IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/inteco/v180y2024ics211070172400060x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What a difference an OFDI makes. Firm-level evidence from the EU

Author

Listed:
  • Aktaş, Koray
  • Gattai, Valeria
  • Natale, Piergiovanna

Abstract

Using a large panel of European firms covering the years 2007–2015, this study investigates the effects of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on performance. Controlling for self-selection through propensity score matching techniques at baseline in a two-way fixed effect difference-in-differences framework, we determine that OFDI firms exhibit higher productivity, value-added, sales, and profit compared with non-OFDI firms. Heterogeneity analysis by destination reveals that the highest performance premia accrue to firms that invested in non-European Union (EU) countries, developed economies and technology-advanced hosts. Heterogeneity analysis by ownership structure shows that OFDI established via joint-venture or wholly owned enterprises have similar, positive performance premia. Furthermore, investing abroad entails no reduction in the parent companies’ number of employees. Finally, we document an increase in research and development expenditure for OFDI firms at both intensive and extensive margins, indicating a potential driver of the observed performance premia.

Suggested Citation

  • Aktaş, Koray & Gattai, Valeria & Natale, Piergiovanna, 2024. "What a difference an OFDI makes. Firm-level evidence from the EU," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:inteco:v:180:y:2024:i:c:s211070172400060x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.inteco.2024.100537
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S211070172400060X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.inteco.2024.100537?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alexander Hijzen & Sébastien Jean & Thierry Mayer, 2011. "The effects at home of initiating production abroad: evidence from matched French firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 147(3), pages 457-483, September.
    2. Andrew B. Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen, 1995. "Exporters, Jobs, and Wages in U.S. Manufacturing: 1976-1987," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 26(1995 Micr), pages 67-119.
    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.
    4. Valeria Gattai & Giorgia Sali, 2018. "FDI direction, FDI margin, and heterogeneous firms: evidence from the EU," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 283-307, May.
    5. Marco Caliendo & Reinhard Hujer, 2006. "The microeconometric estimation of treatment effects—An overview," AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis, Springer;German Statistical Society, vol. 90(1), pages 199-215, March.
    6. Joachim Wagner, 2016. "Exports and Productivity: A Survey of the Evidence from Firm Level Data," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Microeconometrics of International Trade, chapter 1, pages 3-41, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    7. Clément de Chaisemartin & Xavier D'Haultfœuille, 2020. "Two-Way Fixed Effects Estimators with Heterogeneous Treatment Effects," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(9), pages 2964-2996, September.
    8. Joachim Wagner, 2016. "Credit Constraints and Exports: A Survey of Empirical Studies Using Firm Level Data," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Microeconometrics of International Trade, chapter 12, pages 401-421, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    9. Grossman, Gene M. & Helpman, Elhanan & Szeidl, Adam, 2006. "Optimal integration strategies for the multinational firm," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 216-238, September.
    10. Joachim Wagner, 2016. "International Trade and Firm Performance: A Survey of Empirical Studies since 2006," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Microeconometrics of International Trade, chapter 2, pages 43-87, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    11. John Van Reenen & Rupert Harrison & Rachel Griffith, 2006. "How Special Is the Special Relationship? Using the Impact of U.S. R&D Spillovers on U.K. Firms as a Test of Technology Sourcing," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1859-1875, December.
    12. Aw, Bee Yan & Lee, Yi, 2008. "Firm heterogeneity and location choice of Taiwanese multinationals," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 167-179, May.
    13. Marc J. Melitz, 2003. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1695-1725, November.
    14. Murakami, Yukako, 2005. "Are multinational enterprises more productive?: A test of the selection hypothesis," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 327-339, April.
    15. Joachim Wagner, 2016. "A survey of empirical studies using transaction level data on exports and imports," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(1), pages 215-225, February.
    16. Samuel Pinto Ribeiro & Stefano Menghinello & Koen De Backer, 2010. "The OECD ORBIS Database: Responding to the Need for Firm-Level Micro-Data in the OECD," OECD Statistics Working Papers 2010/1, OECD Publishing.
    17. Beata Javorcik & Steven Poelhekke, 2017. "Former Foreign Affiliates: Cast Out and Outperformed?," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 501-539.
    18. Alexander Hijzen & Tomohiko Inui & Yasuyuki Todo, 2010. "Does Offshoring Pay? Firm‐Level Evidence From Japan," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 48(4), pages 880-895, October.
    19. Wenjie Chen & Heiwai Tang, 2014. "The Dragon Is Flying West: Micro-level Evidence of Chinese Outward Direct Investment," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 31(2), pages 109-140, September.
    20. Horst Raff & Michael Ryan & Frank Stähler, 2012. "Firm Productivity and the Foreign‐Market Entry Decision," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 849-871, September.
    21. Sofronis K. Clerides & Saul Lach & James R. Tybout, 1998. "Is Learning by Exporting Important? Micro-Dynamic Evidence from Colombia, Mexico, and Morocco," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(3), pages 903-947.
    22. Kazunobu Hayakawa & Tomohiro Machikita & Fukunari Kimura, 2012. "Globalization And Productivity: A Survey Of Firm‐Level Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 332-350, April.
    23. John Baldwin & Wulong Gu, 2009. "The Impact of Trade on Plant Scale, Production-Run Length and Diversification," NBER Chapters, in: Producer Dynamics: New Evidence from Micro Data, pages 557-592, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    24. Castellani, Davide & Montresor, Sandro & Schubert, Torben & Vezzani, Antonio, 2017. "Multinationality, R&D and productivity: Evidence from the top R&D investors worldwide," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 405-416.
    25. Sørensen, Bent E & Kalemli-Özcan, Sebnem & Volosovych, Vadym & Villegas-Sanchez, Carolina & Yesiltas, Sevcan, 2015. "How to construct nationally representative firm level data from the ORBIS global database," CEPR Discussion Papers 10829, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    26. Alessandro Borin & Michele Mancini, 2016. "Foreign direct investment and firm performance: an empirical analysis of Italian firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(4), pages 705-732, November.
    27. Alexandre Gazaniol, 2012. "Learning from international activities? A microeconometric analysis of first-time innovators," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 129, pages 31-61.
    28. Cesare Imbriani & Rosanna Pittiglio & Filippo Reganati, 2011. "Outward Foreign Direct Investment and Domestic Performance: the Italian Manufacturing and Services Sectors," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 39(4), pages 369-381, December.
    29. Giorgio Barba Navaretti & Davide Castellani & Anne-Célia Disdier, 2010. "How does investing in cheap labour countries affect performance at home? Firm-level evidence from France and Italy," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(2), pages 234-260, April.
    30. Guido W. Imbens & Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2009. "Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(1), pages 5-86, March.
    31. David Greenaway & Richard Kneller, 2007. "Firm heterogeneity, exporting and foreign direct investment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(517), pages 134-161, February.
    32. Griffith, Rachel & Lee, Sokbae & Straathof, Bas, 2017. "Recombinant innovation and the boundaries of the firm," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 34-56.
    33. Pierpaolo Parrotta & Dario Pozzoli, 2012. "The effect of learning by hiring on productivity," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 43(1), pages 167-185, March.
    34. Marco Caliendo & Sabine Kopeinig, 2008. "Some Practical Guidance For The Implementation Of Propensity Score Matching," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 31-72, February.
    35. Castellani, Davide & Mariotti, Ilaria & Piscitello, Lucia, 2008. "The impact of outward investments on parent company's employment and skill composition: Evidence from the Italian case," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 81-94, March.
    36. Goodman-Bacon, Andrew, 2021. "Difference-in-differences with variation in treatment timing," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 254-277.
    37. Alexander Hijzen & Sébastien Jean & Thierry Mayer, 2011. "The effects at home of initiating production abroad: evidence from matched French firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 147(3), pages 457-483, September.
    38. repec:cii:cepiei:2012-q1-129-2 is not listed on IDEAS
    39. Charles R. Hulten, 2001. "Total Factor Productivity: A Short Biography," NBER Chapters, in: New Developments in Productivity Analysis, pages 1-54, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    40. Jože P. Damijan & Sašo Polanec & Janez Prašnikar, 2007. "Outward FDI and Productivity: Micro‐evidence from Slovenia," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 135-155, January.
    41. De Loecker, Jan, 2007. "Do exports generate higher productivity? Evidence from Slovenia," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 69-98, September.
    42. repec:dau:papers:123456789/11680 is not listed on IDEAS
    43. Davide Castellani & Fabio Pieri, 2016. "Outward Investments and Productivity: Evidence from European Regions," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(12), pages 1945-1964, December.
    44. Tarlok Singh, 2010. "Does International Trade Cause Economic Growth? A Survey," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(11), pages 1517-1564, November.
    45. Jin Hong & Chongyang Zhou & Yanrui Wu & Ruicheng Wang & Dora Marinova, 2019. "Technology Gap, Reverse Technology Spillover and Domestic Innovation Performance in Outward Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 27(2), pages 1-23, March.
    46. Van Biesebroeck, Johannes, 2005. "Exporting raises productivity in sub-Saharan African manufacturing firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 373-391, December.
    47. James Levinsohn & Amil Petrin, 2003. "Estimating Production Functions Using Inputs to Control for Unobservables," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(2), pages 317-341.
    48. Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Bent Sorensen & Carolina Villegas-Sanchez & Vadym Volosovych & Sevcan Yesiltas, 2015. "How to Construct Nationally Representative Firm Level Data from the Orbis Global Database: New Facts and Aggregate Implications," NBER Working Papers 21558, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    49. Mary Amiti & Shang‐Jin Wei, 2009. "Service Offshoring and Productivity: Evidence from the US," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 203-220, February.
    50. Valeria Gattai & Rajssa Mechelli & Piergiovanna Natale, 2019. "Some twins are not alike: FDI premia in the former Soviet states," International Journal of Emerging Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(3), pages 451-474, March.
    51. Peter N. Gal, 2013. "Measuring Total Factor Productivity at the Firm Level using OECD-ORBIS," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1049, OECD Publishing.
    52. Aw, Bee Yan & Lee, Yi, 2008. "Firm heterogeneity and location choice of Taiwanese multinationals," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 403-415, December.
    53. Edamura, Kazuma & Haneda, Sho & Inui, Tomohiko & Tan, Xiaofei & Todo, Yasuyuki, 2014. "Impact of Chinese cross-border outbound M&As on firm performance: Econometric analysis using firm-level data," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 169-179.
    54. Donatella Baiardi & Valeria Gattai & Piergiovanna Natale, 2021. "Estimating the ex‐ante and the ex‐post effects of Chinese outward FDI," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(12), pages 3641-3673, December.
    55. Amighini, Alessia A. & Rabellotti, Roberta & Sanfilippo, Marco, 2013. "Do Chinese state-owned and private enterprises differ in their internationalization strategies?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 312-325.
    56. Jože Damijan & Črt Kostevc & Matija Rojec, 2017. "Not Every Kind of Outward FDI Increases Parent Firm Performance: The Case of New EU Member States," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(1), pages 74-97, January.
    57. Huang, Youxing & Zhang, Yan, 2017. "How does outward foreign direct investment enhance firm productivity? A heterogeneous empirical analysis from Chinese manufacturing," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 1-15.
    58. Fu, Xiaolan & Hou, Jun & Liu, Xiaohui, 2018. "Unpacking the Relationship between Outward Direct Investment and Innovation Performance: Evidence from Chinese firms," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 111-123.
    59. Donatella Baiardi & Valeria Gattai & Piergiovanna Natale, 2021. "Estimating the Ex-ante and the Ex-post Effects of Chinese Outward FDI," Working Papers 469, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Jun 2021.
    60. Gene M. Grossman & Esteban Rossi-Hansberg, 2008. "Trading Tasks: A Simple Theory of Offshoring," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(5), pages 1978-1997, December.
    61. Walid Hejazi & Jianmin Tang & Weimin Wang, 2021. "Selection, learning, and productivity at the firm level: Evidence from Canadian outward FDI," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(2), pages 306-320, March.
    62. Fukunari Kimura & Kozo Kiyota, 2006. "Exports, FDI, and Productivity: Dynamic Evidence from Japanese Firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 142(4), pages 695-719, December.
    63. Sascha O. Becker & Andrea Ichino, 2002. "Estimation of average treatment effects based on propensity scores," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 2(4), pages 358-377, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Donatella Baiardi & Valeria Gattai & Piergiovanna Natale, 2021. "Estimating the ex‐ante and the ex‐post effects of Chinese outward FDI," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(12), pages 3641-3673, December.
    2. Gattai, Valeria & Natale, Piergiovanna & Rossi, Francesca, 2023. "Board diversity and outward FDI: Evidence from europe," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    3. Valeria Gattai & Giorgia Sali, 2016. "FDI and heterogeneous performance of European enterprises," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 43(1), pages 25-65, March.
    4. Valeria, Gattai & Rajssa, Mechelli & Piergiovanna, Natale, 2016. "FDI and Heterogeneous Firms: Evidence from BRIC Countries," Working Papers 322, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised 18 Jan 2016.
    5. Koray Aktas & Valeria Gattai, 2021. "Inward FDI, outward FDI, and firm-level performance in India," Working Papers 481, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Sep 2021.
    6. Valeria Gattai & Piergiovanna Natale & Francesca Rossi, 2022. "Board Diversity and Outward FDI: Evidence from Europe," Working Papers 491, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Mar 2022.
    7. Valeria Gattai, 2015. "Internationalisation and performance at the firm-level: what we learn from Italy," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(4), pages 475-509, December.
    8. Valeria Gattai, 2015. "Foreign exposure and heterogeneous performance of Italian firms: A survey of the empirical literature (1992-2014)," Working Papers 300, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Apr 2015.
    9. Alessandro Borin & Michele Mancini, 2016. "Foreign direct investment and firm performance: an empirical analysis of Italian firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(4), pages 705-732, November.
    10. Li, Linjie & Liu, Xiaming & Yuan, Dong & Yu, Miaojie, 2017. "Does outward FDI generate higher productivity for emerging economy MNEs? – Micro-level evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 839-854.
    11. Pierluigi Montalbano & Silvia Nenci & Carlo Pietrobelli, 2018. "Opening and linking up: firms, GVCs, and productivity in Latin America," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 917-935, April.
    12. Prajukta Tripathy & Pragyanrani Behera & Bikash Ranjan Mishra, 2023. "Study of linkages between productivity, export, and outward foreign direct investment: An empirical perspective of Indian manufacturing industries," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(2), pages 1527-1548, April.
    13. Miguel Manjón & Juan Máñez & María Rochina-Barrachina & Juan Sanchis-Llopis, 2013. "Reconsidering learning by exporting," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 149(1), pages 5-22, March.
    14. Hayakawa Kazunobu, 2015. "Impacts of FTA Utilization on Firm Performance," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 15(3), pages 1325-1352, July.
    15. Başak Dalgıç & Burcu Fazlıoğlu & Deniz Karaoğlan, 2015. "Entry to foreign markets and productivity: Evidence from a matched sample of Turkish manufacturing firms," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 638-659, August.
    16. Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi, 2008. "Self-Selection and Post-Entry Effects of Exports: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 144(4), pages 660-694, December.
    17. Chia-Hui Huang & Tony Chieh-Tse Hou & Chih-Hai Yang, 2013. "FDI modes and parent firms' productivity in emerging economies:Evidence from Taiwan," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(8), pages 1240-1268, December.
    18. Maggioni Daniela, 2012. "Learning by Exporting in Turkey: An Investigation for Existence and Channels," Global Economy Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 12(2), pages 1-20, June.
    19. Onur A. Koska, 2020. "Sourcing product quality for foreign market entry," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 156(3), pages 669-702, August.
    20. Dilek Demirbas & Ila Patnaik & Ajay Shah, 2013. "Graduating to globalisation: a study of Southern multinationals," Indian Growth and Development Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(2), pages 242-259, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Outward foreign direct investment (OFDI); Foreign direct investment (FDI); European Union (EU); Performance premia; Propensity score matching (PSM); Difference-in-differences (DID);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • O52 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Europe

    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:eee:inteco:v:180:y:2024:i:c:s211070172400060x. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/21107017 .

    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.