IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/snbeco/v5y2025i4d10.1007_s43546-025-00803-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Empirical evidence of the impact of FDI, trade openness, and financial development on domestic investment in Rwanda

Author

Listed:
  • Ulrich Ekouala Makala

    (Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, CRIEG, REGARDS)

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of international trade channels on domestic investment in Rwanda over the study period from 1980 to 2020. The paper first, assesses the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on domestic investment using a bivariate relationship, before investigating the impact of financial development channel and the trade openness channel. The research aims to determine the channel by which the country should focus to optimize the gains from international trade. The study employs the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) as a baseline model and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) as an alternative technique. The empirical findings showed that the FDI improves the level of domestic investment in Rwanda only if the level of FDI is sufficiently important otherwise the effect of FDI on domestic investment will be crowded out. Regarding the financial development channel, a negative relationship is highlighted, While the study concludes that trade openness is the most pertinent channel to drive domestic investment in Rwanda. The originality of this study is double: it helps to know the best channel to crowd in domestic investment in Rwanda as well as the best strategy for Africa to benefit from their natural resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Ulrich Ekouala Makala, 2025. "Empirical evidence of the impact of FDI, trade openness, and financial development on domestic investment in Rwanda," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 1-25, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:snbeco:v:5:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s43546-025-00803-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s43546-025-00803-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43546-025-00803-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43546-025-00803-0?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. Mark Gertler, 1988. "Financial structure and aggregate economic activity: an overview," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, pages 559-596.
    2. de Mello, Luiz R, Jr, 1999. "Foreign Direct Investment-Led Growth: Evidence from Time Series and Panel Data," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 51(1), pages 133-151, January.
    3. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    4. Raghutla CHANDRASHEKAR & T. SAMPATH & Krishna Reddy CHITTEDI, 2018. "Financial development, trade openness and growth in India," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(1(614), S), pages 113-124, Spring.
    5. Ross Levine, 1997. "Financial Development and Economic Growth: Views and Agenda," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 688-726, June.
    6. Awokuse, Titus O., 2007. "Causality between exports, imports, and economic growth: Evidence from transition economies," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 94(3), pages 389-395, March.
    7. Joshua Greene & Delano Villanueva, 1991. "Private Investment in Developing Countries: An Empirical Analysis," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 38(1), pages 33-58, March.
    8. Ann E. Harrison & Margaret S. McMillan, 2022. "Does direct foreign investment affect domestic credit constraints?," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Globalization, Firms, and Workers, chapter 7, pages 153-180, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    9. Hatemi-J, Abdulnasser, 2002. "Export performance and economic growth nexus in Japan: a bootstrap approach," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 25-33, January.
    10. K. A. Al Mamun & H. K. Nath, 2005. "Export-led growth in Bangladesh: a time series analysis," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(6), pages 361-364.
    11. Robert J. Barro, 1991. "Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(2), pages 407-443.
    12. Madsen, Jakob B., 2007. "Technology spillover through trade and TFP convergence: 135 years of evidence for the OECD countries," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 464-480, July.
    13. Fielding, David, 1997. "Adjustment, trade policy and investment slumps: evidence from Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 121-137, February.
    14. Bruce Blonigen, 2005. "A Review of the Empirical Literature on FDI Determinants," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 33(4), pages 383-403, December.
    15. Fielding, David, 1993. "Determinants of Investment in Kenya and Cote d'Ivoire," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 2(3), pages 299-328, December.
    16. Khan, Mohsin S. & Reinhart, Carmen M., 1990. "Private investment and economic growth in developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 19-27, January.
    17. Levine, Ross & Renelt, David, 1992. "A Sensitivity Analysis of Cross-Country Growth Regressions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(4), pages 942-963, September.
    18. Greenwood, Jeremy & Smith, Bruce D., 1997. "Financial markets in development, and the development of financial markets," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 145-181, January.
    19. Rubina Vohra, 2001. "Export and economic growth: Further time series evidence from less-developed countries," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 7(3), pages 345-350, August.
    20. Jordan Shan & Fiona Sun, 1999. "Export-led growth and the US economy: some further testing," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(3), pages 169-172.
    21. Sumei Tang & E. A. Selvanathan & S. Selvanathan, 2008. "Foreign Direct Investment, Domestic Investment and Economic Growth in China: A Time Series Analysis," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(10), pages 1292-1309, October.
    22. Ekouala Makala Ulrich & Nyinawumuntu Esperance & Khalil Nait Bouzid, 2022. "Investigating the Impact of Financial Development Channel on Domestic Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa," Post-Print hal-04020448, HAL.
    23. Pagano, Marco, 1993. "Financial markets and growth: An overview," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(2-3), pages 613-622, April.
    24. Robert Grosse & Len J Trevino, 1996. "Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: An Analysis by Country of Origin," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(1), pages 139-155, March.
    25. Jenkins, Carolyn, 1998. "Determinants of Private Investment in Zimbabwe," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 7(1), pages 34-61, March.
    26. Magnus Blomström & Robert E. Lipsey & Mario Zejan, 1996. "Is Fixed Investment the Key to Economic Growth?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 111(1), pages 269-276.
    27. Kormendi, Roger C. & Meguire, Philip G., 1985. "Macroeconomic determinants of growth: Cross-country evidence," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 141-163, September.
    28. Titus Awokuse, 2006. "Export-led growth and the Japanese economy: evidence from VAR and directed acyclic graphs," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(5), pages 593-602.
    29. EKOUALA MAKALA Ulrich & NYINAWUMUNTU Esperance & Khalil Nait Bouzid, 2022. "Investigating the Impact of Financial Development Channel on Domestic Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Social Science Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(2), pages 195-195, December.
    30. Léonce Ndikumana, 2003. "Capital Flows, Capital Account Regimes, and Foreign Exchange Rate Regimes in Africa," Working Papers wp55, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    31. G. Rod Erfani, 1999. "Exports and economic growth in developing countries," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 5(1), pages 147-148, February.
    32. Ozturk, I., 2007. "Foreign Direct Investment – Growht Nexus: A Review of The Recent Literature," International Journal of Applied Econometrics and Quantitative Studies, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 4(2), pages 79-98.
    33. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    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. Ndikumana, Leonce, 2000. "Financial Determinants of Domestic Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Panel Data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 381-400, February.
    2. EKOUALA MAKALA Ulrich & NYINAWUMUNTU Esperance & Khalil Nait Bouzid, 2022. "Investigating the Impact of Financial Development Channel on Domestic Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Social Science Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(2), pages 195-195, December.
    3. Carton, Christine & Ronquillo, Cely, 2008. "Determinantes del crecimiento económico e intermediación bancaria: un análisis empírico para países latinoamericanos [Determinants of economic growth and bank intermediation: empirical analysis for," MPRA Paper 15514, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 25 Nov 2008.
    4. Stefania Villa, 2005. "Determinants of growth in Italy. A time series analysis," Quaderni DSEMS 24-2005, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Matematiche e Statistiche, Universita' di Foggia.
    5. Paul Auerbach & Jalal Uddin Siddiki, 2004. "Financial Liberalisation and Economic Development: An Assessment," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 231-265, July.
    6. Durlauf, Steven N. & Quah, Danny T., 1999. "The new empirics of economic growth," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & M. Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 4, pages 235-308, Elsevier.
    7. Siddiki, Jalal Uddin & Auerbach, Paul, 2000. "Economic development, finance and liberalisation: a survey and some unresolved issues," Economics Discussion Papers 2000-6, School of Economics, Kingston University London.
    8. Bouton, L. & Sumlinski, M.A., 2000. "Trends in Private Investment in Developing Countries. Statistics for 1970-1998," Papers 41, World Bank - International Finance Corporation.
    9. Javier Andrés & Ignacio Hernando & J. David López-Salido, 1999. "Assessing the benefits of price stability: The international experience," Estudios Económicos, Banco de España, number 69.
    10. Awolusi D. Olawumi, 2019. "Human Capital Development and Economic Growth in BRICS Countries: Controlling for Country Differences," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 11(4), pages 1-17.
    11. Gibogwe, Vincent & Nigo, Ayine & Kufuor, Karen, 2022. "Institutional Quality And Economic Growth In Tanzania," MPRA Paper 115400, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Sajawal Khan & Muhammad Arshad Khan, 2007. "What Determines Private Investment? The Case of Pakistan," Finance Working Papers 22202, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    13. Gibogwe, Vincent & Nigo, Ayine R.S. & Kufuor, Karen, 2022. "Institutional Quality and Economic Growth in Tanzania," MPRA Paper 115486, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 28 Nov 2022.
    14. TRABELSI, Mohammed, 2002. "Finance and Growth : Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries, 1960-1990," Cahiers de recherche 2002-13, Universite de Montreal, Departement de sciences economiques.
    15. Kar Muhsin & Peker Osman & Kaplan Muhittin, 2008. "Trade Liberalization, Financial Development and Economic Growth in The Long Term: The Case of Turkey," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 3(2), pages 25-38, November.
    16. Kevin S. Nell & A.P. Thirlwall, 2017. "Why does the productivity of investment vary across countries?," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 70(282), pages 213-245.
    17. Matthew Higgins & Daniel Levy & Andrew T. Young, 2003. "Growth and Convergence across the US: Evidence from County-Level Data," Working Papers 2003-03, Bar-Ilan University, Department of Economics.
    18. Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Mehmet Ugur & Siew Ling Yew, 2017. "Does Government Size Affect Per-Capita Income Growth? A Hierarchical Meta-Regression Analysis," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 93(300), pages 142-171, March.
    19. Rafiou Raphaël Bétila, 2021. "The impact of Ease of Doing Business on economic growth: a dynamic panel analysis for African countries," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(10), pages 1-34, October.
    20. Abo-Zaid Salem M, 2011. "The Trade-Growth Relationship in Israel Revisited: Evidence from Annual Data, 1960-2004," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 6(3), pages 63-93, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    FDI; Trade openness; Financial development; Domestic investment; OLS; GMM;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F11 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Neoclassical Models of Trade
    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade

    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:spr:snbeco:v:5:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s43546-025-00803-0. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.