IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jtecht/v47y2022i4d10.1007_s10961-021-09872-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Foreign direct investment (FDI): friend or foe of non-innovating firms?

Author

Listed:
  • Rajeev K. Goel

    (Illinois State University
    Kiel Institute for the World Economy)

  • James W. Saunoris

    (Eastern Michigan University)

Abstract

This paper examines the incentives of firms to bypass the innovation process by not pursuing innovation, focusing specifically on whether FDI enables innovation participation or retards it. This consideration of innovation participation is broader than the impact of FDI on innovation because it captures whether FDI leads to greater concentration in research markets. Using data on more than 50 countries and accounting for possible two-way causality between FDI and non-innovation, our results consistently show that FDI increases the ranks of non-innovators. These spillovers or crowding-out effects of FDI do not seem to have been widely recognized. Another interesting finding is that the main result is sensitive to the size of firms—large firms are less impacted by FDI relative to small and medium firms. Implications for technology policy are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Rajeev K. Goel & James W. Saunoris, 2022. "Foreign direct investment (FDI): friend or foe of non-innovating firms?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 1162-1178, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:47:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10961-021-09872-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-021-09872-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10961-021-09872-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10961-021-09872-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kleibergen, Frank & Paap, Richard, 2006. "Generalized reduced rank tests using the singular value decomposition," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 133(1), pages 97-126, July.
    2. Koen De Backer & Leo Sleuwaegen, 2003. "Does Foreign Direct Investment Crowd Out Domestic Entrepreneurship?," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 22(1), pages 67-84, February.
    3. Hölzl, Werner & Janger, Jürgen, 2014. "Distance to the frontier and the perception of innovation barriers across European countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 707-725.
    4. Rajeev Goel, 2009. "Technological complementarities, demand, and market power," Netnomics, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 161-170, October.
    5. Méon, Pierre-Guillaume & Sekkat, Khalid, 2012. "FDI Waves, Waves of Neglect of Political Risk," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(11), pages 2194-2205.
    6. Rajeev K. Goel & Michael A. Nelson, 2021. "How do firms use innovations to hedge against economic and political uncertainty? Evidence from a large sample of nations," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 407-430, April.
    7. Dirk Dohse & Rajeev K. Goel & Michael A. Nelson, 2019. "What induces firms to license foreign technologies? International survey evidence," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(7), pages 799-814, October.
    8. Fudenberg, Drew & Tirole, Jean, 1984. "The Fat-Cat Effect, the Puppy-Dog Ploy, and the Lean and Hungry Look," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(2), pages 361-366, May.
    9. Christopher F Baum & Mark E. Schaffer & Steven Stillman, 2007. "Enhanced routines for instrumental variables/generalized method of moments estimation and testing," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 7(4), pages 465-506, December.
    10. Khan, Arshad M. & Manopichetwattana, Veerachai, 1989. "Models for distinguishing innovative and noninnovative small firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 187-196, May.
    11. Hui-lin Lin & Eric S. Lin, 2010. "FDI, Trade, and Product Innovation: Theory and Evidence," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 77(2), pages 434-464, October.
    12. P. Mohnen & F. Palm & S. Loeff & A. Tiwari, 2008. "Financial Constraints and Other Obstacles: are they a Threat to Innovation Activity?," De Economist, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 201-214, June.
    13. Stiebale, Joel & Reize, Frank, 2011. "The impact of FDI through mergers and acquisitions on innovation in target firms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 155-167, March.
    14. Pellegrino, Gabriele & Savona, Maria, 2017. "No money, no honey? Financial versus knowledge and demand constraints on innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 510-521.
    15. Dirk Dohse & Rajeev K. Goel & Michael A. Nelson, 2019. "Female owners versus female managers: Who is better at introducing innovations?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 520-539, April.
    16. Goel, Rajeev K. & Saunoris, James W., 2016. "Institutional path dependence and international research intensity," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 52(PB), pages 851-858.
    17. Cheung Kui-yin & Lin, Ping, 2004. "Spillover effects of FDI on innovation in China: Evidence from the provincial data," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 25-44.
    18. D’Este, Pablo & Iammarino, Simona & Savona, Maria & von Tunzelmann, Nick, 2012. "What hampers innovation? Revealed barriers versus deterring barriers," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 482-488.
    19. Polyxeni Kechagia & Theodore Metaxas, 2018. "Sixty Years Of Fdi Empirical Research: Review, Comparison And Critique," Journal of Developing Areas, Tennessee State University, College of Business, vol. 52(1), pages 169-181, January-M.
    20. Frederique Savignac, 2008. "Impact Of Financial Constraints On Innovation: What Can Be Learned From A Direct Measure?," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(6), pages 553-569.
    21. Rajeev K. Goel, 2018. "Foreign direct investment and entrepreneurship: gender differences across international economic freedom and taxation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 887-897, April.
    22. Ruth Rama, 2008. "Foreign investment innovation: a review of selected policies," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 353-363, August.
    23. Richard R. Nelson, 1991. "Why do firms differ, and how does it matter?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(S2), pages 61-74, December.
    24. Mowery, David & Rosenberg, Nathan, 1993. "The influence of market demand upon innovation: A critical review of some recent empirical studies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 107-108, April.
    25. Galia, Fabrice & Legros, Diego, 2004. "Complementarities between obstacles to innovation: evidence from France," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(8), pages 1185-1199, October.
    26. Dharmapala, Dhammika & Hines Jr., James R., 2009. "Which countries become tax havens?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(9-10), pages 1058-1068, October.
    27. Sara Amoroso & Bettina Müller, 2018. "The short-run effects of knowledge intensive greenfield FDI on new domestic entry," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 815-836, June.
    28. Gabriele Pellegrino, 2018. "Barriers to innovation in young and mature firms," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 181-206, January.
    29. Alex Coad & Gabriele Pellegrino & Maria Savona, 2016. "Barriers to innovation and firm productivity," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 321-334, April.
    30. Hui-lin Lin & Eric S. Lin, 2010. "FDI, Trade, and Product Innovation: Theory and Evidence," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 77(2), pages 434-464, October.
    31. Christian Bjørnskov & Martin Rode, 2020. "Regime types and regime change: A new dataset on democracy, coups, and political institutions," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 531-551, April.
    32. Jones, Charles I, 1995. "R&D-Based Models of Economic Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(4), pages 759-784, August.
    33. Kaufmann, Daniel & Kraay, Aart & Mastruzzi, Massimo, 2010. "The worldwide governance indicators : methodology and analytical issues," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5430, The World Bank.
    34. Arshad M. Khan & V. Manopichetwattana, 1989. "Innovative and Noninnovative Small Firms: Types and Characteristics," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(5), pages 597-606, May.
    35. Alessandra Canepa & Paul Stoneman, 2008. "Financial constraints to innovation in the UK: evidence from CIS2 and CIS3," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 711-730, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Han Long & Gen‐Fu Feng & Qiang Gong & Chun‐Ping Chang, 2023. "ESG performance and green innovation: An investigation based on quantile regression," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 5102-5118, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sandro Montresor & Antonio Vezzani, 2019. "Financial constraints and intangible investments. Do innovative and non-innovative firms differ?," JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation 2019-07, Joint Research Centre.
    2. Zahler, Andrés & Goya, Daniel & Caamaño, Matías, 2022. "The primacy of demand and financial obstacles in hindering innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    3. Sandro Montresor & Antonio Vezzani, 2022. "Financial constraints to investing in intangibles: Do innovative and non-innovative firms differ?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 1-32, February.
    4. Ortiz, Rodrigo & Fernandez, Viviana, 2022. "Business perception of obstacles to innovate: Evidence from Chile with pseudo-panel data analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    5. Pavla Matulova & Petra Maresova & Mohammad Ali Tareq & Kamil Kuča, 2018. "Open Innovation Session as a Tool Supporting Innovativeness in Strategies for High-Tech Companies in the Czech Republic," Economies, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-13, December.
    6. de-Oliveira, Fernando & Rodil-Marzábal, Óscar, 2019. "Structural characteristics and organizational determinants as obstacles to innovation in small developing countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 306-314.
    7. García-Quevedo, José & Segarra-Blasco, Agustí & Teruel, Mercedes, 2018. "Financial constraints and the failure of innovation projects," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 127-140.
    8. Jaureguy, Micaela Vidal & Bianchi, Carlos & Blanchard, Pablo, 2023. "Financial and knowledge barriers to innovation: Complementary and substitution effects on innovative effort," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(7).
    9. Jose García‐Quevedo & Elisenda Jové‐Llopis & Ester Martínez‐Ros, 2020. "Barriers to the circular economy in European small and medium‐sized firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2450-2464, September.
    10. Davide Antonioli & Alberto Marzucchi & Maria Savona, 2017. "Pain shared, pain halved? Cooperation as a coping strategy for innovation barriers," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 841-864, August.
    11. Zahler, Andrés & Goya, Daniel & Caamaño, Matías, 2018. "The Role of Obstacles to Innovation on Innovative Activities: An Empirical Analysis," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 73, Inter-American Development Bank.
    12. Anabela Santos & Michele Cincera, 2022. "Determinants of financing constraints," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1427-1439, March.
    13. García-Quevedo, José & Segarra-Blasco, Agustí & Teruel, Mercedes, 2018. "Financial constraints and the failure of innovation projects," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 127-140.
    14. Gabriele Pellegrino, 2015. "Barriers to innovation: can firm age help lower them?," Working Papers 2015/3, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    15. Gabriele Pellegrino, 2018. "Barriers to innovation in young and mature firms," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 181-206, January.
    16. Dragana Radicic, 2021. "Financial and Non-Financial Barriers to Innovation and the Degree of Radicalness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.
    17. Hölzl, Werner & Janger, Jürgen, 2014. "Distance to the frontier and the perception of innovation barriers across European countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 707-725.
    18. José García-Quevedo & Gabriele Pellegrino & Maria Savona, 2017. "Reviving demand-pull perspectives: The effect of demand uncertainty and stagnancy on R&D strategy," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 41(4), pages 1087-1122.
    19. Jose García-Quevedo & Francisco Mas-Verdú & Gabriele Pellegrino, 2017. "What firms don’t know can hurt them: Overcoming a lack of information on technology," Working Papers 2017/19, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    20. José García-Quevedo & Gabriele Pellegrino & Maria Savona, 2017. "Reviving demand-pull perspectives: The effect of demand uncertainty and stagnancy on R&D strategy," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 41(4), pages 1087-1122.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    FDI; Innovation; Non-innovators; Firm size; Institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:47:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10961-021-09872-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.