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The effect on foreign direct investment of membership in the European Union

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  • Bruno, Randolph Luca
  • Ferreira Campos, Nauro
  • Estrin, Saul

Abstract

This article explores the impact of EU membership on foreign direct investment (FDI). It analyses empirically how the effects of such deep integration differ from other forms and investigates what drives these effects. Using a structural gravity framework on annual bilateral FDI data for almost every country in the world from 1985 to 2018, we find EU membership leads to about 60 per cent higher FDI investment into the host economy from outside the EU, and around 50 per cent higher intra-EU FDI. Moreover, we find that the effect of EU membership on FDI is larger than from membership of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the European Free Trade Association and the Southern Common Market, and that the single market is the cornerstone of this differential impact.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruno, Randolph Luca & Ferreira Campos, Nauro & Estrin, Saul, 2021. "The effect on foreign direct investment of membership in the European Union," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 107939, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
  • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:107939
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    2. Felbermayr, Gabriel & Gröschl, Jasmin & Heiland, Inga, 2022. "Complex Europe: Quantifying the cost of disintegration," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    3. Alfred A. Haug & Anh T. N. Nguyen & P. Dorian Owen, 2023. "Do the determinants of foreign direct investment have a reverse and symmetric impact on foreign direct divestment?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(2), pages 659-680, February.
    4. Emily Blanchard & Amelia U. Santos-Paulino & Claudia Trentini & Emanuel Milet, . "Implications of rising trade tensions for FDI projects," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    5. Mariam Camarero & Sergi Moliner & Cecilio Tamarit, 2022. "Which are the long-run determinants of US outward FDI? Evidence using large long-memory panels," Working Papers 2022.08, International Network for Economic Research - INFER.
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    7. Mariam Camarero & Sergi Moliner & Cecilio Tamarit, 2022. "A fresh assessment of the euro effect on outward US FDI," Working Papers 2209, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
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    Keywords

    deep economic integration; Foreign direct investment; European Union; structural gravity model; single market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F3 - International Economics - - International Finance
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance

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