Absorptive Capabilities, FDI, and Economic Growth in Transition Economies

Abstract

This article advances the literature on economic growth and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in transition economies by incorporating data on “absorbtive capabilities” of the host economy including R&D indicators and by enhancing the quality of data on FDI. We explore whether countries with accumulated technological and innovative capabilities gain significantly more from FDI. We find that FDI exerts an exogenous positive impact on economic growth, while FDI tends to have a larger impact on economic growth when there is sufficient absorptive capacity and when occurring in technologically more advanced transition economies. The results are robust to different specifications and consideration of endogeneity.