Foreign Direct Investment Promotion Research Articles

Navigating Nepal’s development trajectory: The road to graduation from the LDC status and beyond

Nepal’s imminent graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status marks a significant milestone in its development trajectory, highlighting substantial progress in economic, social, and human development indicators. This transition necessitates a strategic approach to capitalize on newfound opportunities while mitigating associated challenges. Drawing on insights from socio-economic indicators and economic evolution data, this paper assesses Nepal’s readiness for graduation and outlines key priorities for its post-LDC journey. Emphasizing sustainable development aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the paper advocates for in-country resource mobilization, system strengthening with a localization focus, human capital development, market access facilitation, resilience building, and promotion of foreign direct investment. By leveraging international support, prioritizing strategic initiatives, and fostering conducive environments for growth and investment, Nepal can navigate the transition effectively and pave the way for inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development.

Contribution of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa in the Fight Against Poverty in Zambia Through Private Development and Promotion of Foreign Direct Investment

Background: This study was undertaken due to high levels of poverty in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Member States. The overall objective of the study was to explore the contribution of COMESA in the fight against poverty in Africa, a case study of Zambia from 2010-2021. The specific objective in this article was to explore the Contribution of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa in fight against poverty in Zambia through private development. The study employed qualitative approach with an exploratory research design and critical case sampling to choose 13 key respondents to explore the contribution of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa in Zambia through private sector development from 2010-2021. Primary data was analysed from 13 key respondents selected purposively using an interview guide to support secondary data. Data was analysed using thematic and content analysis. This study found that COMESA was established by a treaty in December 1994 as a basis for private sector development and promotion of foreign direct investment in the region with a view to create employment and income generating activities contributing to poverty alleviation. Zambia embarked on private sector development and promotion of foreign direct investment with the financial support from COMESA and its international cooperating partners of development. The study established that COMESA had been significant in the fight against poverty in Zambia. However, despite the trade reforms implemented, the study established that poverty levels in Zambia had not reduced since 2010 instead there had been an increase from 54.4 % in 2020 to 60.3 % in 2021. Zambia requires a clear regulatory framework predictable for business planning with a conducive legal business environment that promote the private sector and foreign direct investment with an enabling business environment and innovative policy framework targeting various sectors of the economy.

Exploring the influence of sustainable regional planning on green economic growth: Evidence from Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area and ASEAN+6

This study explores the influence of mining waste production on green economic growth in the ASEAN+6 and Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area region spanning from 2000 to 2020. Employing ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) estimation and a comprehensive panel framework, the research reveals a notable adverse correlation: a 1% escalation in mining waste results in a 0.65% decline in green economic growth. Inefficient utilization of resources and inadequate waste management within the mining sector contribute to environmental deterioration, posing challenges to the sustainability of green industries. Furthermore, significant energy consumption from non-renewable sources during mining exacerbates the carbon footprint, obstructing advancements in green energy initiatives. The study also brings attention to a negative association between a 1% rise in inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) volume and a 0.39% decrease in green economic growth. To mitigate these unfavorable impacts, the research advocates for the promotion of sustainable FDI, the incentivization of green investments, and the implementation of rigorous environmental regulations.

Empirical analysis of solutions for metal ore mining sustainability

This study investigates the long-term sustainability of the metal ore mining industry in 16 ASEAN+6 countries participating in the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) during the period from 2005 to 2020. It focuses on the impact of various factors, including government spending on public education, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), inflation rates, green energy resilience, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The empirical model employed logarithmic transformations and the ARDL approach to analyze the data. The results reveal that increased public education spending leads to a reduction in energy intensity within the metal ore mining sector, with more pronounced effects observed in the long term. FDI has a positive influence on energy intensity in both the short and long term, reflecting a complex relationship. Inflation rates impact energy intensity due to short-term cost pressures and long-term sustainability considerations. Green energy resilience is associated with reduced energy intensity, driven by immediate efficiency gains and long-term sustainability. However, there is a concerning link between CO2 emissions and higher energy intensity in the industry, attributed to energy-intensive processes, resource extraction, regulatory limitations, economic growth, and sustainability requirements. To enhance industry sustainability in CEPEA economies, a comprehensive policy framework is recommended, emphasizing principles of the circular economy, stringent green corporate management systems, promotion of green FDI, education for sustainable development, and the utilization of big data and artificial intelligence to reduce energy intensity.

Does the OFDI promotion effect of the Belt and Road “crowd in” or “crowd out” domestic investment?

PurposeThis study aims to determine how and through what mechanisms the outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) promotion effect of the Belt and Road initiative (BRI-OFDI) affects domestic investment. It is motivated by the context that China is fostering a new development pattern, as well as by the impetus from the Belt and Road initiative for the new pattern.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on data of Chinese-listed companies, this study uses a difference-in-difference method to explore the effect of the BRI-OFDI on domestic investment and a mediation model to illustrate the mechanisms.FindingsThe BRI-OFDI has a significantly positive effect on domestic investment, meaning that the Belt and Road initiative's OFDI promotion effect crowds in domestic investment. The results are heterogeneous: the crowding-in effect mainly exists in non-state-owned and technology-intensive enterprises, while a crowding-out effect is seen in state-owned and labor-intensive enterprises. The easing of corporate financing constraints and the expansion of market demand are two important mechanisms.Originality/valueThis study uses the Belt and Road initiative as an exogenous shock to investigate the impact of the initiative-induced OFDI promotion effect on domestic investment. It addresses the potential endogeneity issue confronting the studies on the relationship between OFDI and domestic investment in the literature. The authors focus on the possible spillover effects of the Belt and Road initiative discussing the impact of the BRI-OFDI on domestic investment from the micro-firm perspective. It offers a new perspective to objectively assess the initiative's policy effect.

Research on the Enhancement of National Cultural Soft Power and the Promotion of Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from the Olympic Effect

Holding international sports events is an important way to enhance the country's cultural soft power, and carrying out sports cultural exchange is also an important measure to enhance it. As a large-scale international sports event, the Olympic Games is an important channel for the country to demonstrate its cultural soft power. Facts have shown that although the pre-Olympic investment cost is huge, it can bring lasting economic benefits to the host country. Based on the panel data of outward foreign direct investment from 1970 to 2021, this paper empirically analyzes the promotion effect of hosting the Summer Olympic Games on host country's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), namely the “Olympic effect”, by constructing the least squares model. This research finds that hosting the Summer Olympics can significantly promote the country's outward foreign direct investment, especially in developing countries with low income and low openness. The mechanism analysis shows that the transmission mechanism of the promotion of OFDI from developing countries hosting the Olympics is to transmit policy signals and thus improve the openness of the country, while the developed countries realize the Olympic effect by significantly boosting the national economic fundamentals (such as unemployment rate, development of tertiary industry, etc.). Further heterogeneity analysis suggests that with the increase of a country's comprehensive strength, the Olympic effect relatively decreases.

Intellectual property rights policy and foreign direct investment: A quasi‐natural experiment from China

AbstractOver the past 40 years of reform and opening up, China has attracted a large number of foreign investment. However, because of China's weak intellectual property protection environment, it is difficult to protect the intellectual assets of transnational enterprises, which will affect their investment decisions to some extent. In order to optimize the intellectual property system and improve the intellectual property environment, national intellectual property demonstration city policy was proposed in 2012 to improve the institutional environment. To explore the impact of national intellectual property demonstration city policy on foreign capital inflow, we explore the relationship between national intellectual property demonstration city and foreign direct investment (FDI) using the multi‐period differences‐in‐differences (DID) method based on city panel data of China from 2003 to 2019. Results shows the following: (1) Compared with non‐demonstration cities, national intellectual property demonstration cities are profit to FDI promotion. If a city is rated as a national intellectual property demonstration city, local FDI will increase by 5% on average. After a series of robustness tests, the conclusion is still tenable. (2) We find that the national intellectual property demonstration city policy has obvious urban heterogeneity. The effect of national intellectual property demonstration city policy on the increase in FDI is more significant in central cities, western cities, and key cities. (3) The mechanism test shows that national intellectual property demonstration city policies have a positive effect on FDI through increasing the government's strategic expenditure on intellectual property, improving urban technology innovation capacity, optimizing human capital structure, and promoting the marketization of cities. Therefore, China should continue to implement the policy of national intellectual property demonstration city, especially increasing the number of national intellectual property demonstration city in key cities, central cities, and western cities. On the one hand, these findings can help government evaluate the attractiveness of demonstration cities for FDI. On the other hand, it also provides relevant policy enlightenment for the Chinese government to select appropriate demonstration cities and further refine and implement the national intellectual property demonstration city policies.

Foreign Direct Investment and Its Drivers: an Empirical Comparative Study on Developed and Developing Countries

Foreign Direct Investment plays an important role in a country’s economic activity because of its positive effect on economic growth. In developing or transition countries foreign capital is considered one of the most important sources of economic growth, helping in creating new jobs and influencing technological innovation. Many governments design and implement strategies to attract Foreign Direct Investment over time. Therefore, determining the role of Foreign Direct Investment in different economies has become an important issue for designing policy responses. This paper aims to determine through empirical analysis, the determinants of Foreign Direct Investment flows in developing and developed countries and make policy recommendations for the promotion of Foreign Direct Investment in these countries. Based on the selected data period collected by the World Bank repository, we applied pooled regression models and panel data analyses to determine the factors influencing FDIs. Applying the fixed effect model and the random one, we identified the important factors impacting the FDI for developing and developed countries. Based on the results obtained by applying the random-effects model, among effective factors on Foreign Direct Investment inflows, we could mention Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, Official Development Assistance, Trade, inflation, regulatory quality, government effectiveness, political stability, and population. From all these factors, only inflation tends to decrease the Foreign Direct Investment inflows in a hosting country, and hence, governments in developing countries must give more attention to these factors.

Does Foreign Direct Investment Promote Economic Growth: Evidence from Pakistan Based ARDL to Cointegration Approach

Does Foreign Direct Investment Promote Economic Growth: Evidence from Pakistan Based ARDL to Cointegration Approach

The impact of employment protection on FDI at different stages of economic development

AbstractThere has been much debate on how to design employment protection regulations that balance the need to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) on the one hand and to protect workers' rights on the other hand. This study explores this ‘dilemma’, using a multi‐country dataset from 2003 to 2015 and treating hiring and firing regulation (HFR) and the other explanatory variables as endogenous. The findings indicate that flexible HFR is essential for FDI promotion in the early stages of economic development of a country, but the impact of labour market flexibility on FDI gradually decreases and eventually turns statistically insignificant with economic advancement. In other words, a flexible HFRs are more important for developing countries, but such flexibility does not have to be sustained in a ‘race to the bottom’ manner: once a country reaches higher income levels, it has more room to focus on labour standards to protect workers without compromising on the attractiveness of the country for FDI.

Institutions and Foreign Direct Investment: What Role for Investment Policy in Southeast Europe?

Abstract Institutions are generally perceived as an important determinant of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Which institutions matter and why for FDI, remains however one of prominent questions in public policy debate amid complexities related to different institutional dimensions, and incomplete or even vague understanding of underlying mechanism(s) at work. In this paper we account for these ambiguities, and focus on institutions that reveal government efforts to design proper institutional and policy framework to attract FDI, as opposed to considering institutions in broader sense. Specifically, we contribute to FDI policy debate by analysing the impact of institutions measuring Investment policy and promotion on inward FDI flows in South East Europe (SEE). To this end we use a unique dataset that is comprised of specific, FDI related institutional indicators developed and published by the OECD. The results of this empirical investigation deeper our understanding on whether differences in FDI policies and institutional set-up across South East European (SEE) countries explain variations in inward FDI flows relaying on bilateral FDI flows and the gravity modelling technique. We bring novel evidence that investment policy efforts seemingly do pay off, highlighting the importance of progress and reforms embodied not only in FDI regulation, but also in FDI policy variables including FDI Promotion and Facilitation, Transparency, Privatisation policy and Public Private Partnership in attracting FDI in SEE. The analysed institutional effect properly accounts for the possible time-variant and context-dependant effect of institutions. The suggested importance of FDI policy variables seem valuable in terms of general FDI policy issues and trade-offs.

Water property rights in investor‐state contracts on extractive activities, affects water governance: An empirical assessment of 80 contracts in Africa and Asia

AbstractIn view of increasing globalization, the ongoing promotion of foreign direct investment and the lack of comparative literature on how water property rights are changing in the global South, this article asks: How have property rights in water evolved through investor‐State contracts on mineral, petroleum and land issues in Africa and Asia? We analyse 80 publicly available contracts—22 minerals, 40 petroleum and 18 land—of 34 African and 19 Asian countries. We find that: (i) in addition to a State's water law, water allocation is also implicitly governed by contracts and international investment treaties; (ii) States de facto privatize water by allocating quasi‐property rights through the granting of contracts to foreign international investors; (iii) such waters exploited by virtue of contracts reduce the ability of States to regulate water during the term of the contract especially as investors' water use is protected by bilateral investment treaties and potential compensation claims; and (iv) the need of the State to increasingly adaptively govern water as the impacts of climate change on water become more noticeable will be challenged by the long‐term quasi property rights granted by States to investors in such contracts.

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION: EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE FIRMS’ PATENT FILINGS

One main motivation of attracting inward foreign direct investment (FDI) for emerging economies is to obtain knowledge spillovers from developed countries and promote domestic innovation. The effects of FDI on innovation include both the direct effects from FDI on targeted domestic firms and indirect effects from foreign ownership on other foreign and domestic firms’ innovation. Applying a design with a two-stage randomization procedure that allows for both direct and indirect effects of FDI on innovation and allows these two effects to vary with the share of foreign firms in a well-specified cluster, we empirically investigate the effects of inward FDI on Chinese firms’ innovation using patent filings as a proxy for innovation. Our findings indicate that the potential innovation of firm varies with the share of foreign firms in the cluster. The approach used in this paper can help researchers and policymakers to better understand the benefits of inward FDI promotion programs, agglomeration and regional policy.

The Impact of Size on the Performance of Transnational Corporations Operating in the Textile Industry in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this work is to understand the impact of size on the performance of transnational corporations (TNCs) operating in the textile and clothing industry in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, we used ORBIS data for the period 2019–2020 and narrative, financial and correlation analyses to assess the performance of five companies. Thus far, the impact of company size on the competitiveness of Portuguese textile affiliates during the pandemic has remained unexplored. The results show that smaller firms performed better than larger ones, likely due to the higher fixed costs of the latter at times when orders declined worldwide. Our analysis suggests that there are some characteristics of TNCs that matter in explaining company-level performance during crises, such as management experience and flexibility. Furthermore, as Portugal is a major European textile exporter, it is useful for the host country to assess the economic sustainability of its foreign investors. The results provide some policy recommendations regarding the promotion of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Portugal.

Have China's Pilot Free Trade Zones Improved Green Total Factor Productivity?

Free trade zones (FTZ) are designated areas for promoting trade openness and investment facilitation. In China, FTZs are also regarded as “green areas” in which planning actions and institutional innovations are implemented, and there is a commitment to promoting urban green and healthy development. Given that green total factor productivity (GTFP) is an important measure of a city’s health and green performance, this study exploits the difference-in-differences method to explore the impact of pilot FTZs on urban GTFP in 280 cities in China for the period between 2005 and 2017. The results show that the green areas positively contributed to the growth of GTFP. Moreover, the outcome holds with robustness tests. Statistically, the positive effect emerged in cities during the first three years after introducing the initiative, with the effect disappearing afterward. It also had a strong positive impact in the central and western regions and in large and medium-sized cities, while the influence remained insignificant in the remaining areas in China. Furthermore, the paper also reveals that the promotion of foreign direct investment and industrial structure upgrading are the primary channels through which the positive relationship between pilot FTZs and GTFP is established.

The quality of host government and China’s OFDI: Construction of micro-evaluation model of government quality

Government is not only an important participant in the process of national governance, but also a firm executor and supervisor of national policies. In the process of China’s active promotion of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), the risks caused by the poor quality of the host government have not been paid enough attention to. This paper builds a micro-evaluation model of government quality from four aspects based on the quality of government expert survey. The results show that although the scores of developed countries are generally higher than those of developing countries, the growth of China’s OFDI in developing countries is higher than in developed countries. In particular, the growth of investment to the member states of The Belt and Road Initiative is more significant. How to realize mutually beneficial achievements between China's overseas investment and host countries with low government quality is an important issue for China.

Does Foreign Direct Investment Promote Skill Upgrading in Developing Countries? Empirical Evidence from Malaysia

Does Foreign Direct Investment Promote Skill Upgrading in Developing Countries? Empirical Evidence from Malaysia

Determinants of Ethiopian Coffee Exports to Its Major Trade Partners: A Dynamic Gravity Model Approach

The aim of this article is to examine export determinants of Ethiopian coffee to 31 trade partner countries using a dynamic gravity model and system generalised moment method of estimation (GMM) for the period 1998–2016. Descriptive results showed that Ethiopia was exporting only 39% of its total coffee production, and 53.5% and 34.13% of Ethiopian coffee exports were directed to European and Asian countries, respectively, over the period 1998–2016. Regression results revealed that trade openness, population size of Ethiopia, foreign direct investment and institutional quality index of Ethiopia are positively and significantly affecting volume of Ethiopian coffee export. But population of partner countries, weighted distance, lagged export volume and real exchange rate are negatively and significantly influencing export volume of Ethiopian coffee. Hence, Ethiopia needs to diversify its export destinations and export items a way from primary agricultural exports to secondary industrial exports in order to secure dependable source of foreign currency. Also, controlling corruption, increasing government effectiveness, ensuring political stability promotion of foreign direct investment and encouraging trade liberalisation would help to boost the volume of Ethiopian coffee export. JEL Codes: F12, F13, F14

Foreign direct investment in the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Challenges and prospects

In the article the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the economy of the Lao is examined, in particular, the evolution of the policy, methods and rules of FDI attraction and regulation, as well as the dynamics and sectoral structure of FDI inflows. In result of Lao’s targeted proactive government policy, the FDI inflow since 2005 have risen substantially, owing primarily to domestic and foreign investments in hydropower and mining. Since the 3rd five-year National Plan for 1991-1995, the promotion of FDI has become a priority for the government. Since 2005, the annual rate of economic growth has exceeded 5%, and by 2020, the poverty of the people has dropped significantly. Through continuous, inclusive and sustainable economic growth the country managed to get out of “least developed countries” status by 2020. The Lao PDR government continues to improve the legal framework and law enforcement practice in the field of FDI. China, Thailand and Vietnam lead the investment process among the 10 most active foreign investors. Lao government clearly defined the desirable industries for foreign direct investment, which meet national interests - hydropower, mining, infrastructure facilities, industrial and agricultural enterprises, tourism. In this article an overview of the most important FDI sectors in Laos is provided. Authors have come to conclusion that the scope, volume and focus of implemented and ongoing FDI projects has benefited the Laos in terms of socioeconomic growth, foreign exchange earnings, job creation, as well as modern equipment, technology and skills transfer. The attention of the Lao government to practical details of foreign investment in important national projects contributes to successful use of external resources for national goals.

The Relation of Investment Incentives and Inflow of FDI: Case of Developing Countries and Ethiopia

For economic, Social, or foreign direct investment promotion reasons, tax exemptions or incentives are common under tax laws of legal system of different nations. Under Ethiopian stamp duty laws, some areas of foreign investments are exempted from the liability of payment of same; documents that are exempted in accordance with international agreements and conventional treaties approved by Ethiopian government. The objective of this study article is to show the relationship between incentives and foreign direct investment inflows in developing countries and the Ethiopian context. The thesis employs research methodology that follows conceptual and legal analyses and interpretation in a comparative manner. The meaning and nature of investment incentives under Ethiopian investment laws and other jurisdiction, determinant factors driving and influencing the inflows of FDI under developing counties and Ethiopia are discussed. The dominant model of low income countries/developing countries investment incentive i.e. tax exemption and tax holiday’s contribution and effectiveness in the attracting of FDI, and various economics researchers findings on the relationship between income tax incentives and FDI inflows are critically analyzed with the various laws and Ethiopian investment laws. Finally from the findings of different data we can conclude that weak investment climate cannot back up by providing tax incentives to attract FDI in developing countries and Ethiopia. The findings of the study revealed that tax incentive packages that are employed to attract FDI in developing countries are not in a position to accommodate and fulfill the comprehensive driving factors of the FDI and the interest of investors and host states.