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Foreign Direct Investment, Absorptive Capacity and Growth in the Arab World

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Author Info
Signe Krogstrup () (IUHEI, The Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva)
Linda Matar () (UN-ESCWA, Beirut)

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Abstract

Arab countries have been performing very poorly in attracting FDI inflows relative to other developing countries since the early 1990s. Arab countries might hence be missing out on growth and development, if FDI is associated with positive externalities. The recent empirical literature on FDI and growth shows, however, that the latter is not always the case, and that FDI is more likely to have positive externalities in countries with a certain level of absorptive capacity for FDI. This paper looks at FDI and growth through absorptive capacity in the Arab world, given the available data on four different aspects of absorptive capacity: the technology gap, the level of workforce education, financial development and institutional quality. The results turn out to be highly sensitive to the specific measure of absorptive capacity used, but one conclusion is unambiguous. It is unlikely that the average Arab country currently stands to gain from FDI. As a consequence, costly financial incentives to attract more FDI might hence be wasteful, if not welfare reducing in Arab countries.

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Paper provided by Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies in its series HEI Working Papers with number 02-2005.

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Length: 22
Date of creation: May 2005
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Handle: RePEc:gii:giihei:heiwp02-2005

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Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment; Growth; Regional Integration; Middle East; Arab Countries;

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References listed on IDEAS
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. Robert J. Barro & Jong-Wha Lee, 2000. "International Data on Educational Attainment Updates and Implications," NBER Working Papers 7911, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Xavier Sala-i-Martin & Sanket Mohapatra, 2002. "Economic growth and investment in the Arab world," Discussion Papers 0203-10, Columbia University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Bruno Van Pottelsberghe De La Potterie & Frank Lichtenberg, 2001. "Does Foreign Direct Investment Transfer Technology Across Borders?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(3), pages 490-497, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Hermes, Niels & Lensink, Robert, 2000. "Foreign direct investment, financial development and economic growth," Research Report 00E27, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management). [Downloadable!]
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  5. Durham, J.B.J. Benson, 2004. "Absorptive capacity and the effects of foreign direct investment and equity foreign portfolio investment on economic growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 285-306, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Li, Xiaoying & Liu, Xiaming, 2005. "Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: An Increasingly Endogenous Relationship," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 393-407, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Borensztein, E. & De Gregorio, J. & Lee, J-W., 1998. "How does foreign direct investment affect economic growth?1," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 115-135, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Beata Smarzynska Javorcik, 2004. "Does Foreign Direct Investment Increase the Productivity of Domestic Firms? In Search of Spillovers Through Backward Linkages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 605-627, June. [Downloadable!]
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  9. Haddad, Mona & Harrison, Ann, 1993. "Are there positive spillovers from direct foreign investment? : Evidence from panel data for Morocco," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 51-74, October. [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. Ledyaeva , Svetlana & Linden, Mikael, 2006. "Foreign direct investment and economic growth: Empirical evidence from Russian regions," BOFIT Discussion Papers 17/2006, Bank of Finland, Institute for Economies in Transition. [Downloadable!]
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