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Drivers of genuine FDI inflows in advanced economies

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  • Dellis, Konstantinos
  • Sondermann, David
  • Vansteenkiste, Isabel

Abstract

In this paper we empirically investigate the drivers of genuine FDI inflows in advanced economies for the period 1985–2018. Our contribution to the existing literature is two-fold. First, we use newly available data of genuine FDI flows analysing the role of statistical artefacts, such as special purpose entities and financial round-tripping in headline FDI data. Second, we augment the traditional analysis on the drivers of FDI inflows in advanced economies by considering a range of potential factors which are under the policy makers’ control, i.e. measures that proxy for a country's quality of economic structures. Our results show that it is important to get the data right. In particular, more recently, total FDI data became increasingly distorted thus prompting misspecifications if not cleaned beforehand. Moreover, we suggest that there is a significant empirical relation between the quality of a host country's economic structures and FDI inflows. Our findings are robust to various economic specifications.

Suggested Citation

  • Dellis, Konstantinos & Sondermann, David & Vansteenkiste, Isabel, 2022. "Drivers of genuine FDI inflows in advanced economies," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 407-419.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:84:y:2022:i:c:p:407-419
    DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2020.09.004
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Foreign direct investment; Economic structures; Institutions; Advanced economies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

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