Determinants of foreign direct investment inflow to the agricultural sector: a panel-data analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Reza Zeytoonnejad Mousavian ◽  
Seyyed Mehdi Mirdamadi ◽  
Seyed Jamal Farajallah Hosseini ◽  
Maryam Omidi NajafAbadi

PurposeForeign Direct Investment (FDI) is an important means of boosting the agricultural sectors of developing economies. The first necessary step to formulate effective public policies to encourage agricultural FDI inflow to a host country is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the main determinants of FDI inflow to the agricultural sector, which is the main objective of the present study.Design/methodology/approachIn view of this, we take a comprehensive approach to exploring the macroeconomic and institutional determinants of FDI inflow to the agricultural sector by examining a large panel data set on agricultural FDI inflows of 37 countries, investigating both groups of developed and developing countries, incorporating a large list of potentially relevant macroeconomic and institutional variables, and applying panel-data econometric models and estimation structures, including pooled, fixed-effects and random-effects regression models.FindingsThe general pattern of our findings implies that the degree of openness of an economy has a negative effect on FDI inflows to agricultural sectors, suggesting that the higher the degree of openness in an economy, the lower the level of agricultural protection against foreign trade and imports, and thus the less incentive for FDI to inflow to the agricultural sector of the economy. Additionally, our results show that economic growth (as an indicator of the rate of market-size growth in the host economy) and per-capita real GDP (as an indicator of the standard of living in the host country) are both positively related to FDI inflows to agricultural sectors. Our other results suggest that agricultural FDI tends to flow more to developing countries in general and more to those with higher standards of living and income levels in particular.Originality/valueFDI inflow has not received much attention with respect to the identification of its main determinants in the context of agricultural sectors. Additionally, there are very few panel-data studies on the determinants of FDI, and even more surprisingly, there are no such studies on the main determinants of FDI inflow to the agricultural sector. We have taken a comprehensive approach by studying FDI inflow variations across countries as well as over time.

2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-299
Author(s):  
İSmail ÇEviŞ ◽  
Burak ÇAmurdan

The economic growth rates have dramatically increased in developing economies, such as in Latin American, Asian, and Eastern European countries, following the financial liberalisation attempt, especially during the 1990s. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has become an increasingly important element for economic development and integration of developing countries and transition economies in this period with the world economy. The main purpose of this study is to develop an empirical framework to estimate the economic determinants of FDI inflows by employing a panel data set of 17 developing countries and transition economies for the period of 1989:01-2006:04. In our model there are seven explanatory economic variables. They are, respectively, the previous period FDI (the pull factor for new FDI), GDP growth (measures market size), Wage (unit labour costs), Trade Rate (measures the openness of countries), the real interest rates (measures macroeconomic policy), inflation rate (as country risk and macroeconomic policy), and domestic investment (Business Climate). Hence, throughout the paper, only the economic determinants (being separated and apart from the other studies in the literature) of FDI inflows to developing countries and transition economies are studied. It is found out that the previous period FDI which is directly related to the host countries’ economic resources is important as an economic determinant. Besides, it is also understood that the main determinants of FDI inflows are the inflation rate, the interest rate, the growth rate, and the trade (openness) rate and FDI inflows give power to the economies of host countries. JEL classification: F21, R19, C23 Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, the Determinants of FDI, the Developing Countries, Transition Economies, Panel Data Analysis


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amna Zardoub ◽  
Faouzi Sboui

PurposeGlobalization occupies a central research activity and remains an increasingly controversial phenomenon in economics. This phenomenon corresponds to a subject that can be criticized through its impact on national economies. On the other hand, the world economy is evolving in a liberalized environment in which foreign direct investment plays a fundamental role in the economic development of each country. The advent of financial flows – FDI, remittances and official development assistance – can be a key factor in the development of the economy. The subject of this article is to analyses the effect of financial flows on economic growth in developing countries. Empirically, different approaches have been employed. As part of this work, an attempt was made to use a panel data approach. The results indicate ambiguous effects and confirm the results of previous work.Design/methodology/approachThe authors seek to study the effect of foreign direct investment, remittances and official development assistance (ODA) and some control variables i.e. domestic credit, life expectancy, gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), inflation and three institutional factors on economic growth in developing countries by adopting the panel data methodology. Then, the authors will discuss empirical tests to assess the econometric relevance of the model specification before presenting the analysis of the results and their interpretations that lead to economic policy implications. As part of this work, the authors have rolled panel data for developing countries at an annual frequency during the period from 1990 to 2016. In a first stage of empirical analysis, the authors will carry out a technical study of the heterogeneity test of the individual fixed effects of the countries. This kind of analysis makes it possible to identify the problems retained in the specific choice of econometric modeling to be undertaken in the specificities of the panel data.FindingsThe empirical results validate the hypotheses put forward and indicate the evidence of an ambiguous effect of financial flows on economic growth. The empirical findings from this analysis suggest the use of economic-type solutions to resolve some of the shortcomings encountered in terms of unexpected effects. Governments in these countries should improve the business environment by establishing a framework that further encourages domestic and foreign investment.Originality/valueIn this article, the authors adopt the panel data to study the links between financial flows and economic growth. The authors considered four groups of countries by income.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagadish Prasad Sahu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows leads to surge in economic growth in 52 developing countries for the period 1990-2014. Design/methodology/approach The author used a threshold approach to identify surge incidences in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth rates and FDI inflows (measured as percentage of GDP) for each country included in the sample. Three different criteria are used to identify surge instances. As a preliminary analysis the author used the probit and complementary log–log regression methods to estimate the likelihood of growth surge occurrence. To correct the potential endogeneity problem the author jointly estimated the growth surge and FDI surge equations using the recursive bivariate probit (RBP) regression. Findings The author found that East Asia and the Pacific region has highest rate of growth surge incidences followed by South Asia. The results suggest that surge in FDI inflows significantly increases the likelihood of growth surge. The finding is robust to alternative surge definitions and methods of estimation. Practical implications The analysis reveals that inbound FDI flow is a critical driver of economic growth in developing countries. Large FDI inflows matters for achieving rapid economic growth. Therefore developing countries should adopt favourable policies to attract more FDI. Policymakers should focus on improving the investment climate of the country to boost domestic investment and to attract larger amount of FDI into the economy. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge this is the first study to examine whether surge in FDI inflows stimulates surge in economic growth in developing countries. The analysis reveals that FDI surge is a robust predictor of rapid economic growth in developing countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Abbas ◽  
Imad Moosa ◽  
Vikash Ramiah

PurposeThis paper is about the effect of human capital on foreign direct investment (FDI). The purpose of this paper is to find out if developing countries with high levels of human capital (educated people and well-trained labour force) are more successful in attracting FDI. The underlying hypothesis has been tested repeatedly without reaching a consensus view or providing an answer to the basic question. This is to be expected because FDI is determined by a large number of factors, making the results sensitive to the selected set of explanatory variables, which forms the basis of the Leamer (1983) critique of the use of multiple regression to derive inference. Furthermore, confirmation bias and publication bias entice researchers to be selective in choosing the set of results they report.Design/methodology/approachThe technique of extreme bounds analysis, as originally suggested by Leamer (1983) and modified by Sala-i-Martin (1997), is used to determine the importance of human capital for the ability of developing countries to attract FDI. The authors use a cross-sectional sample covering 103 developing and transition countries.FindingsThe results show no contradiction between firms seeking human capital and cheap labour. No matter what proxy is used to represent human capital, it turns out that the most important factor for attracting FDI is the variable “employee compensation”, which is the wage bill, implying that multinational firms look for cheap and also skilled labour in the host country.Originality/valueIn this paper, the authors follow the procedure prescribed by Leamer (1983), and modified by Sala-i-Martin (1997), using extreme bounds analysis to distinguish between robust and fragile determinants of FDI, with particular emphasis on human capital. Instead of deriving inference from one regression equation by determining the statistical significance of the coefficient on the variable of interest, the extreme bounds or the distribution of estimated coefficients are used to distinguish between robust and fragile variables. This means that emphasis is shifted from significance, as implied by a single regression equation, to robustness, which is based on a large number of equations. The authors conduct tests on three proxies for human capital to find out if they are robust determinants of FDI and also judge the degree of robustness relative to other determinants.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Olusola Babatunde ◽  
Oluwaseyi Alabi Awodele ◽  
Onaopepo Adeniyi

Purpose Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to both developed and developing countries have increased over the past three decades. However, investigation of opportunities and challenges associated with FDI on the host economy and its impact, especially on the construction sector through empirical assessment, have received scant attention. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in knowledge within the Nigerian context and examine the trend of FDI inflows to the construction sector for the period 2000-2013 inclusive. Relationships between contributions of the construction sector to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) are also studied. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a literature review, a questionnaire survey and archival data culminated in data analysis. The survey targeted financial experts in Nigerian financial institutions/local banks. Archival data included the annualised data extracted from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletins. The period examined witnessed stable economic conditions. Data collected were analysed using mean score, factor analysis and correlation. Findings Eight identified opportunities of using FDI were grouped into three principal factors: knowledge spillovers, capital for new investment and resilience during financial crises. The ten identified FDI challenges were grouped into three major factors: loss of ownership advantage and additional costs, crowding-out of-national firms and administrative bottleneck and overdependence. Based on the hypotheses tested, the study found a significant relationship between the contributions of FDI inflows in the construction sector and the total GDP of the host country. Practical implications This study provides greater insight on the effects of FDI on a host economy in developing countries, which would help policymakers to examine existing policies and look for new ways of increasing foreign investment flow, especially in the area of Construction Facility Investment. Originality/value This study is important because it would enable policymakers in developing countries at large to promote FDI with special considerations for the construction sector of the economy.


2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-47
Author(s):  
Qayoom Ab ◽  
Ramachandran Muthiah ◽  
Sofi Irfan

The aim of this paper is to identify, by estimating a panel econometric model, the factors determining FDI inflows to developing countries over a long period. The study is based on a sample of 32 developing countries. In our analysis, FDI inflows are modeled as a function of the market size, total reserves, infrastructure, labour cost and degree of openness-for the host countries. Using data from 1982 to 2008, a panel data estimator suggests that the market size, total reserves, infrastructure and labour costs are the main determinants of FDI inflows to developing countries. Our interesting finding is that openness of an economy is insignificant in determining the FDI inflows.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Mariev ◽  
Igor Drapkin ◽  
Kristina Chukavina

Abstract The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it is to answer the question of whether Russia is successful in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Second, it is to identify partner countries that “overinvest” and “underinvest” in the Russian economy. We do this by calculating potential FDI inflows to Russia and comparing them with actual values. This research is associated with the empirical estimation of factors explaining FDI flows between countries. The methodological foundation used for the research is the gravity model of foreign direct investment. In discussing the pros and cons of different econometric methods of the estimation gravity equation, we conclude that the Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood method with instrumental variables (IV PPML) is one of the best options in our case. Using a database covering about 70% of FDI flows for the period of 2001-2011, we discover the following factors that explain the variance of bilateral FDI flows in the world economy: GDP value of investing country, GDP value of recipient country, distance between countries, remoteness of investor country, remoteness of recipient country, level of institutions development in host country, wage level in host country, membership of two countries in a regional economic union, common official language, common border and colonial relationships between countries in the past. The potential values of FDI inflows are calculated using coefficients of regressors from the econometric model. We discover that the Russian economy performs very well in attracting FDI: the actual FDI inflows exceed potential values by 1.72 times. Large developed countries (France, Germany, UK, Italy) overinvest in the Russian economy, while smaller and less developed countries (Czech Republic, Belarus, Denmark, Ukraine) underinvest in Russia. Countries of Southeast Asia (China, South Korea, Japan) also underinvest in the Russian economy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamdi Khalfaoui ◽  
Abdelkader Derbali

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the main determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the case of the Arab Maghreb countries. Design/methodology/approach We employ a dynamic panel analysis using the General Method of Moments for a sample composed of 105 countries over the period 1985–2018. Findings We show that FDI stability, market size, higher education enrolment, quality of institutions, distance, sharing of common border, and bilateral investment and integration agreements are the main determinants of FDI location. These determinants are neither general. The potential for attracting FDI from AMU countries is poorly exploited. FDI to the AMU is lower than estimated stock. The observed FDI to potential FDI ratio does not exceed 87%. France and Spain are the main investors in the AMU region thanks to historical and cultural links. The FDI from the United States, Canada, Germany, Belgium, and Japan are below what is expected. Originality/value The contribution of this paper is observed on the examining oh the determinants of the FDI in the Arab Maghreb countries. Our study demonstrate that the political stability can decrease investment risk in these countries. The administrations correspondingly require expanding their rules and strategies with union demonstrations which were at the beginning of the departure and closing of several foreign companies.


Author(s):  
Mohsen Mehrara ◽  
Amin Haghnejad ◽  
Jalal Dehnavi ◽  
Fereshteh Jandaghi Meybodi

Using panel techniques, this paper estimates the causality among economic growth, exports, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows for developing countries over the period of 1980 to 2008. The study indicates that; firstly, there is strong evidence of bidirectional causality between economic growth and FDI inflows. Secondly, the exports-led growth hypothesis is supported by the finding of unidirectional causality running from exports to economic growth in both the short-run and the long-run. Thirdly, export is not Granger caused by economic growth and FDI inflow in either the short run or the long run. On the basis of the obtained results, it is recommended that outward-oriented strategies and policies of attracting FDI be pursued by developing countries to achieve higher rates of economic growth. On the other hand, the countries can increase FDI inflows by stimulating their economic growth.


The study seeks to establish the relationship between foreign direct investment to Saarc region agricultural sector and economic growth with secondary data. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's area, 21% of the world's population and 3.8% (US$2.9 trillion) making up a total of 3% of the world’s area. The country has second in all over the world in terms of agriculture position. The population obliquely all of the member states is over 1.7 billion, accounting for 21% of the world’s total population. In their 42% of the agricultural operation in SAARC nations and also 51% source of livelihood of the South Asians. The study has revealed that India alone accounts for 52 per cent of the agricultural products using the SAARC region peoples. For the present study, a total of 34 groups related to the agricultural products were selected out of the total groups. The techniques employed to analyze the data include descriptive statistic, correlation and linear forecast method. The study also revealed a positive and important relationship between economic growth and foreign direct investment flow to the agricultural sector. Thus, the study recommends that policy should focus on flexible trade policies to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to SAARC nations. i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka including India


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document