IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/zag/busexc/v13y2019i2p179-201.html

Foreign Direct Investment And Economic Growth: Taking Stock Of The Current State Of Empirical Research

Author

Listed:
  • Darko Horvatin

    (Croatian Pension Investment Company, Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

Taking into account foreign direct investment theory and neoclassical and endogenous theories of economic growth, FDI has been identified as a factor that can influence growth directly through capital accumulation and indirectly through technology transfer. However, empirical findings remain highly diverse. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the current state of empirical research on the impact of FDI on the recipient country’s economic growth, while also considering global FDI inflows from 1970 to the present. The general finding is that there is no unanimous conclusion: the impact ranges from very positive to neutral, or even negative. Ambiguous findings stem from analytical weaknesses, including the way samples are constructed and insufficient differentiation between short-term and long-term effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Darko Horvatin, 2019. "Foreign Direct Investment And Economic Growth: Taking Stock Of The Current State Of Empirical Research," Poslovna izvrsnost-Business Excellence, University of Zagreb Faculty of Economics & Business, vol. 13(2), pages 179-201.
  • Handle: RePEc:zag:busexc:v:13:y:2019:i:2:p:179-201
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/334439
    Download Restriction: None
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Samuel Antwi & Ebenezer Fiifi Emire Atta Mills & Gifty Atta Mills & Xicang Zhao, 2013. "Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Ghana," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 3(1), pages 18-25, January.
    3. Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd & Smeets, Roger & Zwinkels, Remco, 2008. "The impact of horizontal and vertical FDI on host's country economic growth," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 452-472, August.
    4. Lucyna Kornecki & Vedapuri Raghavan, 2011. "Inward FDI Stock and Growth in Central and Eastern Europe," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 1, pages 19-30, February.
    5. 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.
    6. Laura Alfaro & Sebnem Kalemli‐Ozcan & Selin Sayek, 2009. "FDI, Productivity and Financial Development," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 111-135, January.
    7. Brems, Hans, 1970. "A Growth Model of International Direct Investment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 60(3), pages 320-331, June.
    8. Nuno Carlos LEITÃO & Saeed RASEKHI, 2013. "The impact of foreign direct investment on economic growth: the Portuguese experience," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(1(578)), pages 51-62, January.
    9. Aghion, Philippe & Howitt, Peter, 1992. "A Model of Growth through Creative Destruction," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(2), pages 323-351, March.
    10. Helpman, Elhanan, 1992. "Endogenous macroeconomic growth theory," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(2-3), pages 237-267, April.
    11. Gary S. Becker & Kevin M. Murphy & Robert Tamura, 1994. "Human Capital, Fertility, and Economic Growth," NBER Chapters, in: Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, Third Edition, pages 323-350, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Aneta Krstevska & Magdalena Petrovska, 2012. "The economic impacts of the foreign direct investments: panel estimation by sectors on the case of Macedonian economy," Journal of Central Banking Theory and Practice, Central bank of Montenegro, vol. 1(2), pages 55-73.
    13. King, Robert G & Rebelo, Sergio, 1990. "Public Policy and Economic Growth: Developing Neoclassical Implications," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 126-150, October.
    14. Niels Hermes & Robert Lensink, 2003. "Foreign direct investment, financial development and economic growth," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 142-163.
    15. Eldin Mehic & Sabina Silajdzic & Vesna Babic-Hodovic, 2013. "The Impact of FDI on Economic Growth: Some Evidence from Southeast Europe," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(S1), pages 5-20, January.
    16. Abdul Khaliq & Ilan Noy, 2007. "Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Sectoral Data in Indonesia," Working Papers 200726, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Economics.
    17. repec:agr:journl:v:1(578):y:2013:i:1(578):p:51-62 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Piotr MISZTAL, 2010. "Foreign Direct Investments As A Factor For Economic Growth In Romania," Review of Economic and Business Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 5, pages 39-53, June.
    19. Drazen Derado, 2013. "Determinants of FDI in transition countries and estimation of the potential level of Croatian FDI," Financial Theory and Practice, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 37(3), pages 227-258.
    20. Romer, Paul M, 1990. "Endogenous Technological Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 71-102, October.
    21. Onyeagu Augustina Nkechi & Okeiyika Kenechukwu Okezie, 2013. "Investigating the Interaction between Foreign Direct Investment and Human Capital on Growth: Evidence from Nigeria," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 3(9), pages 1134-1151, September.
    22. Dunning, John H, 1973. "The Determinants of International Production," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 25(3), pages 289-336, November.
    23. Onyeagu Augustina Nkechi & Okeiyika Kenechukwu Okezie, 2013. "Investigating the Interaction between Foreign Direct Investment and Human Capital on Growth: Evidence from Nigeria," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 3(9), pages 1134-1151.
    24. Katerina Lyroudi & John Papanastasiou & Athanasios Vamvakidis, 2004. "Foreign Direct Investment And Economic Growth In Transition Economies," South-Eastern Europe Journal of Economics, Association of Economic Universities of South and Eastern Europe and the Black Sea Region, vol. 2(1), pages 97-110.
    25. Miao Wang & M. C. Sunny Wong, 2009. "What Drives Economic Growth? The Case of Cross‐Border M&A and Greenfield FDI Activities," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(2), pages 316-330, April.
    26. John H Dunning, 1980. "Towards an Eclectic Theory of International Production: Some Empirical Tests," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 11(1), pages 9-31, March.
    27. John H Dunning, 1988. "The Eclectic Paradigm of International Production: A Restatement and Some Possible Extensions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(1), pages 1-31, March.
    28. Paula Neto & António Brandão & António Cerqueira, 2008. "The Impact of FDI, Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions and Greenfield Investments on Economic Growth," FEP Working Papers 291, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    29. repec:srs:journl:jasf:v:1:y:2010:i:1:p:71-82 is not listed on IDEAS
    30. Jones, Larry E & Manuelli, Rodolfo E, 1990. "A Convex Model of Equilibrium Growth: Theory and Policy Implications," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 1008-1038, October.
    31. W. Altzinger, 2008. "The Profitability of Austrian Foreign Direct Investment - Reinvestment or Repatriation?," FIW Research Reports series I-010, FIW.
    32. Soltani Hassen & Ochi Anis, 2012. "Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Economic Growth: an approach in terms of cointegration for the case of Tunisia," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 2(4), pages 1-13.
    33. Borensztein, E. & De Gregorio, J. & Lee, J-W., 1998. "How does foreign direct investment affect economic growth?1," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 115-135, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cássio da Silva Brum & Daniel Arruda Coronel & Jose Luis Oreiro, 2026. "Foreign direct investment on high and medium technology intensity exports: Evidence for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (2002–2021)," Working Papers PKWP2613, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).

    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. Jones, Larry E. & Manuelli, Rodolfo E., 1997. "The sources of growth," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 75-114, January.
    2. Maria João Ribeiro, 2003. "Endogenous Growth: Analytical Review of its Generating Mechanisms," NIPE Working Papers 4/2003, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.
    3. Ekaterina Ponomareva & Alexandra Bozhechkova & Alexandr Knobel, 2012. "Factors of Economic Growth," Published Papers 172, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, revised 2013.
    4. Patrick Artus, 1993. "Croissance endogène : revue des modèles et tentatives de synthèse," Revue Économique, Programme National Persée, vol. 44(2), pages 189-228.
    5. Wilhelm, Rainer, 1996. "Endogene Wachstumstheorien und ihre Implikationen für Entwicklungsländer," Discussion Papers in Development Economics 20, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Institute for Development Economics.
    6. Schneider, Johannes & Ziesemer, Thomas, 1994. "What's New and What's Old in New Growth Theory: Endogenous Technology, Microfoundation, and Growth Rate Predictions," MPRA Paper 56132, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Valentinyi, Ákos, 1995. "Endogén növekedéselmélet. Áttekintés [Endogeneous theory of growth: a review]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(6), pages 582-594.
    8. van de Klundert, T.C.M.J. & Smulders, J.A., 1991. "Reconstructing growth theory : A survey," Other publications TiSEM 19355c51-17eb-4d5d-aa66-b, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    9. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:2:y:2002:i:1:p:1-15 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Gene M. Grossman & Elhanan Helpman, 1994. "Endogenous Innovation in the Theory of Growth," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 23-44, Winter.
    11. Capolupo, Rosa, 2009. "The New Growth Theories and Their Empirics after Twenty Years," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy, vol. 3, pages 1-72.
    12. Ilkhom SHARIPOV, 2016. "ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE EU’S EaP COUNTRIES: DETERMINANTS AND PROSPECTS," EURINT, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 3, pages 169-187.
    13. Stephen Turnovsky, 2000. "Growth in an Open Economy: Some Recent Developments," Discussion Papers in Economics at the University of Washington 0015, Department of Economics at the University of Washington.
    14. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pc:p:2943-2984 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Minea, Alexandru, 2008. "The Role of Public Spending in the Growth Theory Evolution," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 5(2), pages 99-120, June.
    16. Zaiter Lahimer, Mahjouba, 2011. "L’impact des entrées de capitaux privés sur la croissance économique dans les pays en développement," Economics Thesis from University Paris Dauphine, Paris Dauphine University, number 123456789/7670 edited by Sterdyniak, Henri.
    17. Ramser, Hans Jürgen, 1992. "Grundlagen der neuen Wachstumstheorie," Discussion Papers, Series I 261, University of Konstanz, Department of Economics.
    18. Aykut Kibritçioglu, 2002. "On the Smithian origins of "new" trade and growth theories," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 2(1), pages 1-15.
    19. Iwasaki, Ichiro & 岩﨑, 一郎 & Tokunaga, Masahiro, 2019. "The Determinants and Macroeconomic Impacts of Foreign Direct Investment in Transition Economies," CEI Working Paper Series 2019-8, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    20. William Darity & Lewis S. Davis, 2005. "Growth, trade and uneven development," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 29(1), pages 141-170, January.
    21. Iamsiraroj, Sasi, 2016. "The foreign direct investment–economic growth nexus," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 116-133.
    22. Czesława Pilarska, 2018. "Efekty zewnętrzne bezpośrednich inwestycji zagranicznych z perspektywy kraju goszczącego," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 4, pages 93-124.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:zag:busexc:v:13:y:2019:i:2:p:179-201. 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: Dario Dunković (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/fefzghr.html .

    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.