We test the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth in a cross-country regression framework, utilizing data on FDI flows from industrial countries to 69 developing countries over the last two decades. Our results suggest that FDI is an important vehicle for the transfer of technology, contributing relatively more to growth than domestic investment. However, the higher productivity of FDI holds only when the host country has a minimum threshold stock of human capital. In addition, FDI has the effect of increasing total investment in the economy more than one for one, which suggests the predominance of complementarity effects with domestic firms.

During the past twenty or so years, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows have increased at rates approaching the astounding, especially so during the 1990s. While much of the increase was due to unprecedented cross-border mergers and acquisitions among high-income countries, the amount of FDI flowing to developing nations also grew substantially. This volume examines the economics of this FDI to developing countries. Some chapters are theoretical in nature, others empirical, and still others are largely policy-oriented. Topics covered include whether FDI makes an autonomous contribution to growth in these nations and whether or not 'spillovers' are generated by this investments. Also covered are effects of policy intervention by governments on FDI flows and whether non-economic factors (e.g. cultural factors) might figure as determinants of location of FDI.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an integral part of an open and effective international economic system and can provide a major catalyst to development. However, the benefits of FDI do not accrue automatically and evenly across countries, sectors and local communities. This publication looks at the impact of FDI on development issues and considers the policies required to maximise its benefits for developing countries. Aspects discussed include: the macroeconomic benefits for host countries; recent FDI trends; its impact on growth; foreign trade linkages; technology transfer; human capital enhancement; market structures and competition; social and environmental consequences; and country experiences in realising the benefits of FDI.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - Topic: Globalization, Political Economics, grade: B+, Central European University Budapest, course: Political Economy, language: English, abstract: There is a big amount of literature in the recent decades about the broad effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the development of the recipient country. Interestingly, policy-making has come to ignore the ambiguous and inconclusive academic research results in terms of the benefits and costs of FDI. Almost every country nowadays strives to attract foreign investment most probably due to the success stories of some countries that have achieved rapid economic growth after encouraging FDI (China, Ireland, Hungary, Czech Republic). It is beyond doubt that transnational corporations (TNCs) possess much of the world’s stock of technological knowledge and are productively using it. However, it is not so obvious whether the host countries can benefit from that knowledge.

Does foreign direct investment affect national saving both directly and indirectly through the rate of economic growth? It depends on which countries you're talking about. Pacific Basin countries appear to differ markedly from some other developing countries.

"This paper explores the linkage between income growth rates and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. So far the evidence is rather mixed, as no robust relationship between FDI and income growth has been established. The authors argue that countries need a sound business environment in the form of good government regulations to be able to benefit from FDI. Using a comprehensive data set for regulations, they test this hypothesis and find evidence that excessive regulations restrict growth through FDI only in the most regulated economies. This result holds true for different specifications of the econometric model, including instrumental variable regressions. "--World Bank web site.

In development literature Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is traditionally considered to be instrumental for the economic growth of all countries, particularly the developing ones. It acts as a panacea for breaking out of the vicious circle of low savings/low income and facilitates the import of capital goods and advanced technical knowhow. This book delves into the complex interaction of FDI with diverse factors. While FDI affects the efficiency of domestic producers through technological diffusion and spill-over effects, it also impinges on the labor market, affecting unemployment levels, human capital formation, wages (and wage inequality) and poverty; furthermore, it has important implications for socio-economic issues such as child labor, agricultural disputes over Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and environmental pollution. The empirical evidence with regard to most of the effects of FDI is highly mixed and reflects the fact that there are a number of mechanisms involved that interact with each other to produce opposing results. The book highlights the theoretical underpinnings behind the inherent contradictions and shows that the final outcome depends on a number of country-specific factors such as the nature of non-traded goods, factor endowments, technological and institutional factors. Thus, though not exhaustive, the book integrates FDI within most of the existing economic systems in order to define its much-debated role in developing economies. A theoretical analysis of the different facets of FDI as proposed in the book is thus indispensable, especially for the formulation of appropriate policies for foreign capital.

In the 1990s, foreign direct investment began to swamp all other cross-border capital flows into developing countries. Does foreign direct investment support sound development? In particular, does it contribute to poverty reduction?

Covers the period 1978 to 1992. Develops a one-equation model to specify the determinants and effects of foreign investment.