This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Why doesn’t Capital Flow from Rich to Poor Countries? An Empirical Investigation

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan () (Department of Economics, University of Houston)
Laura Alfaro (Department of Economics, Harvard Business School)
Vadym Volosovych (Department of Economics, University of Houston)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

We examine the empirical role of different explanations for the lack of flows of capital from rich to poor countries - the "Lucas Paradox." The theoretical explanations include differences in fun- damentals across countries and capital market imperfections. We show that during 1970-2000 low institutional quality is the leading explanation. For example, improving Peru's institutional quality to Australia's level, implies a quadrupling of foreign investment. Recent studies em- phasize the role of institutions for achieving higher levels of income, but remain silent on the specific mechanisms. Our results indicate that foreign investment might be a channel through which institutions affect long-run development.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.uh.edu/econpapers/RePEc/hou/wpaper/2003-01.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Department of Economics, University of Houston in its series Working Papers with number 2003-01.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length: 68 pages
Date of creation: Dec 2003
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:hou:wpaper:2003-01

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Houston TX 77023
Web page: http://www.uh.edu/academics/sos/econ/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Rebecca Achee Thornton).

Related research
Keywords: capital inflows fundamentals institutions international capital market imperfections neoclassical model

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
O1 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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)
    Other versions:
  2. Rafael LaPorta & Florencio Lopez de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1997. "Legal Determinants of External Finance," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1788, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
    Other versions:
  3. Maurice Obstfeld & Kenneth Rogoff, 2000. "The Six Major Puzzles in International Macroeconomics: Is There a Common Cause?," NBER Working Papers 7777, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Rene M. Stulz, 2005. "The Limits of Financial Globalization," NBER Working Papers 11070, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff, 2004. "Serial Default and the "Paradox" of Rich to Poor Capital Flows," NBER Working Papers 10296, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why Do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output per Worker than Others?," NBER Working Papers 6564, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Lane, Philip & Milesi-Ferretti, Gian Maria, . "External Wealth of Nations," Instructional Stata datasets for econometrics extwealth, Boston College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Raghuram G. Rajan & Luigi Zingales, 2001. "The Great Reversals: The Politics of Financial Development in the 20th Century," NBER Working Papers 8178, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Rene M. Stulz & Craig Doidge & Andrew Karolyi, 2004. "Why Do Countries Matter So Much for Corporate Governance?," NBER Working Papers 10726, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Beck, Thorsten & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Levine, Ross, 1999. "A new database on financial development and structure," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2146, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  11. King, Robert G & Rebelo, Sergio T, 1993. "Transitional Dynamics and Economic Growth in the Neoclassical Model," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(4), pages 908-31, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Gourinchas, Pierre-Olivier & Jeanne, Olivier, 2003. "The Elusive Gains from International Financial Integration," CEPR Discussion Papers 3902, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. Maurice Obstfeld, 2004. "External Adjustment," NBER Working Papers 10843, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  14. Prescott, Edward C, 1998. "Needed: A Theory of Total Factor Productivity," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 39(3), pages 525-51, August.
    Other versions:
  15. Richard Portes & Helene Rey, 1999. "The Determinants of Cross-Border Equity Flows," NBER Working Papers 7336, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti & Philip R. Lane, 1999. "The External Wealth of Nations - Measures of Foreign Assets and Liabilities for Industrial and Developing Countries," IMF Working Papers 99/115, International Monetary Fund.
    Other versions:
  17. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson, 2003. "Unbundling Institutions," NBER Working Papers 9934, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  18. Gertler, Mark & Rogoff, Kenneth, 1990. "North-South lending and endogenous domestic capital market inefficiencies," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 245-266, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Berkowitz, Daniel & Pistor, Katharina & Richard, Jean-Francois, 2003. "Economic development, legality, and the transplant effect," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 165-195, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  20. Svensson, Lars E.O., 1984. "Factor trade and goods trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(3-4), pages 365-378, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  21. Maurice Obstfeld & Alan M. Taylor, 2002. "Globalization and Capital Markets," NBER Working Papers 8846, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2001. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1369-1401, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  23. Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Laura Alfaro & Selin Sayek & Areendam Chanda, 2002. "FDI and Economic Growth: The Role of Local Financial Markets," Macroeconomics 0212007, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  24. Shang-Jin Wei, 2000. "Corruption, composition of capital flows, and currency crises," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2429, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  25. Markusen, James R., 1983. "Factor movements and commodity trade as complements," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3-4), pages 341-356, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  26. Michael W. Klein, 2003. "Capital Account Openness and the Varieties of Growth Experience," NBER Working Papers 9500, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  27. repec:rus:hseeco:72137 is not listed on IDEAS
  28. Shang-Jin Wei, 2000. "Local Corruption and Global Capital Flows," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 31(2000-2), pages 303-354. [Downloadable!]
  29. Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Bent E. Sorensen & Oved Yosha, 2003. "Risk Sharing and Industrial Specialization: Regional and International Evidence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(3), pages 903-918, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  30. repec:fth:simfra:93-03 is not listed on IDEAS
  31. Aart Kraay & Norman Loayza & Luis Servén & Jaume Ventura, 2005. "Country Portfolios," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 3(4), pages 914-945, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  32. Gomme, P., 1993. "Money and Growth Revisited : Measuring the Costs of Inflation in an Endogenous Growth Model," Discussion Papers dp93-03, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University.
    Other versions:
  33. Michael W. Klein, 2005. "Capital Account Liberalization, Institutional Quality and Economic Growth: Theory and Evidence," NBER Working Papers 11112, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  34. Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Laura Alfaro & Vadym Volosovych, 2003. "Why doesn’t Capital Flow from Rich to Poor Countries? An Empirical Investigation," Working Papers 2003-01, Department of Economics, University of Houston. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  35. North, Douglass C, 1994. "Economic Performance through Time," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(3), pages 359-68, June.
  36. Gordon, Roger H & Bovenberg, A Lans, 1996. "Why Is Capital So Immobile Internationally? Possible Explanations and Implications for Capital Income Taxation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1057-75, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  37. Kevin O'Rourke & Jeffrey Williamson, 2001. "Globalization and History," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262650592, December.
  38. Bockstette, Valerie & Chanda, Areendam & Putterman, Louis, 2002. " States and Markets: The Advantage of an Early Start," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 7(4), pages 347-69, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  39. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1998. "Law and Finance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(6), pages 1113-1155, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  40. North, Douglass C, 1991. "Institutions," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 97-112, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  41. Lucas, Robert E, Jr, 1990. "Why Doesn't Capital Flow from Rich to Poor Countries?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(2), pages 92-96, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  42. Acemoglu, Daron & Johnson, Simon & Robinson, James & Thaicharoen, Yunyong, 2003. "Institutional causes, macroeconomic symptoms: volatility, crises and growth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 49-123, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  43. Peter Blair Henry & Peter Lombard Lorentzen, 2003. "Domestic Capital Market Reform and Access to Global Finance: Making Markets Work," NBER Working Papers 10064, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  44. Joshua D. Coval & Tobias J. Moskowitz, 2001. "The Geography of Investment: Informed Trading and Asset Prices," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 109(4), pages 811-841, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  45. Philip Lane, 2004. "Empirical Perspectives on Long-Term External Debt," Topics in Macroeconomics, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 4(1), pages 1152-1152. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  46. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2002. "Reversal Of Fortune: Geography And Institutions In The Making Of The Modern World Income Distribution," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 117(4), pages 1231-1294, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
Full references

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.)
This item has more than 25 citations. To prevent cluttering this page, these citations are listed on a separate page.
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? RePEc stands for Research Papers in Economics.

This page was last updated on 2008-8-11.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.