For Foreign Direct Investment Inflows Research Articles

Factors Influencing Foreign Direct Investments Inflow in Africa: A Case Study of Tanzania

Africa has emerged as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) due to its rich natural resources, growing economies, and increasing political stability. The doors of Tanzania, one of the largest countries in Africa, have been opened to international companies in search of growing markets. Nevertheless, Tanzania has seen a low level of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, primarily because of its stringent policies restricting the ownership of businesses by foreign nationals. The aim of this study is to identify and explain the factors that influence FDI inflows in Tanzania, which is the country that will be the focus of the study. This study will concentrate on the independent factors of political stability, availability of natural resources, size of the economy, and transport infrastructure, as well as the dependent variable of foreign direct investment (FDI). To collect the appropriate information, five survey questions were developed for each variable. A total of 125 respondents were collected using purposive sampling. The findings of this study will inform policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders in the region about the factors that influence foreign direct investment inflows into Tanzania. The study examined the impact of transport and infrastructure, political stability, the scale of the economy, and the availability of natural resources on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Tanzania.

The Role of Ease of Doing Business in Attracting Foreign Direct Investment in the SADC Region

This study seeks to analyze the role of ease of doing business in attracting foreign direct investment in the SADC region. The main goal of the study is to present new findings to corroborate whether ease of doing business factors are a significant and positive stimulus for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The study also proves to the role of ease of doing business to boost foreign direct investment in the SADC Region to enhance economic growth amid indications that foreign direct investment (FDI) streams in the SADC Region are diminishing rather than other economic communities all through the world, regardless of SADC’s endeavours to encourage an empowering environment for FDI. The research also verifies some hindrances such as negative gamble discernments, a troublesome business environment, and pervasive corruption as key elements given for SADC’s inability to attract and keep up with FDI. The study used panel data and therefore applied a Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression or a fixed effects model. The results revealed that gross fixed capital formation, political stability, corruption and gross domestic product were statistically significant towards FDI inflows into the SADC region. The study recommended that the SADC region should develop responsible foreign capital regulation which offers incentives for localized investment and lower unemployment rate by producing jobs and real income that can be used to either fuel economic growth or be saved in financial institutions.

A model for foreign direct investment (FDI) promotion through standardized tax policies in Nigeria

This paper presents a model for promoting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria through the implementation of standardized tax policies. The model seeks to address the inconsistencies in Nigeria’s tax framework that hinder the inflow of foreign investments. By proposing a streamlined, transparent, and investor-friendly tax regime, the model aims to attract and retain foreign investors while fostering economic growth. The model emphasizes the importance of harmonizing tax policies across federal, state, and local levels to eliminate discrepancies that create uncertainties for investors. It advocates for clear and consistent tax incentives tailored to sectors with high FDI potential, such as manufacturing, agriculture, and technology. Additionally, the model calls for the reduction of bureaucratic inefficiencies in tax administration, which often discourage foreign investors due to delays and lack of transparency. A key component of this model is the establishment of a centralized digital platform for tax registration and compliance. This system would streamline tax processes, ensuring clarity in tax obligations, reducing corruption, and improving ease of doing business. Furthermore, the model promotes the creation of bilateral tax treaties that protect foreign investors from double taxation, enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness as an FDI destination. The paper also underscores the role of tax reforms in promoting investor confidence, advocating for a consultative approach where investors, policymakers, and industry stakeholders collaborate to shape tax policies. By implementing this model, Nigeria could see a significant increase in FDI inflows, which would contribute to job creation, infrastructure development, and technology transfer, ultimately leading to long-term economic stability.

EAEU and ASEAN: Reasons for differences in FDI inflows with similar integration models

In the modern world economy, we can observe, how some regional economic integration associations are becoming centers of attraction for foreign direct investment (FDI), while others are experiencing an acute shortage of them. This situation can be traced when comparing two integration groupings - the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Information from various media and scientifi publications indicates that the EAEU, of which Russia is a member, today can hardly be called successful in attracting FDI. ASEAN, on the contrary, is the largest recipient of foreign capital among developing countries. In order to actually support this information and determine specifi quantitative discrepancies between the volume of FDI infl to the EAEU and the volume of FDI infl to ASEAN, relevant statistical data were analyzed. It has been proved that the infl of FDI to the EAEU, even during favorable periods of growth, was signifi lower than the infl of FDI to ASEAN. Such circumstances make you think about the reasons that cause them, and also raise additional questions. What are the competitive advantages in ASEAN for attracting FDI in comparison with the EAEU? What can the EAEU do to attract more FDI? To answer these questions, a comparative analysis of the EAEU and ASEAN was carried out, including two stages. The fi stage was to compare their main economic and geographical indicators, and the second stage was to compare them with the position of the motives of foreign investors. It is concluded that the main reasons for the diff in FDI infl to ASEAN and to EAEU are, fi , the stronger position of ASEAN in economic and geographical indicators, and, secondly, the availability of conditions in ASEAN to satisfy almost any of the motives of a foreign investor. The author gives brief recommendations to the supranational bodies of the EAEU on improving conditions for foreign investors.

Is Trade Facilitation a Deterrent or Stimulus for Foreign Direct Investment in Africa?

ABSTRACT This article investigates whether trade facilitation acts as a stimulus or deterrent for foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow to Africa by employing six key components relating to cross-border trading on a panel of 26 African countries over the period of 2004 to 2014. The study employs both the fixed effects model and difference-generalized method of moments. The empirical results show that trade facilitation significantly hinders FDI inflows both in the single (aggregated) and multiple (disaggregated) models. This apart, the critical roles of gross domestic product (GDP), infrastructural development (FST), inflation (INFL), and trade openness (TO) are equally affirmed.

Global Cities of External Europe as FDI Objects

Global European cities are important targets for foreign direct investment (FDI). The purpose of the article is to identify the causes of this phenomenon on the basis of empirical and theoretical analysis based on the concepts of global cities. London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Warsaw, which represent different types of global cities, were taken to conduct such a study. This determined the structure of the work, which consists of theoretical and methodological introduction, sections of the analysis of the FDI inflow in these cities, as well as a conclusion, which contains the main results ofthe work and the possibility of applying them to Moscow. The main conclusions of the article can be summarized as follows: global cities have their own specialization in FDI inflows, which is ensured by the presence of special attractive factors against the background of the general investment attractiveness of a country. It is possible to distinguish three key specializations (functions, roles) of a global city from the point of FDI inflow: international hub for transit capital, regional hub for the transfer of FDI to other parts of a country, site for FDI inflow to the city economy. The cities under consideration clearly demonstrate the different nature of their specialization, which depends on the different endowment of each city with specific attracting factors. London is a world leader and is able to accumulate an extremely large volume of FDI due to all three specializations. Dublin, although it is a young global city, already plays a key role in the inflow of FDI into the country as an international hub and partially as an attractive city economy. Amsterdam also specializes in the international hub activity and to a lesser extent as an attractive city economy. Frankfurt attracts substantial FDI into its economy on the base of its banking sector and also plays a role of the regional hub. Warsaw also plays the roles of a recipient of FDI and a regional hub.

Indian Pharmaceuticals Industry in Global Scenario: An Appraisal

Today, the Indian pharmaceuticals industry is recognised the world over due to the quality and cost-effectiveness of its products. At present, globally it is one of the fastest-growing industries and contributes 2.4 per cent value wise and 10 per cent volume wise globally. India alone accounts for 20 per cent of global exports in generics. In 2016, the Indian pharma industry exported USD16.89 billion and is expected to touch USD40 billion by 2020. The present generics market has immense potentiality for foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, and worth USD14.53 billion of FDI inflows came in between April 2000 and December 2016. We have witnessed that Indian pharma companies go for joint ventures with multinational companies, make strategic alliances and co-promotions, contract research and manufacturing services, export, acquisitions and mergers, focus on new markets other than the USA and Europe, buy offshore plants and increase stakes in other companies. India is also becoming an attractive investment for the clinical trials market. The objective of this paper is to analyse the Indian pharmaceuticals industry—opportunity and threats, strategies of the Indian companies particularly after trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS).

Assessing the impact of FDI on PM2.5 concentrations: A nonlinear panel data analysis for emerging economies

While emerging markets have obtained powerful growth for foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, they are facing severe smog pollution, and this contradiction has become increasingly prominent since the financial crisis. Assessing the influence of FDI on pollutant emissions is of great significance for determining how to attract FDI to promote environmental sustainability. The present study simultaneously investigates the direct and indirect effects of FDI on PM2.5 contamination for emerging countries spanning the period 2010–2016. Due to the features of the nonlinear analysis, a generalized panel smooth transition regression (GPSTR) model was introduced, and cross-sectional dependence, heterogeneity, nonlinear unit root, nonlinear cointegration tests and non-parametric kernel density estimation were applied to achieve this goal. The results reveal that FDI directly contributes to decreasing PM2.5, but indirectly has on increasing PM2.5 emissions. The total effect of FDI on PM2.5 concentrations is proven to be negative, which confirms the pollution halo hypothesis. Moreover, the connection between FDI inflows and PM2.5 emissions displays a threshold and dynamic characteristic and is “S-shaped”. At lower levels of FDI, the inflows of FDI exert a positive effect on reducing PM2.5 concentrations, whereas when FDI exceeds the threshold of 23.2981, such influence is gradually weakened with an increase in its own accumulation. The study provides new assessments on FDI's contribution to pollutant emissions and evidence for environmental sustainability in the post-financial crisis era.

Labour Market Regulations and FDI Inflows in Developing Countries An Empirical Analysis

What makes developing countries attractive for foreign direct investment (FDI)? Labour regulations are believed to be one of the major factors determining the level of FDI inflows to the developing countries. In order to allure the foreign investors, countries try to weaken labour rights, so that investors can reduce their labour costs. In this paper, we study the relationship between labour regulations and the amount of FDI inflows to the developing countries. Based on analysis of data from fifteen emerging markets, it is posited that changes in selective labour regulations influences inflows of FDI. It is concluded that policymakers in these developing countries need to strike a balance between securing the interest of the workers on the one hand and making efforts to attract a higher amount of FDI on the other.

A new theoretical framework to assess Multinational Corporations’ motivation for Foreign Direct Investment: A case study on Vietnamese service industries

PurposeThis paper develops a new theoretical framework, based on eclectic paradigm and institution theory, to evaluate Multinational Corporations’ (MNCs’) incentives for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The new framework is applied as a case study in the service sector across Vietnam. Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach to investigate the motivational factors of MNCs by using primary data on MNCs working in service industries in Vietnam. This paper introduces five motivational factors, and conducts a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to study the construct validity of the research measures and to cluster the variables into common factors that can be used to present relationships among sets of interrelated variables. FindingsThe SEM results reveal that the key determinants of MNCs’ incentives to invest in service industries are market-seeking government policies and culture, all of which have significantly contributed to FDI. Originality/valueThis study offers new knowledge and insights into the factors that motivate FDI by MNCs in general and in service industries in Vietnam. The findings are plausible and in line with the recent economic reforms launched in Vietnam, along with the increased FDI inflows into the country in the last twenty-five years.

Does location choice affect foreign subsidiary success in India? An empirical study based on Porter's diamond model

Since India began to liberalise its economy in 1991, the country has become increasingly attractive as a location for foreign direct investment (FDI). However, FDI is distributed very unevenly across the country. While, for example, the state of Maharashtra accounts for 34% of all FDI inflows into India, other states like Assam with 0.1% hardly attract any FDI. The differences are even larger when considering FDI disparities on a district level. Despite this imbalance, academic studies on location factors driving FDI success are lacking. In this study we investigate the factors that determine the degree of subsidiary success in India. Based on Porter's diamond model we develop five hypotheses and test them against a sample of 113 foreign firms. Our data show that subsidiary success is predominantly determined by the availability of human capital. A significant influence is also revealed for the level of governmental regulations and the availability of suppliers. Conclusions are drawn for management and policy makers as well as for theory building.

The Role of FDI Inflows in Economic Growth in Malaysia (Time Series: 1975-2010)

Abstract Recently, Malaysia has been recognized as one of the most popular destinations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Southeast Asia. But how do these FDI inflows affect Malaysia economy? This paper aims to identify the role of FDI inflows in Malaysia economic growth through a proposed endogenous growth model. Annual data covers from 1975 to 2010. Unit root test and Johansen Co-integration test are adopted to respectively verify the time series data is stable and the linear combination of the variables is stationary. Hierarchical Multiple Regressions (HMR) Analysis is then conducted to find out the momentum of the Malaysia economic growth including FDI inflows. The results show that the FDI inflows together with the human capital development contribute strongly to the host country's economic growth. But the technology spillovers of FDI inflows are still not sufficiently combined with human capital to contribute to the economic growth. Thus, it suggests government make more efforts to develop national human capital to attract and serve for FDI inflows. Moreover, the openness of the economy and the foreign exchange environment shall continue moving in favourable track.

The impacts of PTA formation on small economies’ tax competition for FDI inflows

This paper examines why small economies are so eager to form or join preferential trade agreements (PTAs), as observed in the East Asia and the Central Europe, taking consideration of the strategic impacts of PTA formation on tax competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. Based on a simple model where three asymmetric countries compete for FDI inflows, we demonstrate that PTA formation provides a strategic advantage to a small member country of PTA in competing for FDI inflows not only with respect to a non-member country but with a large member country when the integrated market size is large enough. In addition, it is shown that it might be an out-of-equilibrium path strategy for a non-member small economy to exert efforts to induce FDI inflows, because the excessive subsidies to induce FDI inflows might outweigh the gains from the FDI inflows due to strategic disadvantage in tax competition after PTA formation. These findings explain why small economies are mainly driven by the expected economic benefits including FDI inflows from joining PTA.

FDI promotion through bilateral investment treaties: more than a bit?

Policy makers in developing countries have increasingly pinned their hopes on bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in order to improve their chances in the worldwide competition for foreign direct investment (FDI). However, the effectiveness of BITs in inducing higher FDI inflows is still open to debate. It is in several ways that we attempt to clarify the inconclusive empirical findings of earlier studies. We cover a much larger sample of host and source countries by drawing on an extensive data set on bilateral FDI flows. Furthermore, we account for unilateral FDI liberalization, in order not to overestimate the effect of BITs, as well as for the potential endogeneity of BITs. Employing a gravity-type model and various model specifications, including an instrumental variable approach, we find that BITs do promote FDI flows to developing countries. BITs may even substitute for weak domestic institutions, though probably not for unilateral capital account liberalization.