Escapism FDI from developed economies: The role of regulatory context and corporate taxation

In this paper, we extend the conceptualisation of escapism Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) holding for emerging economies to developed economies that face specific institutional failures, such as weak or incomplete regulations, along with high taxation. We combine this literature with the recent development of Dunning’s eclectic paradigm, which includes institutional aspects regarding location factors. We argue that in developed economies with problematic regulations and high taxation, sound institutions and lower tax rates abroad are extremely significant for domestic firms’ internationalisation. A central result regards the moderating effect of host regulatory quality on taxation, which highlights the crucial role of institutions for firms originating in developed economies that lack sound institutions. Additionally, the results challenge the available theorising and evidence on the moderating role of institutions in the prior experience of a firm at a location. We instead provide evidence that once firms establish a subsidiary abroad, they acquire substantial knowledge about the host institutional environment, which translates into an Ot advantage, providing an additional motive for further expansion. This work uses a unique database of the total population of Greek MNEs – released for the first time – for an extended time period, 2001–2010. The results could be generalised to similar developed economies facing analogous regulatory failures and high taxation, such as the southern European Union countries, as well as even for northern European Union countries, such as Germany, according to Bundesbank’s report.     

Regional concentration of FDI in post-reform India: A district-level analysis

We analyze the concentration of foreign direct investment (FDI) in India at the district level, based on project-specific location choices since the reform program in the early 1990s. The decomposition property of the Theil index allows us to trace changes over time in the overall concentration of FDI to changes in concentration between and within subgroups of districts. We also differentiate between major types and sources of FDI. We find that FDI concentrated in a persistently decreasing number of districts. Concentration across those districts that received at least one FDI project within a given time interval also increased, but this increase leveled off in the more recent past. These trends hold for essentially all types and sources of FDI, while the average level of concentration varies considerably between these types and sources.     

FDI,Trade, and Growth Dynamics: New Evidence from the Post-Reform India

This article has two aims: first, review the related literature on the relationship among Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Trade, and Economic Growth, and second, empirically examine the linkage between these variables. Our review of the literature indicates that despite a large volume of literature on the relationship among these variables, the direction of causality among them is far from over. Therefore, after observing a gap in the empirical literature, especially for developing economies, we investigate the linkage by using a Vector Autoregression (VAR) model applying the Ganger non-causality test of Toda and Yamamoto (1995) for the period 1991Q3 to 2006Q3. The evidence shows that there is bidirectional causality (two-way feedback) between FDI and economic growth. At the same time, there is also a unidirectional causality exists between exports and FDI, which runs from the former to the latter. Results of the test of causality between FDI and imports indicate the presence of a two-way feedback relationship between the variables.     

外国直接投资对浙江省区域经济的影响及对策

改革开放以来,浙江省积极利用外国直接投资,在一定程度上促进了区域经济的发展。但浙江省在利用外国直接投资中,存在着地区分布不平衡、产业结构不合理、技术水平偏低等问题,这对浙江的区域经济发展产生了不利的影响。本文通过外国直接投资对浙江区域经济正负效应的分析,提出了更多更好吸收外资的宏观措施和企业自身的战略对策。     

区域贸易协定、FDI与内生经济增长——中国-东盟FTA的经验证据

本文以内生增长理论为基础,通过一个联立方程组回归模型实证分析了中国-东盟FTA(CAFTA)成员经济增长的影响及其对成员吸引FDI流入的效应。结果显示,CAFTA对促进区域整体的FDI流入具有积极影响,但对区域内不同成员的FDI流入促进效应并不均等,即国内市场规模大、经济发展水平高的成员更能吸引FDI的流入,投资效应更加显著。在增长效应方面,FDI对CAFTA整体的增长效应为正且具有显著性。但FDI的溢出渠道在不同成员间存在一定差异。CAFTA的建设中应注意成员间利益的均衡分配问题以维持CAFTA的稳定性和可持续性。     

吸引FDI的传统优势面临挑战:来自上海的证据

本文对上海市FDI的实证研究表明,吸引FDI的因素与传统优势①相比已经发生了变化,低工资已经不成为吸引FDI流入的有利因素.同时,由于市场竞争加剧和技术外溢现象,劳动生产率的提高对吸引FDI没有显示出有利的一面.分析表明,基础设施的完善、技术水平和消费能力的提高以及产业结构优化升级是新时期上海吸引FDI的有利因素.     

FDI modes and parent firms' productivity in emerging economies:Evidence from Taiwan

This article investigates the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the productivity of parent firms for multinational enterprises in Taiwan. The current research specifically examines the potential differences in productivity effect between FDI toward developing (vertical FDI) and developed countries (horizontal FDI) and between electronics and non-electronics firms. Using panel data on Taiwan firms from 2000 to 2005, results obtained using propensity score matching (PSM) show thatmultinational firms experience a higher productivity following their FDI in developing countries. A time lag exists in productivity gain of investment to developed countries, and is relevant only to electronics firms. Employing the generalized method of moment of the panel fixed model to control for problems of endogeneity and unobservable heterogeneity, the empirical finding suggests that productivity effect caused by investing in developing countries remains significantly positive. A lagged productivity-enhancing effect is also found after FDI in developed countries for both electronics and non electronics firms.     

Institutional determinants of inward FDI: Evidence from Pakistan

FDI has been growing at a spectacular pace all over the world and emerging countries have been successful in attracting more FDI compared to developed countries. Institutional factors are becoming more important as determinants of inward FDI for emerging markets. However, research in this area is inadequate and also incosnsistent in terms of findings. In this paper, we have examined the institutional determinants of Pakistani FDI inflows and also examined the relative importance of those factors. The paper has found that certain institutional determinants such as size of the government, legal structure and strong property rights, freedom to trade and civil liberty have strong positive effect on FDI inflows. Among the institutional variables, regulation has been found to be most important to influence inward FDI flow to Pakistan. The paper has also found evidence that there was a structural break in FDI flows in Pakistan which coincides with market liberalization programme in early 1990s. This confirms the effectiveness of conducive institutional environment to attract foreign investment. Moreover, we have found that military government is more successful in attracting FDI compared to democratic government in Pakistan.     

The role of corporate governance in FDI decisions: Evidence from Taiwan

There has been a considerable literature on the determinants of why firms undertake foreign direct investment (FDI), but very little on whether firms with different governance characteristics are more or less likely to venture overseas. For example, are family-controlled firms more predisposed to FDI than firms, with similar attributes, but different forms of ownership? Does the presence of institutional shareholders suggest a greater propensity to invest abroad? Does the composition of the Board of Directors have an impact? Most extant studies of corporate governance focus on the impact of governance factors on firm performance. However, these performance outcomes are a function of the strategic decisions made by the firms, which suggests it might be useful to consider the relationship between corporate governance factors and particular strategic decisions. One example is the decision to undertake foreign direct investment. The two main strands of IB literature on the determinants of FDI have little or nothing to say about how corporate governance factors might affect the FDI decision. Both internalisation theory and the resource-based view see FDI primarily as a means by which firms can appropriate rents in overseas markets from the exploitation of their idiosyncratic resources and capabilities. This paper extends this literature by investigating the effects of governance factors on the decision to undertake FDI. In particular, we want to assess the impact upon the FDI decision of (a) the extent of family control, (b) the presence of domestic and foreign institutional shareholders, and (c) the composition of the Board of Directors. We investigate these effects using a sample of 228 publicly listed firms in Taiwan, and our results clearly indicate that family control and share ownership by domestic financial institutions in Taiwanese firms are associated with the decision to undertake FDI. We also find that corporate governance impacts in different ways with regard to Taiwanese FDI in China in comparison to Taiwanese FDI in the rest of the world.     

FDI Inflow and Human Development: Analysis of FDI's Impact on Host Countries' Social Welfare and Infrastructure

We examine the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the mediating effects of country national governance on the welfare and knowledge infrastructure of host countries. Based on a five‐year anchored panel data of 175 countries producing over 9,000 observations, we find that in general FDI has a positive influence on both host country welfare and knowledge infrastructure and the national governance positively mediates these relationships.¹ © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

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。     

Multiproduct firms and antidumping duties: Evidence from India

ABSTRACT

With the growing availability of high-quality higher-dimension data in international trade, many new stylized facts have also emerged. One such stylized fact is that multiproduct firms play a significant role in international trade. In this paper, we investigate the effect of US antidumping duties on the exports of Indian multiproduct firms. In particular, we study whether US antidumping duties lead the Indian exporter to alter their product-scope to third country markets (aka to trade partners other than the US). Using a unique transaction-level data from India, we find that firms affected by US antidumping duties increased the number of products exported to other destinations by about 0.7 products, on average. This translates to a substantial 40% increase in the product-scope of these firms because a typical Indian exporting firm exported an average of 1.8 products to a given destination in our sample. We also find that firms whose products spanned multiple sectors drove most of this increase. However, we do not find any difference in the product-scope response of firms producing differentiated vs. those producing homogenous products. We find our results to be robust across various specification and sample size changes.     

The Interface Between FDI and the Development of Natural-Resource-Rich Regions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework for analysing the connections between foreign direct investments (FDI) and the development of the natural-resource-rich regions. In order to understand the link between FDI and regional development, we need to consider two perspectives at least: those of the investor companies and the developing region. The theoretical framework is built up from a combination of the eclectic paradigm (OLI framework) from international business and the Canadian Staple Theory (CST) from the discipline of economic geography. As it stands, the framework is encouraging in terms of promoting a better understanding of the context and content of inward and outward FDIs in resource-rich regions. This will be illustrated by means of two cases, the Ukrainian/Swiss investment (Donbass-Duferco) in the Hungarian iron and steel company Dunaferr in 2004 and the much-criticized Sakhalin-2 project of the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC) in the oil and gas industry.     

Emerging Economies: Operational Issues in China and India

This article addresses the current state of the infrastructure and other factors within China and India to consider in making operation expansion decisions. We compare the logistics, telecommunication, and energy infrastructure of these two nations followed by a discussion of their labor productivity, economic growth, and political and cultural stability. We find that China is ahead of India in terms of transportation and telecommunications infrastructure, but India leads in terms of skilled labor for supporting information technology (IT) and complex manufacturing-based operations. While it will be difficult for India to catch up with China's manufacturing base, there is a strong opportunity for India to become the back office of the world. We then outline the opportunities and challenges that MNCs may face by investing in these countries and close with advice for managers in making expansion decisions.     

Outward FDI and Home Country Exports: Theoretical Approaches and Empirical Evidence

This article reviews the growing body of literature that empirically analyzes the impact of outward FDI on home country exports. Focusing the analysis on the various types of studies and identifying the methods used and the countries analyzed, this study allows us to identify gaps in the literature and make suggestions for future research. Future research efforts should focus on more disaggregated data, particularly at the firm and product levels, and adopt a multilateral approach, which is essential for a complete analysis of the relationship between FDI and exports.     

外商直接投资与我国技术创新:基于省际面板数据的实证分析

本文利用我国1998-2006年的省际面板数据实证检验了外国直接投资(FDI)对我国技术创新的影响,同时对港澳台来源FDI和其他来源FDI引发的创新溢出效应的差异也进行了检验。研究结果表明,FDI的进入对我国专利申请总量没有显著影响,但是对外观设计专利申请有显著的促进作用。港澳台来源FDI对我国的技术创新没有显著的溢出效应,而其他来源FDI的溢出效应显著。     

The Dynamic Links Between Exports,Foreign Direct Investment,and Economic Growth: Evidence from European Transition Economies

ABSTRACT

By applying time series and panel data cointegration analysis, this study investigates the causal relations between exports, inward FDI and GDP for fifteen European transition economies over the period 1995–2014. This study goes beyond previous empirical works by using two auxiliary variables in the aforementioned nexus: domestic investment and government spending. Empirical findings suggest that though the effect of openness is beneficial to all economies of the region, the presence of export-led growth and FDI-led growth hypotheses are validated mainly for the group of economies that entered the European Union in 2004. Conversely, for the remaining economies, the results confirm the prevalence of a culture for saving over spending, which eventually provokes the beneficial expansion of their local investment and export capacity.     

外国直接投资利用效率与区域经济发展差异——基于技术进步的证据

本文基于内生增长理论,从技术进步的角度研究外国直接投资对区域经济发展差异的影响及其效率,通过引入技术变量构建面板计量模型,运用1985-2007年全国各省市区的经济发展统计数据进行大样本计量分析,得出外国直接投资在促进我国东中西部地区经济发展方面具有显著作用,而这种促进作用存在着明显的地区差异。     

The Role of Local Agglomeration Economies and Regional Characteristics in Attracting FDI: Italian Evidence

The objective of this paper is to test for the importance of local agglomeration externalities in determining inward foreign direct investment (FDI) intensity, viewed as a measure of regional attractiveness to FDI. The links between the degree of FDI inflow penetration into Italy and its determinants at the regional level are examined using alternative fixed effects panel data model specifications, also extended to include spatial effects. It is found that sectoral and regional specificities are relevant in attracting inward FDI into Italy and the different effects of intra‐sector and inter‐sector spillovers can be distinguished. There is also evidence that the importance of agglomeration spillovers connected to the geographical distance varies across regions, indicating both substitution and complementarity effects from FDI inflows into neighboring regions.     

E-commerce in Least Developing Countries: Summary Evidence and Implications

ABSTRACT

We undertook a review and classification of research on electronic commerce (e-commerce) in developing countries. We analyzed 181 articles published in a broad range of journals covering e-commerce, global information technology, and development issues. The analysis provides a roadmap that not only indicates the current state of e-commerce for development research but also identifies gaps and priorities for future research. This will be of significant value to both academics and practitioners who are working on, or plan to work on, e-commerce in developing countries.