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Governance Infrastructure and Location of Foreign Direct Investment in the People’s Republic of China

Author

Listed:
  • Jia He

    (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))

  • Oliver M. Rui
  • Xiaolei Zha

Abstract

Standard neoclassical theory predicts that capital should flow from rich to poor countries. However, Lucas (1990) points out that these capital flows are actually very modest, and nowhere near the levels predicted by theory. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) now receives more foreign capital in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) than any other country, but statistics indicate that this inward FDI flows unequally to different regions. In this study, using hand-collected data on FDI for more than 200 cities, we examine whether the Lucas paradox of capital exists within the PRC. We adopt the dynamic panel data generalized method of moments (GMM) framework to avoid the potential endogeneity issue. Using both provincial- and city-level data, the empirical results show that FDI flows to the PRC, as proxied by total gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita GDP, favor rich regions over poor regions. We also find that regional economic growth has no significant impact on FDI. These findings support the existence of the Lucas paradox in the PRC. We demonstrate that this paradox is not driven by government policy and explore possible explanations for its existence.

Suggested Citation

  • Jia He & Oliver M. Rui & Xiaolei Zha, 2011. "Governance Infrastructure and Location of Foreign Direct Investment in the People’s Republic of China," Governance Working Papers 23212, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:eab:govern:23212
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    Cited by:

    1. Faisal SHAHZAD,* & Shahnaz A. RAUF** & Attiya Yasmin JAVID***, 2017. "An Investigation of Economic Consequences of Family Control and Audit Quality of Firms: A Case Study of Pakistan," Pakistan Journal of Applied Economics, Applied Economics Research Centre, vol. 27(2), pages 233-248.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Governance infrastructure; the PRC; FDI flows; location;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements

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