Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Iceland

Abstract

This paper investigates whether the low foreign direct investment in Iceland can be explained by its geographical location together with market size measures. The effects of these factors on inward FDI are analyzed by means of the gravity model. The model is also applied to analyze sector, trade bloc and country specific effects. The research is based on panel data, running over countries, sectors and years. Results indicate that distance negatively affects FDI and that FDI appears to be more driven by wealth effects than market size effects.foreign direct investment; gravity model