The impact of FDI on economic growth in developing countries: the role of FDI inflow and trade openness

The purpose of this article is to look at the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows on economic growth in Barbados in the long and short run from 1979 to 2008 with the use of the Engle-Granger two-step procedure. The study shows that in the long run, a 1 percent increase in FDI inflows will expand economic growth by 0.10 percent while in the short run, the relationship between FDI and economic growth will be positive but almost flat. These results imply that any policy by Government aimed at boosting economic growth using FDI inflows will have to be considered for the long run since Government could not rely on FDI inflows in the short run.

This comprehensive document offers an extensive comparative analysis of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in emerging economics, with a primary focus on key emerging countries. These nations have increasing attracted foreign investor seeking new growth opportunities. The BRICS group which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, stands out as an important subject for this comparative study. The main objective is to gain comprehensive understanding of the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow patterns is developing countries over the previous decade, emphasizing temporal trends and assessing the profound impact of FDI on their economic growth. The methodology employed in this research involves secondary data analysis utilizing information from reports by institution like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Macro Trends and the Ministry of Commerce. The study also includes an in-depth review of research papers, thorough and a meticulous analysis of FDI inflow data spanning the last 10 years. To gauge the influence of FDI on economic growth, a rigorous regression analysis is conducted. Emerging economies have increasingly become hotbeds for foreign investment, attracting capital from across the globe. Investors seeking to diversify their portfolios have taken notice of these countries because they present a multitude of growth potential. The BRICS group is unique among these rising economies because of its size, diversity, and potential for economic growth. Over the past decade, the BRICS nations have experienced significant shifts in FDI inflows, reflecting the evolving global economic landscape. This analysis clarifies the factors driving these investments and their effects on economic growth, with a focus on comprehending the long-term trends in FDI inflows to these nations. It is imperative that investors and regulators alike comprehend these trends. In addition to providing overall FDI inflow statistics, the analysis looks at the industries and geographical areas that have drawn in a lot of foreign capital. Moreover, it examines the evolution of policies and regulations in these countries that have played a pivotal role in shaping FDI trends. The central theme of this research revolves around assessing the impact of FDI on the economic growth of the BRICS nations. In order to do this, we measure the impact of FDI on these nations' economic performance using rigorous regression analysis. This empirical analysis helps us understand how much foreign direct investment (FDI) has contributed to economic growth and whether this contribution differs across the BRICS nations. Key words – FDI, BRICS, Inflow, economic growth.

This paper investigates the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and economic growth in a group of 16 Arab countries from 1970 to 2008. The empirical analysis also addresses the role of what are identified in the literature as local for deriving growth benefits from FDI. Using a dynamic panel approach, it is found that the impact of FDI on economic growth in Arab countries is limited or negligible. The findings also suggest that financial development, trade openness, human capital and infrastructure quality are not significantly improving Arab countries' capacity to reap growth benefits from FDI. The paper suggests that the preconditions should not be seen as of equal importance. The sectoral composition of FDI plays a critical role in deriving FDI growth benefits which might make it a necessary precondition for FDI to promote economic growth, while other factors such as financial development, trade openness, human capital and infrastructure quality could be seen as sufficient preconditions for reaping FDI growth dividends. The paper's findings have important policy implications as Arab countries can turn to domestic policy solutions to direct FDI inflows to the dynamic sectors and focus not only on FDI quantity but also on FDI quality. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to reform and improve institutional quality, macroeconomic policies, and domestic financial markets.Keywords: FDI, Economic Growth, Arab CountriesJEL classification: F21, O40, O43(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)1. INTRODUCTIONCapital is the cornerstone of any production process at both the micro and the macro-economy levels. Capital can be obtained through domestic sources as well as through foreign sources, which is mostly in the form of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). FDI inflows have multifaceted features which make them preferable to other sources of capital. These features include filling savings-investment gaps, relaxing foreign exchange constraints, and consisting of a bundle which includes not only capital but also technology, knowledge, and marketing and managerial skills (Grossman and Helpman, 1992; Walz, 1997; Pradham, 2003).FDI has become the most stable and the largest component of capital flows to developing countries. As a result, FDI is considered an important element in the economic development process. Yet the role of FDI in the economic growth/ development process has for long been a topic of intense debate. To date, the empirical evidence of the effect of FDI on economic growth is not conclusive.While one stream of research has indicated a positive impact of FDI on economic growth, another stream reports otherwise. A third stream of research suggests that the effect of FDI on a host country's economy is dependent on the country's absorptive capacity in terms of its human capacity and the level of economic and financial development (Hermes and Lensink, 2004; Makki and Somwaru, 2004).FDI flows around the world have dramatically increased in the past three decades. World FDI flows rose from $54 billion in 1980 to $208 billion in 1990, then to $1,401 billion in 2000 before falling to $1,114 in 2009. Arab countries were not an exception to this trend. Total FDI inflows to Arab countries increased from a mere $502 million in 1970 to $1,288 million in 1990, then jumped to $6,056 million in 2000 before soaring to $47.6 and $79.2 billion in 2005 and 2009, respectively (UNCTAD). These trends reflect the increasing importance of FDI flows both for recipient and exporting countries.This paper aims at answering two main questions. First, did FDI inflows contribute to economic growth in Arab countries over the period 1970-2008? Second, can country-specific features and initial conditions explain cross-country variations in the growth benefits of FDI? Answers to these questions provide insights into how changes in economic and institutional conditions can affect FDI prospects for Arab countries, as well as inform policy responses for acquiring growth benefits from FDI in the future. …

How does foreign direct investment affect CO2 emissions in emerging countries?New findings from a nonlinear panel analysis

Vietnam's phenomenal economic development has coincided with a substantial increase in FDI inflows and hence led researchers, including the author, to believe that increased inflows of FDI into Vietnam have had important implications for the country's trade and economic expansion over the past decades. This dissertation investigates factors determining foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and the effects of FDI inflows on economic growth and trade in Vietnam and its different regions over the 1993-2006 period. The study reveals that wages, income per capita, GDP growth and accumulated FDI stock as well as openness to trade and special economic zones are important factors attracting FDI inflows into Vietnam. Human capital has not yet been a significant factor determining FDI inflows because FDI activities in Vietnam are mainly in labor-intensive industries in which a large number of skilled labor is not yet required. The existing physical infrastructure in Vietnam does not help attract FDI inflows either and this implies that an improvement in its quality is needed. Economic growth and FDI in Vietnam have a positively significant relationship. The beneficial effect on growth of FDI comes from stock of foreign capital that has been accumulated over the years. At the regional level, higher capital flow of foreign direct investmentis a major factor stimulating economic growth in the Northern region. The flow of superior technologies transferring from FDI firms can also help to increase the growth rate of the Central region by interacting with the region's open trade regime. The contribution of FDI to economic growth in the Southeastern region is explained by both foreign capital accumulation and new technologies and knowledge transferred from FDI enterprises through human capital. In all regions, inward FDI has a complementary relationship with Vietnam's exports, imports and total trade, implying that the FDIs are mostly of the vertical type. However, the patterns of the FDI-trade relationships between Vietnam and different partner countries show variations. To attract more FDI inflow into Vietnam and sustain the economic development, Vietnam has to improve the country's income per capita, GDP growth rate and trade openness. The Vietnamese government needs to pay more attention to improved quality of human capital, physical infrastructure as well as putting effect to enhance the investment environment in order to attract FDI inflows into a more tecnology-intensive line of production in the future.

Foreign Investment in Developing Countries. Edited by H. S. Kehal. Hampshire and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Pp. 261. This book is an edited volume consisting of twelve diverse chapters that focuses on the theoretical, empirical, and policy issues of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries. While the first two chapters focus more on the theoretical aspects of FDI and its determinants, the remaining chapters are more empirical in focus and constitute country studies on the determinants of FDI or the impact of FDI on their economies. Some of these studies focus on the experience of the ASEAN countries. Among the empirical studies, Chapters 3 and 4 focus on China, which attracted the largest share of world FDI among the developing countries. These two chapters address two very interesting questions: (1) the impact of inward FDI on the Chinese economy and its determinants; and (2) how to maximize benefits from FDI and minimize the risks associated with it, and the lessons that can be learnt from China's experience. The analysis holds important implications for other developing countries that are too much FDI-dependent for their growth prospects and need to strike a balance between technology transfers and domestic market protection. The next two chapters involve studies on the Indian economy, which is emerging as a favourable investment destination, after a decade of economic reforms that has integrated it further with the global economy. Chapter 5 does not specifically focus on FDI but analyses the ways to enhance foreign investment flows in a broader sense. Chapter 6 specifically deals with FDI and the resource gap in India. It argues that FDI has not played a significant role in enhancing the profitability and efficiency of Indian firms even after a decade, and identifies the important constraints that deter the flows of FDI into India, including the policy environment for investment. This chapter comes out with a very interesting fact that after liberalization of the economy, Indian FDI and non-FDI companies seem to be competing against each other via larger advertisement expenditure than R&D expenditure or selling commission, indicating that unlike China, most of the FDI in India appears to be market oriented, with little focus on R&D. Chapters 7 and 8 then undertake empirical studies on ASEAN economies, viz. Indonesia and Malaysia, with the former specifically focusing on bilateral FDI flows from the EU. These two chapters undertake an econometric exercise of the determinants of FDI flows in each of them, and observe that while these countries have been generally successful in attracting FDI for their growth prospects, they face increasing competition from other developing countries, and need to undertake important policy changes to continue to be competitive in attracting global FDI. Chapter 9 by Sadhana Srivastava and Ramkishen S. Rajan, by far the longest and one of the most interesting chapters of this book, makes an important contribution to the policy discussion on the impact of China's economic rise on trade and FDI flows in ASEAN and India. …

PurposeThe Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 outlines sustainability as associated with peace, good governance and justice. The perception of international tourists about security measures and risks is a key factor affecting destination choices, tourist flow and overall satisfaction. Thus, we investigate the impact of armed forces personnel, prices, economic stability, financial development and infrastructure on tourism.Design/methodology/approachThis research used data from 130 countries from 1995 to 2019, which were divided into four income groups. This study employs a two-step generalized method of moments (GMM) technique and a novel tourism index comprising five relevant indicators of tourism.FindingsA 1% increase in armed forces personnel expands tourism in all income groups – 0.369% High Income Countries (HICs), 0.348% Upper Middle Income Countries (UMICs), 0.247% Lower Middle Income Countries (LMICs) and 0.139% Low Income Countries (LICs). The size of the tourism-safety coefficient decreases from high to low-income groups. The impact of inflation is significantly negative in all panels, excluding LICs. The reduction in tourism was 0.033% in HICs, 0.049% in UMICs and 0.029% in LMICs for a 1% increase in prices. The increase in the global tourism index is more in LICs (0.055%), followed by LMICs (0.024%), UMICs (0.009%) and HICs (0.004%) for a 1% expansion in the gross domestic product (GDP)/capita growth. However, the magnitude of the growth-led tourism impact is greater in developing countries. A positive impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow was found in all panels like 0.016% in HICs, 0.050% in UMICs and 0.119% in LMICs for a 1% increase in FDI inflow. The rise in the global tourism index is 0.097% (HICs), 0.124% (UMICs) and 0.310% (LMICs) for a 1% rise in the financial development index. The increase in the global tourism index is 0.487% (HICs), 0.420% (UMICs) and 0.136% (LICs) for a 1% rise in the infrastructure index.Research limitations/implicationsEmpirical analysis infers important policy implications such as (a) establishment of a peaceful environment via recruitment of security personnel, use of safe city cameras, modern technology and law enforcement; (b) provision of basic facilities to tourists like sanitation, drinking water, electricity, accommodation, quality food, fuel and communication network and (c) price stability through different tools of monetary and fiscal policy.Originality/valueFirst, it explains the effect of security personnel on a comprehensive index of tourism instead of a single variable of tourism. Second, it captures the importance of economic stability (i.e., economic growth, financial development and FDI inflow) in the tourism–peace nexus.

Internationalization and Economic Growth: The Comparison of European Economies

This study examines the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic growth in South Africa over the period 2000 to 2023. An Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model was employed to assess the relationship between FDI inflows and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while controlling for key macroeconomic variables. The findings reveal that FDI exerts a significant positive influence on economic performance, with a 1% increase in FDI inflows associated with a 1.93% rise in GDP. However, high inflation exerts a detrimental effect, with a coefficient of -1.99, highlighting the importance of macroeconomic stability. The analysis also indicates that trade openness contributes positively to economic growth, while political risk remains a substantial deterrent to investment, as shown by a coefficient of -3.11. These findings underline the importance of maintaining a stable political environment, managing inflation effectively, and enhancing trade liberalisation to maximise the benefits of FDI. Policy recommendations include strengthening regulatory frameworks and fostering trade openness.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine and compare the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows on bank deposits in aggregate as well as at the level of conventional and Islamic banks in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. The study also tests hypotheses of direct and indirect impacts of FDI flow and FDI stock on bank deposits.Design/methodology/approachStatic and dynamic panel generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimation techniques are applied to analyze a large data set of 491 commercial banks (422 conventional banks and 69 Islamic banks) across 18 MENA countries between 1993 and 2017 (12,275 year observations).FindingsEmpirical results indicate that inflowing FDI flow and FDI stock have a significant negative direct impact on deposits of MENA banks. The results lend support for the direct channel hypothesis for the effect of FDI on bank deposits and find no evidence in support of the indirect channel hypothesis. FDI inflows affect bank deposits directly via increased FDI-related excessive competition in the banking market. Deposits from conventional banks appear to be more affected than those from Islamic banks. The variation may due to the fact that Islamic banks have fewer multinational corporations (MNC) customers than conventional banks and therefore are less sensitive to fluctuations in FDI.Practical implicationsFrom this analysis, this study concludes that foreign investments have a higher productivity than local investments in MENA region. Attracting more FDI is aimed at increasing overall national productivity through competition. However, governments would be wise to enact such a policy to maximize benefits and minimize potential harm to local industry. Furthermore, FDI policy should encourage small to medium-size banks and firms (SMEs)’ participation and linkage with multinational banks and MNCs, while upgrading research and development institutions and innovation activities to help SMEs to benefit from potential spillovers from foreign presence in the industry. In addition, the linkage and connection between SMEs and foreign firms should be strengthened and promoted by government policy.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its kind to examine the effect of FDI inflows on bank deposits. It also provides an in-depth quantitative analysis of the impact of FDI flow and FDI stock, separately, on bank deposits for both conventional and Islamic banks. It distinguishes between direct and indirect channels through which FDI inflows may affect bank deposits. The study analyzes 25 years of panel data for 491 banks (12,275 year observations) and uses both static and dynamic panel GMM estimation techniques to analyze the data.

Background: Foreign direct investment (FDI) is vital for developing countries like Nepal to access foreign capital, drive economic growth through technology transfer, open new investment and research opportunities, and harness their abundant natural resources. With Nepal experiencing a capital shortage, FDI plays a crucial role in bridging the resource gap and stimulating economic activities in the country. Objective: The study examines the relationship between FDI and economic growth, gross domestic savings (GDS), trade openness, as well as the impact of policy (liberalisation) and security variables in Nepal. Methods: The study employs data from secondary sources, such as the Nepal Rastra Bank, the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bureau of Statistics, along with a database on the Nepalese economy from 1996 to 2019. The study utilises the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model for the evaluation and interpretation of the results. Results: The findings of this study demonstrate a positive and statistically significant relationship between Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP), Real Gross Domestic Saving (RGDS), and Trade Openness (Xm) with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow in Nepal in the long run. Likewise, the Liberalization Policy positively affects FDI, although it lacks statistical significance. However, the presence of poor security conditions during the civil war exerts an adverse impact on FDI inflow. Conclusion: The empirical analysis provides compelling statistical evidence supporting the claim that Trade openness and RGDP positively impact FDI in the long run. It signifies the potential of FDI as a significant resource capable of contributing to economic growth, with trade openness facilitating the inflow of FDI in the economy. Furthermore, Gross Domestic Saving appears to be a significant determinant of FDI, as it fosters capital formation within the economy, ultimately promoting increased FDI inflows. Likewise, the success of FDI attraction in Nepal is contingent upon effective Liberalisation and Privatisation policies alongside a stable political environment, which collectively play pivotal roles in facilitating and sustaining FDI inflows. Implications: The study suggests that policymakers should focus on the timely reformation of economic policies and should pay close attention to providing security and ensuring an investment-friendly environment. The government should encourage increased savings through the better facilities of financial institutions and promote international trade and infrastructure development. Keywords: FDI, Gross Domestic Savings, Economic Growth, Trade Openness, ARDL Paper Type: Research Paper

factors such as level of output, rate of saving and investment, standard of living of people, per capita income as well as national income and finally on industrial development. Pakistan is the second largest economy in the south Asia in terms of market size and availability of cheap labor force, however, failed to attract the surge of FDI inflow in the economy during last two decades. More specifically, the foreign investment comes in Pakistan generally on the basis of relation i.e. Pak -US relationship whose effect can be observed clearly during interval 2000 to 2007. Later, the financial crisis dumped the world economy resultant the developed countries channelize their investment within country to cope up with the worsening effect of financial crisis rather than concentrating on foreign investment. The prime motto behind this study is to observe the challenging effect of FDI inflow on the economy of Pakistan during most impressive period in Pakistan history in terms of foreign investment. In this study the economic growth of Pakistan is being measured by developing the econometric model over various indicators such as GDP, GDPPC, GNI, TOP during clustering period 2000 to 2012.Empirical results shows that the entrance of FDI, however, uplifted the status of GDP whereas another variables are negatively influenced during first interval i,e.2000 to 2006. On the other hand, during second interval of study i.e. 2007 to 2012 the entrance of FDI inflow strongly affected the status of GDP Per Capita, whereas other variables are negatively influenced. At last, despite of favorable investment environment and key macroeconomic fundamentals, the Pakistan is still legging continuously in attacking the large FDI inflow caused to poor infrastructure, terrorist activities, energy issues, distortion in law and orders and large security issues.

This paper investigates the impact of trade liberalization on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and economic development in the Czech Republic. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative econometric analysis with qualitative case studies and interviews. The empirical results demonstrate a significant positive correlation between trade openness and FDI inflows, indicating that a 1% increase in trade openness is associated with a 0.5% increase in FDI inflows. Furthermore, the structural equation modeling (SEM) results reveal that a 1% increase in FDI inflows is associated with a 0.3% increase in GDP growth and a 0.2% increase in employment rates. These findings underscore the critical role of an open trade environment in attracting foreign investment and fostering economic development. The study also highlights the importance of other factors such as institutional quality, political stability, and infrastructure development in creating a conducive environment for FDI. Policy implications suggest that maintaining open trade policies, improving institutional frameworks, and investing in infrastructure and innovation are essential strategies for achieving long-term economic development in the Czech Republic and similar transition economies.

This research extends Dunning’s investment development path theory to assess the long-run relationship among foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow, outflow and domestic investment (DI) for 32 emerging market economies (EMEs) based on 17 years data from 1996 to 2012. Breitung Panel unit root test has been used to identify the presence of unit root in the panel data. Since the FDI flows and domestic investments were found to be non-stationary at they were first differenced for converting to stationary variables. Based on Pedroni’s panel cointegration test a long-run relationship among DI, FDI inflow, and FDI outflow was observed indicating that the variables were integrated of order one. Further panel VECM was carried out to assess the causality and it was observed that a joint long-run causality was present both from FDI inflow and outflow towards DI. This essentially indicates that the FDI flows to EMEs will augment domestic capital formation. Therefore policy makers from the EMEs instead of focusing on standalone increase in FDI inflow should focus on both FDI inflow and outflow. However, in the short-run, DI was caused only by FDI inflow, and FDI outflow did not have any causal impact on DI. Further applying fully modified OLS (FMOLS) and dynamic OLS (DOLS) it was observed that FDI inflow and FDI outflow have crowding-in effects on DI. Hence, it can be concluded that for EMEs FDI outflow is also equally important in addition to FDI inflow to augment DI. The impact of 2008 crisis was also examined in the light of FDI outflows and inflows from EMEs. Results based on FMOLS and DOLS indicate that 2008 crisis negatively affected the FDI inflow but the effect on outflows was not statistically significant. These results advocate for a protection mechanism from the financial crises for the EMEs as the FDI inflow declined during the period. Further incentivizing the domestic firms investing abroad for technologies and synergies as FDI outflow also enhances growth.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is widely acknowledged as a crucial catalyst for economic development, especially in emerging economies such as Pakistan. Its significance lies in the fact that it can introduce vital funds, fresh technologies, and know how to domestic markets. These advantages can stimulate progress and generate novel prospects for enterprises and individuals alike. Over the past few years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the significance of FDI in promoting economic growth. Global leaders are now more inclined to lure foreign investments to enhance their economies and raise the standard of living of their people. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has played a critical role in driving Pakistan's economic progress and development. The State Bank of Pakistan reports that FDI inflows saw a significant increase of 137% in the fiscal year 2020-21, amounting to $2.78 billion, demonstrating the country's concerted efforts to attract foreign investment in key sectors like energy, telecommunications, and construction. Our study aims to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between FDI and economic growth in Pakistan. We analyzed data spanning two decades, from 1996 to 2022, and examined the impact of FDI on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while also considering various other factors such as political stability, terrorism, and trade openness. 
 Our findings indicate a favorable influence of FDI on economic growth in Pakistan, particularly when coupled with liberalized trade policies. We observed a strong positive correlation between FDI inflows and GDP growth, indicating that foreign investment can serve as a potent driver for economic development. However, our analysis underscores the significance of other factors in augmenting economic growth in Pakistan. For instance, political stability emerges as a pivotal factor affecting FDI inflows and can be instrumental in attracting foreign investment. Similarly, the implementation of effective measures to combat terrorism can establish a secure and stable environment for businesses, thus fostering economic growth. In conclusion, our research provides empirical evidence of the positive impact of FDI on economic growth in Pakistan. However, it also underscores the importance of creating a supportive environment for foreign investment, including open trade policies, political stability, and effective measures to combat terrorism. By doing so, Pakistan can continue to attract foreign investment and accelerate its economic development