). Breakpoint unit root tests are employed to cater for structural change and breaks in time series. Afterwards, these break dates are fed into the ADRL model as dummy variables to allow for the computation of a more robust cointegrating vector. The findings indicate that in both the short and long run capital flows (i.e. FDI, aid, and external debt) have negative effects on economic growth. However, remittances exhibit positive insignificant elasticity in all the regressions. Further, the empirical results show that while the impact of trade, gross capital formation and population growth on growth are mixed, that of inflation is negative. The results of the study are consistent with the idea that the impact of capital flows in Africa has been exaggerated.     

Foreign Direct Investment in Africa: The Role of Natural Resources,Market Size,Government Policy,Institutions and Political Instability

Data from several investor surveys suggest that macroeconomic instability, investment restrictions, corruption and political instability have a negative impact on foreign direct investment (FDI) to Africa. However, the relationship between FDI and these country characteristics has not been studied. This paper uses panel data for 22 countries over the period 1984–2000 to examine the impact of natural resources, market size, government policies, political instability and the quality of the host country's institutions on FDI. It also analyses the importance of natural resources and market size vis‐à‐vis government policy and the host country's institutions in directing FDI flows. The main result is that natural resources and large markets promote FDI. However, lower inflation, good infrastructure, an educated population, openness to FDI, less corruption, political stability and a reliable legal system have a similar effect. A benchmark specification shows that a decline in the corruption from the level of Nigeria to that of South Africa has the same positive effect on FDI as increasing the share of fuels and minerals in total exports by about 35 per cent. These results suggest that countries that are small or lack natural resources can attract FDI by improving their institutions and policy environment.