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Attracting FDI: Are Other Government Policies More Important than Taxation in Attracting FDI?

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This paper attempts to broaden the existing empirical literature on foreign direct investment by incorporating government expenditures (both investment in infrastructure and consumption) as well as tax, classical location factors, institutional factors that may hinder business investment (such as corruption), and agglomeration effects. We investigate the determinants of FDI inflows in two unbalanced panel data sets of 47 countries from 1995-2002 and 37 countries from 1996-2002. We use fixed country and year effects and examine different infrastructure measures. The evidence indicates that lower taxes, lower corruption, and better infrastructure attract FDI. Government consumption expenditures negatively impact FDI inflows. The magnitude of the response of FDI to our investment in infrastructure is similar to that of corruption and taxes in elasticity terms.

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  • Timothy J. Goodspeed & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & Li Zhang, 2006. "Attracting FDI: Are Other Government Policies More Important than Taxation in Attracting FDI?," Economics Working Paper Archive at Hunter College 414, Hunter College Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:htr:hcecon:414
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    1. Miroslav Mateev & Iliya Tsekov, 2014. "Are there any top FDI performers among EU-15 and CEE countries? A comparative panel data analysis," Financial Theory and Practice, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 38(3), pages 337-374.
    2. Diallo Mamadou Saliou Kokouma & Kaning Xu, 2013. "Attracting Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Africa: Determinants and Policies - The Case of Guinea," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 4(4), pages 52-71, October.
    3. A. J. Khadaroo & B. Seetanah, 2010. "Transport infrastructure and foreign direct investment," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 103-123.
    4. Yapatake Kossele Thales Pacific, 2015. "Foreign Direct Investment in Anglophone and Francophone African Countries," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 5(11), pages 337-350, November.
    5. Magdalena RADULESCU & Elena Nolica DRUICA, 2011. "FDIs and investment policy in some European countries after their EU accession. Challenges during the crisis," Romanian Journal of Economics, Institute of National Economy, vol. 33(2(42)), pages 169-183, December.
    6. . OLABISI, Olabode E & LAU, Evan, 2018. "Causality Testing between Trade Openness, Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: Fresh Evidence from Sub-Saharan African Countries," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 71(4), pages 437-464.
    7. Paulo Elicha Tembe & Kangning Xu, 2012. "Attracting Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries: Determinants and Policies-A Comparative Study between Mozambique and China," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 3(4), pages 69-81, October.
    8. Ted Hayduk, 2019. "Leveraging sport mega events for international entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 857-881, September.
    9. Manuel Portugal Ferreira & Helder Costa Carreira & Dan Li & Fernando Ribeiro Serra, 2016. "The Moderating Effect of Home Country Corruption on the Host Country’s Ability to Attract FDI," Brazilian Business Review, Fucape Business School, vol. 13(4), pages 94-117, July.
    10. Cicatiello, Lorenzo & De Simone, Elina & Ercolano, Salvatore & Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio, 2021. "Assessing the impact of fiscal transparency on FDI inflows," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    11. John Anyanwu, 2011. "Working Paper 136 - Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment Inflows to Africa, 1980-2007," Working Paper Series 327, African Development Bank.
    12. Oana Cristina POPOVICI & Adrian Cantemir CĂLIN & Diana IVANA & Sorin DAN, 2021. "FDI Determinants Revisited: Extensive Evidence," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 0(4), pages 103-123, December.
    13. 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.
    14. Christian Bellak & Markus Leibrecht & Jože P. Damijan, 2009. "Infrastructure Endowment and Corporate Income Taxes as Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern European Countries," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 267-290, February.
    15. Godfred William Cantah & Gabriel William Brafu-Insaidoo & Emmanuel Agyapong Wiafe & Abass Adams, 2018. "FDI and Trade Policy Openness in Sub-Saharan Africa," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 44(1), pages 97-116, January.
    16. Yu Fu & Agus Supriyadi & Tao Wang, 2018. "China’s Outward FDI in Indonesia: Spatial Patterns and Determinants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    FDI; Infrastructure; Determinants of FDI; Corruption; Taxes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H - Public Economics
    • O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth

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