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Foreign Direct Investment and Spillovers: Gradualism May Be Better

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Author Info
Desmet, Klaus
Rojas, Juan A

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Abstract

The standard argument says that in the presence of positive spillovers foreign direct investment should be promoted and subsidized. In contrast, this Paper claims that the very existence of such spillovers may require temporarily restricting and taxing inward FDI. Our argument in favour of gradual liberalization is based on two stylized features of spillovers: first, technology transfers – and subsequent spillovers – are limited by the economy’s absorptive capacity; and second, spillovers take time to materialize. By letting in capital more gradually, initial investment has the time to create spillovers – and upgrade the economy’s absorptive capacity – before further investment occurs. This allows subsequent capital inflows to benefit from greater technology transfers. As a result, the economy converges to a steady state with a superior technology and a greater capital stock.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 4660.

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Date of creation: Oct 2004
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:4660

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Related research
Keywords: absorptive capacity; big bang; foreign direct investment; gradualism; liberalization; spillovers; transition economies;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General
O30 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - General
P20 - Economic Systems - - Socialist Systems and Transition Economies - - - General

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    Other versions:
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  15. Young, Alwyn, 1991. "Learning by Doing and the Dynamic Effects of International Trade," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 106(2), pages 369-405, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Gorg, Holger & Strobl, Eric, 2001. "Multinational Companies and Productivity Spillovers: A Meta-analysis," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 111(475), pages F723-39, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  18. Laffont, Jean-Jacques & Qian, Yingyi, 1999. "The dynamics of reform and development in China: A political economy perspective," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(4-6), pages 1105-1114, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Richard Harris, 2009. "Spillover and Backward Linkage Effects of FDI: Empirical Evidence for the UK," SERC Discussion Papers 0016, Spatial Economics Research Centre, LSE. [Downloadable!]
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