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Foreign direct investment, regulations and growth in sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Adams, Samuel
  • Opoku, Eric Evans Osei

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth and determines how the regulatory regime of the countries affects the FDI-growth relationship for 22 sub-Saharan African countries for the period 1980–2011. Using General Methods of Moments (GMM) estimation technique, the findings of the study show that both FDI and regulations (total regulations, credit market regulations, business regulations and labor market regulations) do not have an independent significant effect, however, their interaction has a significant positive effect on economic growth. This implies that the growth effect of FDI is stimulated in the presence of effective and quality regulations. Therefore measures have to be put in place to strengthen regulations in sub-Saharan Africa in order to realize the benefits of FDI.

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  • Adams, Samuel & Opoku, Eric Evans Osei, 2015. "Foreign direct investment, regulations and growth in sub-Saharan Africa," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 48-56.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:47:y:2015:i:c:p:48-56
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2015.07.001
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    3. Wani Nelson Waru, 2020. "Impact of Trade Openness and Foreign Direct Investment on Child Labor; Evidence from Sub-Saharan African Countries," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 4(8), pages 127-145.
    4. Ibrahim, Muazu & Sare, Yakubu Awudu, 2018. "Determinants of financial development in Africa: How robust is the interactive effect of trade openness and human capital?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 18-26.
    5. Sunde, Tafirenyika, 2017. "Foreign direct investment, exports and economic growth: ADRL and causality analysis for South Africa," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 434-444.
    6. Adams, Samuel & Klobodu, Edem Kwame Mensah & Opoku, Eric Evans Osei, 2016. "Energy consumption, political regime and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 36-44.
    7. Akisik, Orhan & Gal, Graham & Mangaliso, Mzamo P., 2020. "IFRS, FDI, economic growth and human development: The experience of Anglophone and Francophone African countries," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    8. Ghaith Alzaidy & Mohd Naseem Bin Niaz Ahmad & Zakaria Lacheheb, 2017. "The Impact of Foreign-direct Investment on Economic Growth in Malaysia: The Role of Financial Development," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(3), pages 382-388.
    9. Njangang, Henri & Nawo, Larissa, 2018. "Relevance of governance quality on the effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth: new evidence from African countries," MPRA Paper 90136, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Kis, Katalin, 2017. "A Kelet-afrikai Közösség belső kereskedelmére ható tényezők [Factors determining the intra-regional trade of the East African Community]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(9), pages 943-969.
    11. Boachie, Micheal Kofi, 2015. "Effect of health on economic growth in Ghana:An application of ARDL bounds test to cointegration," MPRA Paper 67201, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Bruno Emmanuel Ongo Nkoa & Jacques Simon Song, 2017. "Analyse des effets de la qualité des institutions sur la volatilité des Investissements Directs Etrangers en Afrique," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 29(4), pages 674-688, December.
    13. Ștefan Cristian Gherghina & Liliana Nicoleta Simionescu & Oana Simona Hudea, 2019. "Exploring Foreign Direct Investment–Economic Growth Nexus—Empirical Evidence from Central and Eastern European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 11(19), pages 1-33, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Foreign direct investment; Regulations; Economic growth; Generalized Method of Moments; Sub-Saharan Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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