Does Foreign Direct Investment Increase the Productivity of Domestic Firms? In Search of Spillovers through Backward Linkages

Many countries aim to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) by offering ever more generous incentive packages and justifying their actions with the expected knowledge externalities to be generated by foreign affiliates. Despite being hugely important to public policy, there is little conclusive evidence to support this claim. This study examines firm-level data from Lithuania in an effort to further our understanding of this issue. The empirical results are consistent with positive productivity spillovers from FDI taking place through contacts between foreign affiliates and their local suppliers in upstream sectors, but there is no indication of spillovers occurring within the same industry. The data indicate that local firms benefit from the operation of foreign affiliates both in their own region and in other parts of the country, albeit the evidence of the latter outcome is weaker. A larger effect is associated with domestic-market- rather than export-oriented foreign companies. There is no difference, however, between the impact of fully-owned foreign firms and those with joint domestic and foreign ownership.spillovers, foreign direct investment, technology transfer

Does foreign direct investment increase the productivity of domestic firms : in search of spillovers through backward linkages

Many countries compete against one another in attracting foreign investors by offering ever more generous incentive packages and justifying their actions with the productivity gains that are expected to accrue to domestic producers from knowledge externalities generated by foreign affiliates. Despite this being hugely important to public policy choices, there is little conclusive evidence indicating that domestic firms benefit from foreign presence in their sector. It is possible, though, that researchers have been looking for foreign direct investment (FDI) spillovers in the wrong place. Multinationals have an incentive to prevent information leakage that would enhance the performance of their local competitors in the same industry but at the same time may want to transfer knowledge to their local suppliers in other sectors. Spillovers from FDI may be, therefore, more likely to take place through backward linkages-that is, contacts between domestic suppliers of intermediate inputs and their multinational clients-and thus would not have been captured by the earlier literature. This paper focuses on the understudied issue of FDI spillovers through backward linkages and goes beyond existing studies by shedding some light on factors driving this phenomenon. It also improves over existing literature by addressing several econometric problems that may have biased the results of earlier research. Based on a firm-level panel data set from Lithuania, the estimation results are consistent with the existence of productivity spillovers. They suggest that a 10 percent increase in the foreign presence in downstream sectors is associated with 0.38 percent rise in output of each domestic firm in the supplying industry. The data indicate that these spillovers are not restricted geographically, since local firms seem to benefit from the operation of downstream foreign affiliates on their own, as well as in other regions. The results further show that greater productivity benefits are associated with domestic-market, rather than export-oriented, foreign affiliates. But no difference is detected between the effects of fully-owned foreign firms and those with joint domestic and foreign ownership. The findings of a positive correlation between productivity growth of domestic firms and the increase in multinational presence in downstream sectors should not, however, be interpreted as a call for subsidizing FDI. These results are consistent with the existence of knowledge spillovers from foreign affiliates to their local suppliers, but they may also be a result of increased competition in upstream sectors. While the former case would call for offering FDI incentive packages, it would not be the optimal policy in the latter. Certainly more research is needed to disentangle these two effects.Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Decentralization,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Trade and Regional Integration,Foreign Direct Investment,Health Economics&Finance

Pollution havens and foreign direct investment : dirty secret or popular myth?

The"pollution haven"hypothesis refers to the possibility that multinational firms, particularly those engaged in highly polluting activities, relocate to countries with weaker environmental standards. Despite the plausibility and popularity of this hypothesis, there is little evidence to support it. The authors identify four obstacles that may have impeded researchers'ability to find evidence in favor of the"pollution haven"hypothesis: 1) The possibility that some features of host countries, such as bureaucratic corruption, may deter inward foreign direct investment and also be positively correlated with lax environmental standards. Omitting this information in statistical analyses may produce misleading results. 2) The possibility that country- or industry-level data, typically used in the literature, may have masked the effect at the firm level. 3) Difficulties associated with measuring environmental standards of the host countries. 4) Difficulties associated with the measuring the pollution intensity of the multinational firms. The authors attempt to surmount these obstacles by explicitly taking into account corruption in host countries and using a firm-level data set on investment projects in 24 transition economies. With these improvements, the authors find some support for the"pollution haven"hypothesis, but evidence is still weak and does not survive numerous robustness checks.Sanitation and Sewerage,Environmental Economics&Policies,Water and Industry,Pollution Management&Control,Decentralization,Environmental Economics&Policies,Water and Industry,TF030632-DANISH CTF - FY05 (DAC PART COUNTRIES GNP PER CAPITA BELOW USD 2,500/AL,Sanitation and Sewerage,Pollution Management&Control

The composition of foreign direct investment and protection of intellectual property rights : evidence from transition economies

While existing literature has examined the impact of intellectual property protection on the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI), little is known about its effect on the composition of FDI inflows. The author addresses this question empirically, using a unique firm-level data set from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. She finds that weak protection deters foreign investors in technology-intensive sectors that rely heavily on intellectual property rights. The results also indicate that a weak intellectual property regime encourages investors to undertake projects focusing on distribution rather than local production. The latter effect is present in all sectors, not justthose relying heavily on intellectual property protection.International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Economic Theory&Research,Labor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Legal Products,Trade and Regional Integration,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Legal Products,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research

Technological leadership and foreign investors'choice of entry mode

Developing country governments tend to favor joint ventures over other forms of foreign direct investment, believing that local participation facilitates the transfer of technology, and marketing skills. The author assesses joint ventures'potential for such transfers by comparing the characteristics of foreign investors engaged in joint ventures with those of foreign investors engaged in wholly owned projects in transition economies in the early 1990s. Unlike the existing literature, the author focuses on intra-industry differences rather than inter-industry differences in research and development, and advertising intensity. Empirical analysis shows that foreign investors who are technological, or marketing leaders in their industries, are more likely to invest in wholly owned projects than to share ownership. This is true in high- and medium-technology sectors, but not in industries with low research and development spending. The author concludes that it is inappropriate to treat industries as homogeneous in investigating modes of investment. She also suggests that in sectors with high research and development spending, joint ventures may present less potential for transfer of technology, and marketing techniques than wholly owned subsidiaries.Public Health Promotion,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Water and Industry,Banks&Banking Reform,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Water and Industry,Banks&Banking Reform,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems

Never too late to get together again : turning the Czech and Slovak Customs Union into a stepping stone to EU integration.

The Czech and Slovak Customs Union (CSCU), which came into effect in January 1993, differs from regular regional trading arrangements as its goal was to minimize the economic cost of a decline in economic ties between its members rather than to set in motion the mechanism of integration. The creation of the CSCU ensured a smooth and conflict-free break up of Czechoslovakia and resulted in divergence in regulatory regimes of the two republics. This study argues that the process of mutual adjustment triggered by the emergence of national borders is over and that integration within the CSCU, similar in depth and scope to that existing within the European Union (EU), would be a desirable policy objective. By deepening integration, both the Czech and Slovak Republics would be better prepared to handle challenges associated with the EU accession. Such a regulatory realignment would also lower border costs and behind-the-border barriers to trade and result in a more attractive investment environment in both countries.Common Carriers Industry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Policy,Economic Theory&Research,Agribusiness&Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Trade Policy,Economic Theory&Research,Trade and Regional Integration

Do foreign investors care about labor market regulations?

The authors take a new look at the regulatory determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) by asking whether labor market flexibility affects FDI flows across 25 Western and Eastern European countries. Their analysis is based on firm level data on new investments during the 1999-2001 period. The authors employ a variety of labor market flexibility measures that capture different aspects of labor laws along with a comprehensive set of controls for business climate characteristics. Indices of labor market regulations reflect the flexibility of individual and collective dismissals, the length of the notice period, and the required severance payment. The results suggest that greater flexibility in the host country's labor market relative to that in the investor's home country is associated with larger FDI inflows, and this effect is found to be stronger in the case of transition economies. The findings indicate that as the labor market flexibility in the host country increases from inflexible (for example, Slovakia) to flexible (for example, Hungary), the volume of investment increases by between 14 and 18 percent. FDI in service sectors appears to be more affected than investments in manufacturing.Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Labor Policies,Labor Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Trade and Regional Integration,Health Economics&Finance,National Governance

A Touch of Sophistication: FDI and Unit Values of Exports

The debate on trade and growth increasingly focuses on the composition of exports. Exports of more “sophisticated” products appear to be positively correlated with growth, and upgrading the quality of exports is high on the policy agenda of many countries. This study presents evidence suggesting that attracting inflows of FDI offers potential for upgrading a country’s export basket. The empirical analysis relates unit values of exports measured at the 4-digit SITC level to data on sectors treated by investment promotion agencies as priority in their efforts to attract FDI. The sample covers 116 countries over the period 1984-2000. The findings are consistent with a positive effect of FDI on unit values of exports in developing countries. However, such a relationship is less evident in developed countries. These results suggest that FDI can help bridge gaps in production and marketing techniques between developing and high income economies.export quality, unit values, FDI, investment promotion, industrial policy

Trade costs and location of foreign firms in China

The authors examine the determinants of entry by foreign firms using information on 515 Chinese industries at the provincial level during 1998-2001. The analysis, rooted in the new economic geography, focuses on market and supplier access within and outside the province of entry, as well as production and trade costs. The results indicate that market and supplier access are the most important factors affecting foreign entry. Access to markets and suppliers in the province of entry matters more than access to the rest of China, which is consistent with market fragmentation due to underdeveloped transport infrastructure and informal trade barriers.TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade and Regional Integration,Access to Markets

Technological asymmetry among foreign investors and mode of entry

How does the preferred entry mode of foreign investors depend on their technological capability relative to that of their rivals? The authors develop a simple model of entry mode choice and evaluate its main testable implication using data on foreign investors in Eastern European countries and the successor states of the former Soviet Union. The model considers competition between two asymmetric foreign investors and captures the following tradeoffs: while a joint venture helps a foreign investor secure a better position in the product market compared with its rival, it also requires that profits be shared with the local partner. The model predicts that the efficient foreign investor is less likely to choose a joint venture and more likely to enter directly relative to the inefficient investor. The authors'empirical analysis supports this prediction: foreign investors with more sophisticated technologies and marketing skills (relative to other firms in their industry) tend to prefer direct entry to joint ventures. This empirical finding is robust to controlling for host country-specific effects and other commonly cited determinants of entry mode.International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Microfinance,Small and Medium Size Enterprises,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,ICT Policy and Strategies,Microfinance