IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cme/wpaper/1403.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Psychic distance and FDI: the case of China

Author

Listed:
  • Katiuscia Vaccarini

    () (University of Macerata)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and to what extent psychic distance (PD) is considered by scholars as specific determinant of inbound and outbound foreign direct investments (FDI) in China. The finding of this study, which is a systematic literature review show that PD as a variable of FDI determinants seems to be under-investigated. The difficulty in quantifying the variable in international business might be one of the reasons. Nevertheless, the literature does raise awareness on distance issues and its multi-dimensions since it first appeared. Besides, the most applicable indexes elaborated by international business scholars are based on Hofstede’s work, whose results are used both in psychology and management studies, pinpointing its interdisciplinary nature. This paper aims to systematize the limited and fragmented literature about non-tangible perceptions of distance between home and host economies this paper contributes in raising awareness . However, as part of a wider European Union project the ultimate results of the paper have not been leaked yet. This study provides useful insights and practical implications for international scholars regarding a more comprehensive review of PD, for managers in terms of raising awareness on PD and of the foreign environment (opportunities and difficulties which they are experiencing in the market context) as well as setting up and strengthening long-term cooperation between Europe and China and finally, policy makers on the issue of trade and investment flows between Europe and China, key barriers which affect companies and which require action at political and institutional level in order to ensure that opportunities are fully exploited.

Suggested Citation

  • Katiuscia Vaccarini, 2014. "Psychic distance and FDI: the case of China," Working Papers 1403, c.MET-05 - Centro Interuniversitario di Economia Applicata alle Politiche per L'industria, lo Sviluppo locale e l'Internazionalizzazione.
    • Handle: RePEc:cme:wpaper:1403
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://193.205.129.80/repec/cme/wpaper/cmetwp_03_2014.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2014
    Download Restriction: no

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James R. Markusen, 1995. "The Boundaries of Multinational Enterprises and the Theory of International Trade," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 169-189, Spring.
    2. Srilata Zaheer & Margaret Spring Schomaker & Lilach Nachum, 2012. "Distance without direction: Restoring credibility to a much-loved construct," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(1), pages 18-27, January.
    3. Tomasz Lenartowicz & Kendall Roth, 1999. "A Framework for Culture Assessment," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 30(4), pages 781-798, December.
    4. Hosseini, Hamid, 2005. "An economic theory of FDI: A behavioral economics and historical approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 528-541, August.
    5. John Dunning, 2001. "The Eclectic (OLI) Paradigm of International Production: Past, Present and Future," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 173-190.
    6. 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.
    7. Shawna O'Grady & Henry W Lane, 1996. "The Psychic Distance Paradox," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(2), pages 309-333, June.
    8. Stoian, Carmen & Filippaios, Fragkiskos, 2008. "Dunning's eclectic paradigm: A holistic, yet context specific framework for analysing the determinants of outward FDI: Evidence from international Greek investments," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 349-367, June.
    9. Ambos, Björn & Håkanson, Lars, 2014. "The Concept of Distance in International Management Research," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 1-7.
    10. Francesca Spigarelli, 2010. "Chinese Investments in Italy: Is the Wave Arriving?," International Journal of Asian Business and Information Management (IJABIM), IGI Global, vol. 1(1), pages 54-76, January.
    11. Bruce Kogut & Harbir Singh, 1988. "The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 411-432, September.
    12. Stephen Guisinger, 2001. "From OLI to OLMA: Incorporating Higher Levels of Environmental and Structural Complexity into the Eclectic Paradigm," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 257-272.
    13. Homin Chen & Tain-Jy Chen, 1998. "Network Linkages and Location Choice in Foreign Direct Investment," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(3), pages 445-467, September.
    14. Chakrabarti, Avik, 2001. "The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment: Sensitivity Analyses of Cross-Country Regressions," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 89-113.
    15. Dunning, John H., 2000. "The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 163-190, April.
    16. Ichiro Iwasaki & Keiko Suganuma, 2005. "Regional Distribution of Foreign Direct Investment in Russia," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 153-172.
    17. Bartels, Frank L. & Napolitano, Francesco & Tissi, Nicola E., 2014. "FDI in Sub-Saharan Africa: A longitudinal perspective on location-specific factors (2003–2010)," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 516-529.
    18. K. C. Fung & Alicia Garcia-Herrero & Hitomi Iizaka & Alan Siu, 2005. "Hard Or Soft? Institutional Reforms And Infrastructure Spending As Determinants Of Foreign Direct Investment In China," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 56(4), pages 408-416.
    19. Cheng, Leonard K. & Kwan, Yum K., 2000. "What are the determinants of the location of foreign direct investment? The Chinese experience," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 379-400, August.
    20. Ping Zheng, 2011. "The determinants of disparities in inward FDI flows to the three macro-regions of China," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 257-270.
    21. Busakorn Chantasasawat & K. C. Fung & Hitomi Iizaka & Alan Siu, 2004. "The Giant Sucking Sound: Is China Diverting Foreign Direct Investment from Other Asian Economies?," Asian Economic Papers, MIT Press, vol. 3(3), pages 122-140.
    22. Simon Zhao & L. Zhang, 2007. "Foreign Direct Investment and the Formation of Global City-Regions in China," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(7), pages 979-994.
    23. Chunlai Chen, 2011. "Foreign Direct Investment in China," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14100, February.
    24. Oded Shenkar, 2001. "Cultural Distance Revisited: Towards a More Rigorous Conceptualization and Measurement of Cultural Differences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(3), pages 519-535, September.
    25. Xing Li & Keqiang Hou & M. W. Luke Chan, 2008. "An Empirical Study of Foreign Direct Investment Location in Eastern China," Chinese Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(6), pages 75-98, November.
    26. Dunning, John H. & Pak, Yong Suhk & Beldona, Sam, 2007. "Foreign ownership strategies of UK and US international franchisors: An exploratory application of Dunning's envelope paradigm," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 531-548, October.
    27. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    28. 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.
    29. Busakorn Chantasasawat & K. C. Fung & Hitomi Iizaka & Alan Siu, 2010. "FDI Flows to Latin America, East and Southeast Asia, and China: Substitutes or Complements?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(s1), pages 533-546, August.
    30. José Villaverde & Adolfo Maza, 2012. "Chinese per Capita Income Distribution, 1992–2007: A Regional Perspective," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 26(4), pages 313-331, December.
    31. John Dunning & Chang-Su Kim & Jyh-Der Lin, 2001. "Incorporating Trade into the Investment Development Path: A Case Study of Korea and Taiwan," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 145-154.
    32. Peter J. Buckley & Adam R. Cross & Sierk A. Horn, 2012. "Japanese foreign direct investment in India: An institutional theory approach," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(5), pages 657-688, November.
    33. Douglass C. North, 2005. "Introduction to Understanding the Process of Economic Change," Introductory Chapters,in: Understanding the Process of Economic Change Princeton University Press.
    34. Forsgren, M., 2002. "The concept of learning in the Uppsala internationalization process model: a critical review," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 257-277, June.
    35. Junjie Hong, 2007. "Firm-specific Effects on Location Decisions of Foreign Direct Investment in China's Logistics Industry," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 673-683.
    36. Idris Jajri, 2009. "Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: Cointegration Techniques," The IUP Journal of Managerial Economics, IUP Publications, vol. 0(3-4), pages 7-18, August-No.
    37. Chien-Hsun Chen, 1996. "Regional determinants of foreign direct investment in mainland China," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 23(2), pages 18-30, May.
    38. Tain-Jy Chen & Homin Chen & Ying-Hua Ku, 2004. "Foreign direct investment and local linkages," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 320-333, July.
    39. Leamer, Edward E, 1974. "The Commodity Composition of International Trade in Manufactures: An Empirical Analysis," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 26(3), pages 350-374, November.
    40. David K Tse & Yigang Pan & Kevin Y Au, 1997. "How MNCs Choose Entry Modes and Form Alliances: The China Experience," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(4), pages 779-805, December.
    41. Zihui Ma & Ruilong Yang & Yin Zhang, 2008. "Australia'S Direct Investment In China: Trends And Determinants," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 27(1), pages 70-86, March.
    42. Cushman, David O, 1985. "Real Exchange Rate Risk, Expectations, and the Level of Direct Investment," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 67(2), pages 297-308, May.
    43. Heiner, Ronald A, 1985. "Origin of Predictable Behavior: Further Modeling and Applications," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 391-396, May.
    44. Marco Sanfilippo, 2010. "Chinese FDI to Africa: What Is the Nexus with Foreign Economic Cooperation?," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 22(S1), pages 599-614.
    45. John Dunning, 1981. "Explaining the international direct investment position of countries: Towards a dynamic or developmental approach," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 117(1), pages 30-64, March.
    46. Lance Eliot Brouthers & Keith D Brouthers & Steve Werner, 1999. "Is Dunning's Eclectic Framework Descriptive Or Normative?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 30(4), pages 831-844, December.
    47. Jiang Xiaojuan & Yang Laike & Yang Laike & Wang Yingxin, 2004. "A Study of the Gradual Shift of Foreign Investment," Chinese Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(5), pages 19-36, September.
    48. Jean-François Hennart & Jorma Larimo, 1998. "The Impact of Culture on the Strategy of Multinational Enterprises: Does National Origin Affect Ownership Decisions?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(3), pages 515-538, September.
    49. John M. Luiz & Meshal Ruplal, 2013. "Foreign Direct Investment, Institutional Voids, and the Internationalization of Mining Companies into Africa," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(4), pages 113-129, July.
    50. Hailin Liao & Xiaohui Liu & Chengang Wang, 2012. "Knowledge spillovers, absorptive capacity and total factor productivity in China’s manufacturing firms," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 533-547, August.
    51. Drogendijk, Rian & Slangen, Arjen, 2006. "Hofstede, Schwartz, or managerial perceptions? The effects of different cultural distance measures on establishment mode choices by multinational enterprises," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 361-380, August.
    52. 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.
    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. Hatzigeorgiou, Andreas & Lodefalk, Magnus, 2018. "Anti-Migration as a Threat to Internationalization? A Review of the Migration- Internationalization Literature," Working Papers 2018:11, Örebro University, School of Business, revised 06 Dec 2018.
    2. Hatzigeorgiou, Andreas & Lodefalk, Magnus, 2017. "Anti-Migration as a Threat to Internationalization?," Ratio Working Papers 302, The Ratio Institute.
    3. Katiuscia Vaccarini & Francesca Spigarelli & Ernesto Tavoletti, 2015. "European Green Tech FDI in China: The Role of Culture," Working Papers 1507, c.MET-05 - Centro Interuniversitario di Economia Applicata alle Politiche per L'industria, lo Sviluppo locale e l'Internazionalizzazione.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    psychic distance; China; FDI; determinants of FDI.;

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:cme:wpaper:1403. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Donato Iacobucci). General contact details of provider: http://edirc.repec.org/data/cmettit.html .

    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 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.

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.