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Foreign Direct Investment, Institutions, and Domestic Investment in Developing Countries: Is there a Crowding-Out Effect?

Author

Listed:
  • Kadoukpè Gildas Magbondé

    (University of Cape Town (UCT))

  • Djiby Racine Thiam

    (University of Cape Town (UCT))

  • Mamadou Abdoulaye Konté

    (Université Gaston Berger (UGB))

Abstract

Despite using a common database for a sample of 46 developing countries to evaluate the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows on domestic investment (DI), two recent articles on the subject (Morrissey and Udomkerdmongkol in World Dev 40(3):437–445. 10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.07.004, 2012 and Farla et al. in World Dev 88:1–9, 2016. 10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.04.008), produced conflicting results. The current paper contributes to the debate by using a larger panel database of 105 developing countries from 2002 to 2018 while controlling for financial development. We make use of the system generalized method of moments (S-GMM). Our findings do not support a crowding-in effect of FDI; instead, we found that FDI crowded out domestic investment. The findings underscore that institutions played no role in the FDI–DI nexus. Furthermore, there is no strong evidence that good institutions promoted investment in developing countries from 2002 to 2018.

Suggested Citation

  • Kadoukpè Gildas Magbondé & Djiby Racine Thiam & Mamadou Abdoulaye Konté, 2025. "Foreign Direct Investment, Institutions, and Domestic Investment in Developing Countries: Is there a Crowding-Out Effect?," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 67(1), pages 221-261, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:compes:v:67:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41294-024-00239-9
    DOI: 10.1057/s41294-024-00239-9
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    FDI; Domestic investment; Institutions; Developing countries; GMM estimators;
    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
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • F30 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - General

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