IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/esprep/144148.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Economic Freedom and Foreign Direct Investment -- How different are the MENA countries from the EU?

Author

Listed:
  • Caetano, José
  • Caleiro, António

Abstract

The risk perceived by investors is crucial in the decision to invest, in particular when it concerns a foreign country. The investment risk associated is a multi-faceted element given that it reflects many aspects that are relevant to (foreign) investors, such as the level of transparency, corruption, rule of law, governance, etc. In this paper we consider the level of economic freedom, as provided by the "Heritage Foundation", for the most recent years, in order to analyse how is this measure of risk related to the inward foreign direct investment performance index, as provided by the UNCTAD. Given the subjectivity of risk an appropriate methodology consists on using fuzzy logic clustering, which is applied in the paper in order to verify how different the MENA region is from the set of EU-member states. The results show that economic freedom and inward FDI are positively associated, in particular in the cluster of countries that present a higher economic freedom. Of particular interest is the result that some MENA countries belong to the same cluster of most of the EU-countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Caetano, José & Caleiro, António, 2009. "Economic Freedom and Foreign Direct Investment -- How different are the MENA countries from the EU?," EconStor Preprints 144148, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:esprep:144148
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/144148/1/wp_2009_02.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Drabek, Zdenek & Payne, Warren, 2002. "The Impact of Transparency on Foreign Direct Investment," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 17, pages 777-810.
    2. Leonardo Becchetti & Iftekhar Hasan, 2005. "The Effects of (within and with EU) Regional Integration: Impact on Real Effective Exchange Rate Volatility, Institutional Quality and Growth for MENA Countries," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2005-73, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Pierre‐Guillaume Méon & Khalid Sekkat, 2004. "Does the Quality of Institutions Limit the MENA's Integration in the World Economy?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(9), pages 1475-1498, September.
    4. Berggren, Niclas, 2003. "The Benefits of Economic Freedom: A Survey," Ratio Working Papers 4, The Ratio Institute.
    5. Busse, Matthias & Hefeker, Carsten, 2007. "Political risk, institutions and foreign direct investment," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 397-415, June.
    6. Khalid Sekkat & Marie‐Ange Veganzones‐Varoudakis, 2007. "Openness, Investment Climate, and FDI in Developing Countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), pages 607-620, November.
    7. José Manuel Martins Caetano & António Caleiro, 2005. "Corruption and Foreign Direct Investment:What kind of relationship is there?," Economics Working Papers 18_2005, University of Évora, Department of Economics (Portugal).
    8. Daniele, Vittorio & Marani, Ugo, 2006. "Do institutions matter for FDI? A comparative analysis for the MENA countries," MPRA Paper 2426, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. John H Dunning, 1995. "Reappraising the Eclectic Paradigm in an Age of Alliance Capitalism," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 26(3), pages 461-491, September.
    10. Graeff, P. & Mehlkop, G., 2003. "The impact of economic freedom on corruption: different patterns for rich and poor countries," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 605-620, September.
    11. John H Dunning, 1988. "The Eclectic Paradigm of International Production: A Restatement and Some Possible Extensions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(1), pages 1-31, March.
    12. Lee C. Adkins & Ronald L. Moomaw & Andreas Savvides, 2002. "Institutions, Freedom, and Technical Efficiency," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 69(1), pages 92-108, July.
    13. International Monetary Fund, 2004. "Risk Instability and the Pattern of Foreign Direct Investment in the Middle East and North Africa Region," IMF Working Papers 2004/139, International Monetary Fund.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Suborna Barua & Junnatun Naym & Hazera-Tun-Nessa, 2017. "Economic Climate, Infrastructure and FDI: Global Evidence with New Dimensions," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 16(1), pages 31-48, June.
    2. Gheorghe Savoiu & Simina Brostescu, 2017. "Three International Statistical Indicators And Their Factorial Impact On The Modelling Of Foreign Investments In Romania," Romanian Statistical Review Supplement, Romanian Statistical Review, vol. 65(8), pages 174-188, August.
    3. Dimitra Mitsi & Constantina Kottaridi, 2022. "Fiscal and non-fiscal institutional context effects and foreign direct investment: empirical evidence in developing countries," SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, University of Piraeus, vol. 72(1-2), pages 11-33, January-J.
    4. Turan Subasat & Sotiris Bellos, 2011. "Economic Freedom and Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America: A Panel Gravity Model Approach," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 31(3), pages 2053-2065.
    5. Xu, Tao, 2019. "Economic freedom and bilateral direct investment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 172-179.
    6. Adriana Burlea‐Schiopoiu & Simina Brostescu & Liviu Popescu, 2023. "The impact of foreign direct investment on the economic development of emerging countries of the European Union," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(2), pages 2148-2177, April.
    7. Singh Devesh & Gal Zoltán, 2020. "Economic Freedom and its Impact on Foreign Direct Investment: Global Overview," Review of Economic Perspectives, Sciendo, vol. 20(1), pages 73-90, March.
    8. Shihai Wu & Yili Zhang & Jianzhong Yan, 2022. "Comprehensive Assessment of Geopolitical Risk in the Himalayan Region Based on the Grid Scale," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, August.
    9. Grădinaru Cătălin & Toma Sorin-George, 2017. "The Relationship between Doing Business and Economic Freedom around the World in the Period 2014-2016," Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, Ovidius University of Constantza, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 0(1), pages 41-45, June.
    10. Brinda Sooreea-Bheemul & Uzma Shataz Rasool & Rajeev Sooreea, 2020. "Does Economic Freedom Matter to Foreign Direct Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa?," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 10(3), pages 195-207.
    11. Oktay KIZILKAYA & Ahmet AY & Gökhan AKAR, 2016. "Dynamic relationship among foreign direct investments, human capital, economic freedom and economic growth: Evidence from panel cointegration and panel causality analysis," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(3(608), A), pages 127-140, Autumn.
    12. Kottaridi, Constantina & Giakoulas, Dimitris & Manolopoulos, Dimitris, 2019. "Escapism FDI from developed economies: The role of regulatory context and corporate taxation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 36-47.
    13. Alina Taran & Marilena Mironiuc & Maria-Carmen Huian, 2016. "Examining The Influence Of Some Macroeconomic Factors On Foreign Direct Investments," Review of Economic and Business Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 18, pages 159-182, December.
    14. Bakari, Sayef & Benzid, Lamia, 2021. "Modeling the Impact of Corruption, Degree of Freedom to Invest and Democracy on Domestic Investment: Evidence from MENA Countries," MPRA Paper 108385, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brahim Elmorchid & Nouira Ridha & Khalid Sekka, 2013. "A Comparative Analysis of the Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in The Arab World and in Asia," Working Papers 811, Economic Research Forum, revised Dec 2013.
    2. Galego Aurora & Caetano José Manuel, 2012. "Institutional and Economic Determinants of FDI: A Comparison between the European Union and the MENA Region," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, August.
    3. Mariem Brahim & Houssem Rachdi, 2014. "Foreign Direct Investment, Institutions and Economic Growth: Evidence from the MENA Region," Journal of Reviews on Global Economics, Lifescience Global, vol. 3, pages 328-339.
    4. Sekkat, Khalid, 2012. "Manufactured Exports and FDI in Southern Mediterranean Countries: Evolution, determinants and prospects," CEPS Papers 6849, Centre for European Policy Studies.
    5. Chali Nondo & Mulugeta S. Kahsai & Yohannes G. Hailu, 2016. "Does institutional quality matter in foreign direct investment?: Evidence from Sub-Saharan African countries," African Journal of Economic and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(1), pages 12-30.
    6. Federico Carril-Caccia & Juliette Milgram-Baleix & Jordi Paniagua, 2019. "Foreign Direct Investment in oil-abundant countries: The role of institutions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-23, April.
    7. Burger, Martijn & Ianchovichina, Elena & Rijkers, Bob, 2013. "Risky business : political instability and greenfield foreign direct investment in the Arab world," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6716, The World Bank.
    8. José Manuel Martins Caetano & António Caleiro, 2005. "Corruption and Foreign Direct Investment:What kind of relationship is there?," Economics Working Papers 18_2005, University of Évora, Department of Economics (Portugal).
    9. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, 2017. "Multilateral Trade Liberalisation and Foreign Direct Investment Inflows," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(1), pages 66-84, February.
    10. Bartels, Frank L. & Napolitano, Francesco & Tissi, Nicola E., 2014. "FDI in Sub-Saharan Africa: A longitudinal perspective on location-specific factors (2003–2010)," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 516-529.
    11. Maxime Delabarre, 2021. "The Economic and Institutional Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03334549, HAL.
    12. Fathi Ali & Norbert Fiess & Ronald MacDonald, 2010. "Do Institutions Matter for Foreign Direct Investment?," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 201-219, April.
    13. Federico Carril-Caccia & Juliette Milgram Baleix & Jordi Paniagua, 2019. "The foreign direct investment-institution nexus in oil-abundant countries," Working Papers 1903, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    14. Maxime Delabarre, 2021. "The Economic and Institutional Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments," Working Papers hal-03334549, HAL.
    15. Rahim M. Quazi, 2014. "Corruption and Foreign Direct Investment in East Asia and South Asia: An Econometric Study," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 4(2), pages 231-242.
    16. Ramírez-Alesón, Marisa & Fleta-Asín, Jorge, 2016. "Is the Importance of Location Factors Different Depending on the Degree of Development of the Country?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 29-43.
    17. Conti, Claudio Ramos & Parente, Ronaldo & de Vasconcelos, Flávio C., 2016. "When distance does not matter: Implications for Latin American multinationals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 1980-1992.
    18. Couttenier, Mathieu & Toubal, Farid, 2017. "Corruption for sales," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 56-66.
    19. Gloria Ge & Hugh Wang, 2013. "The impact of network relationships on internationalization process: An empirical study of Chinese private enterprises," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 30(4), pages 1169-1189, December.
    20. Simplice Asongu & Enowbi Batuo & Vanessa Tchamyou, 2015. "Bundling Governance: Finance versus Institutions in Private Investment Promotion," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 15/051, African Governance and Development Institute..

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic Freedom; European Union; Foreign Direct Investment; Fuzzy Clustering; Institutions; Middle East North Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C49 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Other
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:esprep:144148. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zbwkide.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.