FDI productivity spillovers and the technology gap in Malaysia's electrical and electronic industries

This study measures the impact of indirect technology transfer through spillovers from foreign direct investment (FDI) on Malaysia's development of a ‘high‐tech’ sector, namely the electrical and electronic (E&E) industries. We estimate the total factor productivity (TFP) of establishments as a function of foreign presence within and across industries. Both the fixed assets and wages share of foreign establishments in a five‐digit ISIC (International Standard Industrial Classification) industry are used as measures of foreign presence. The estimations provide evidence of significantly negative (or insignificant) FDI vertical spillover effects and insignificant horizontal spillover effects on the TFP of domestic establishments. The positive (negative) coefficient of the interaction term between the forward (horizontal) spillover variable and the technology gap supports the ‘catching‐up’ (technology accumulation) hypothesis. The negative impact, even absence, of FDI spillover effects on TFP and the mixed evidence on the effects of interactions between FDI spillovers and the technology gap suggest that fine‐tuning of fiscal incentive schemes for FDI to arrive at positive net benefits may prove to be a daunting task in the Malaysian E&E industries.     

劳动力供给、生产率与外商直接投资工资外溢效应

本文利用中国1999-2007年441个四位码工业行业数据,考察外商直接投资在产业内部和产业之间,通过直接影响劳动力市场供给方式和间接生产率外溢方式对中国内资行业的工资外溢效应。研究结果表明:(1)外商直接投资(FDI)通过直接和间接方式对中国内资行业工资在产业内部和产业之间都产生了显著的正向外溢效应;(2)国有行业比重提高会显著促进FDI通过劳动力供给方式对内资行业产生工资外溢效应,但同样会显著阻碍FDI通过间接的生产率外溢方式对内资行业产生工资外溢效应;(3)FDI对内资劳动密集型行业的工资外溢效应显著高于资本密集型行业,FDI进入显著缩小了中国不同劳动生产率工业部门的工资收入差距。     

Which firms benefit from foreign direct investment? Empirical evidence from Indonesian manufacturing

Despite growing concern regarding the productivity benefits of foreign direct investment (FDI), very few studies have been conducted on the impact of FDI on firm-level technical efficiency. This study helps fill this gap by empirically examining the spillover effects of FDI on the technical efficiency of Indonesian manufacturing firms. A panel data stochastic production frontier (SPF) method is applied to 3318 firms surveyed over the period 1988–2000. The results reveal evidence of positive FDI spillovers on technical efficiency. Interesting differences emerge however when the samples are divided into two efficiency levels. High-efficiency domestic firms receive negative spillovers, in general, while low-efficiency firms gain positive spillovers. These findings justify the hypothesis of efficiency gaps, that the larger is the efficiency gap between domestic and foreign firms the easier the former extracts spillover benefits from the latter.     

外商直接投资的行业内与行业间技术溢出——基于中国制造业数据的检验

本文主要研究外商直接投资对我国制造业企业的技术溢出效应,同时考虑了其在行业内和行业间存在的情况。本文选取1999—2005年的行业层面面板数据,通过建立面板数据模型,检验了技术溢出的效果。实证研究的结果表明外商直接投资的水平溢出效应、后向溢出效应显著为正,而前向溢出效果并不明显;行业间的溢出要明显大于行业内的溢出。通过进一步研究,发现溢出效应可能具有非线性,且呈倒U型。即在到达临界点之前,外资进入会带来更多技术溢出;但如果超越这一临界点,更多的FDI流入反而会损害溢出的效果。     

Are FDI spillovers regional? Firm-level evidence from China

This paper examines whether spillovers from FDI occur at the national or regional level, using firm-level census data for the Chinese manufacturing industry between 2000 and 2003. We find that FDI provides significant positive spillovers for the productivity of firms in the same industry, but these spillovers are likely to be regional; that is, domestic firms benefit more from the presence of foreign firms in the same sector within the same region. The backward and forward linkage effects of FDI are negative with significant regional disparity. The geographic distribution of FDI also influences spillovers, with an increase in FDI inflow to the top FDI recipient provinces increasing the forward linkage spillovers. Our empirical results also suggest that domestic firms differ significantly in the extent to which they benefit from FDI, though domestic firms with high absorptive capacity are more likely to benefit from FDI.     

产业关联、技术差距与外商直接投资的技术溢出

本文运用非均衡面板数据的广义矩估计,从产业关联和技术差距的角度考察了外商直接投资对中国纺织业的技术溢出效应.经验分析结论表明,外商直接投资主要通过水平关联和后向关联对纺织业内资企业产生溢出效应;外商直接投资是否通过水平关联促进内资企业生产效率的改善还取决于内外资企业间的技术差距,只有当内外资企业技术差距小于门限值时,外...     

The knowledge spillover effects of FDI on the productivity and efficiency of research activities in China

As China is moving toward an innovation-driven economy, this paper offers new insights for both policymakers and investors to optimize the effectiveness of investment performance. This paper studies China's provincial research activities with a focus on the spillover-induced productivity and efficiency change. The results show that spillovers as a result of inflow of foreign investment contribute positively to the performance of overall research activities, however, the productivity effects vary across regions. Our analysis also indicates that highly skewed distribution of FDI leads to a less improved innovation efficiency in FDI-rich provinces. Future innovation policy should adjust the investment profiles based on the preferential innovation output on one hand, and optimize the complementary policy for FDI on the other hand to reduce inefficiency and the potential negative effects of knowledge spillovers. Inter-provincial governmental cooperation is necessary to resolve the uneven distribution of FDI and improve the innovation efficiency in both FDI-poor and rich regions.     

SOURCES OF PRODUCTIVITY GAINS FROM FDI IN INDONESIA: IS IT EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT OR TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS?

This article investigates the spillover effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on productivity growth in the Indonesian food-processing (ISIC 311) and electrical machinery industries (ISIC 383). Total factor productivity (TFP) growth is decomposed into efficiency change and technological change by using the Malmquist productivity index. The empirical results show that efficiency improvement is the major driver of TFP growth in the food-processing industry, whereas technological progress is the dominant contributor in the electrical machinery industry. There are positive spillovers on efficiency change but negative spillovers on technological change in the food-processing industry. However, FDI spillovers turn out to be negative in efficiency change while positive in technological progress in the electrical machinery industry. These findings demonstrate that different industries experience different sources of productivity gains, which are dependent on the characteristics of firms in the industry.     

Do Chinese domestic firms benefit from FDI inflow?: Evidence of horizontal and vertical spillovers

Using a large panel dataset covering all manufacturing firms (above a minimum scale) in China from 1998 to 2005, this paper examines whether there exist productivity spillovers from foreign direct investment (FDI) to domestic firms. In estimating productivity, we control for a possible simultaneity bias by using semi-parametric estimation techniques. We find that Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (HMT) invested firms generate negative horizontal spillovers, while Non-HMT foreign invested firms (mostly from OECD countries) tend to bring positive horizontal spillovers in China. These two opposing horizontal effects seem to cancel out at the aggregate level. We also find strong and robust vertical spillover effects on both state-owned firms and non-state firms. However, vertical spillover effects from export-oriented FDI are weaker than those from domestic-market-oriented FDI.     

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.     

Productivity Spillovers from FDI in Malaysian Manufacturing: Evidence from Micro‐panel Data*

Using an establishment‐level panel dataset for the Malaysian manufacturing industries for 2000–2004, we argue that differences in the proxies and degrees of foreign shareholdings in measuring foreign presence lead to opposite signs and/or significance of spillover effects. The results show significant evidence of positive productivity spillovers to local establishments in the same industry, based on a broad measure of foreign presence. However, there is no evidence of positive spillover when employment share is used as a proxy for foreign presence. Furthermore, significant negative spillover effects are related to higher employment shares of wholly foreign‐owned establishments. Although there is no significant difference in labor productivity between wholly foreign‐owned and locally‐owned establishments, both majority and minority foreign‐owned establishments have significantly lower levels of labor productivity than locally‐owned establishments in Malaysia.     

Research on Spillover Effect of Foreign Direct Investment

The paper figure out there is potential for significant spillover effects from FDI into host countries. The paper summarizes some of the aggregate evidence of technology and productivity spillovers from FDI, and we focus more closely on the effects of FDI on human capital development in the host countries, both through linkages and various kinds of training, Section 4 is the summarization and conclusion of the paper.     

市场是否可以换来技术进步？——来自广东省工业部门面板数据的实证分析

本文首先构建了一个考虑FDI的中间产品质量提高型内生经济增长模型，然后运用Panel Data计量方法对广东1997～2002年39个工业行业的数据对理论模型进行了实证检验，检验结果表明：FDI对广东省内资工业部门有正向的技术外溢效应，但效应有限；而负向的竞争效应和人力资本流动效应却大大超过了正向的技术外溢效应。另外对不同所有制结构的企业研究还表明，改制后的国有企业是外资外溢效应的最大受益者。最后是相应的政策建议。     

FDI的前后向关联和中国制造业企业生产率的提升——基于地理距离的研究

本文采用微观企业面板数据,运用投入产出表构建前后向关联指标,引入基于地理距离的空间权重矩阵,探讨FDI是否通过前后向的关联提升了中国制造业企业的生产率.研究发现,就全国范围看,FDI通过前向关联,提高了我国企业的生产率,但没有通过后向关联对企业生产率有所影响.纳入地理距离因素后,外资的前向关联技术外溢效应仍存在,但数值...     

生产率异质性还是多重异质性——中国出口企业竞争力来源的实证研究

本文分析了Meltiz模型的情境条件,发现生产率异质性是与其三大前提假设紧密相关的。中国情境下,改革开放后不同阶段的不同类型的出口企业：与外商投资相关的企业、生而国际化的企业、先有本土市场而后国际化的企业,它们国际市场竞争力来源不只是生产率异质性,而是存在差异的企业区位、企业年龄、企业规模、创新、品牌、企业性质、企业级别、资本结构、人力资本、成长率等多重异质性。利用中国工业企业数据库,本文实证检验发现,在多个细分行业存在生产率悖论,生产率差异不能有效解释出口企业竞争力,而多重异质性具有更强的解释力,是中国出口企业竞争力来源。     

外商直接投资对中国技术进步效应的结构分析

以行业数据为基础的分析结果表明,外资对上海的直接技术进步效应大于外资对上海本地企业的技术溢出效应,而外资对上海本地企业的技术溢出效应大小又与外资进入的行业有关。分不同外资来源的分析结果表明,港澳台投资对上海的直接技术进步效应小于对上海本地企业的技术溢出效应,OECD投资对上海的直接技术进步效应大于对上海本地企业的技术溢出效应。从上海经验出发,我们认为,我国必须根据外资对我国本地企业的正向技术溢出效应大小,甄别和遴选外资来源、流入形式和进入行业,在若干难以明显获得外资正向技术溢出效应的领域,采用内资替代外资的投资政策,以增加我国资本要素的投资收益,减少GDP与GNP之间的差距,降低经济增长过程中的福利漏出。     

Double-edged effects of the technology gap and technology spillovers: Evidence from the Chinese industrial sector

This paper proposes a new insight that the technology gap plays double-edged roles in the technology spillovers of foreign direct investment (FDI) through two channels, technology choice set and technology absorptive capability. Applying a multiple-threshold model, we examine the non-linear relationship between the technology gap and technology spillovers based on the provincial panel data of the Chinese industrial sector during 1993–2006. The empirical results support the hypothesis of two thresholds, which are 0.3071 and 0.5214 in terms of the technology gap respectively. The estimated thresholds indicate the sufficient absorptive capability is the premise for FDI technology spillovers. Moreover, it implies the marginal decrease of FDI technology spillover effects in the long run.     

Heterogeneity of FDI Export Spillovers and Its Policy Implications: The Experience of China

This paper explores the magnitude and heterogeneity of foreign direct investment (FDI) export spillovers in China. Using a Heckman sample selection model estimated over a rich firm‐level dataset in China's manufacturing sector from 2000 to 2003, we find that FDI exerts significant impacts on the exporting behavior of domestic firms, and such impacts are heterogeneous in that some firms receive positive impacts while others receive negative impacts. The heterogeneity of FDI spillovers has significant policy implications as it indicates that government policies need to be more specific and targeted in order for the benefits of FDI to be reaped.     

Do Inland Provinces Benefit from Coastal Foreign Direct Investment in China?

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China is heavily concentrated in the coastal regions. Do inland provinces benefit from coastal FDI? We use a provincial‐level panel dataset and employ the fixed‐effects instrumental variables regression technique to investigate the interregional spillovers from coastal FDI to inland provinces. The study finds that, on average, coastal FDI has a negative impact on the economic growth of inland provinces. In addition, depending on the different trade activities engaged in (i.e. whether processing trade or ordinary trade), coastal FDI has different impacts on the economic growth of inland provinces.     

Testing for horizontal and vertical foreign investment spillovers in China, 1998–2007

As with many developing countries, the Chinese government hopes that knowledge brought by multinationals will spill over to domestic industries and increase their productivity. In this paper, we show that foreign investment originating outside of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan has positive effects on individual firm level productivity, while foreign investment from HKMT firms does not. We also test for both horizontal (within the same industry) and vertical (upstream or downstream) linkages from foreign investment. Using a manufacturing firm-level panel for 1998 through 2007, we find zero or weak positive horizontal externalities. However, our results show that foreign direct investment (FDI) has generated positive productivity spillovers to domestic firms via backward linkages (the contacts between foreign affiliates and their local suppliers in downstream sectors) as well as forward linkages (between foreign suppliers and their local buyers in the upstream sectors).