Refugees and foreign direct investment: Quasi-experimental evidence from US resettlements

Abstract

We exploit the designs of two separate US refugee dispersal policies to provide causal evidence that refugees foster outward FDI to their countries and regions of origin. Drawing upon aggregated individual-level refugee and project-level FDI data, we show this effect holds in terms of new FDI projects, as well as capital invested and jobs created. Focusing on the specific case of Vietnam, we provide evidence that national domestic reforms amplified the positive FDI-creating effects of the overseas Vietnamese diaspora. Overall, our results highlight a new mechanism through which refugees foster development at their origins.