This Paper describes and analyses the evolution of industrial competitiveness in Sweden and Finland in a long-term perspective. One part of the Paper looks at the foundations for industrial take-off in Sweden, with some focus on the development of institutions for the creation and dissemination...

This paper examines two broad issues related to foreign investment by Swedish multinational corporations (MNCs): first, the effects of outward foreign direct investment on domestic investment, exports and employment, and second, the effects on the domestic economy from the increasing division of...

After a review of the literature, we conclude that there is potential for significant ‘spillover effects’ from FDI into host countries. We identify some limitations of this potential, however, to do with the stock of human capital, the interest in local firms of promoting skills transfer and...

This paper examines the effects on technology transfer and spillovers deriving from ownership sharing of foreign multinational affiliates. More specifically, we try to answer two questions, using unpublished Indonesian micro data. First, do establishments with minority and majority ownership...

Sweden is home to a remarkably large number of prosperous multinationals. We argue that this is partly the result of industrial policies that have been biased in favour of large firms, and partly the result of an institutional setting where regulations and controls have facilitated investment...

This paper examines shares of fixed capital formation in GDP and rates of economic growth for more than 100 countries over successive five-year periods between 1965 and 1985 to determine the direction of causality between them. Simple regressions and multiple regressions including several...

This Paper suggests that the use of investment incentives focusing exclusively on foreign firms - although motivated in some cases from a theoretical point of view - is generally not an efficient way to raise national welfare. The main reason is that the strongest theoretical motive for...

This paper examines spillover effects of the activities of multinational firms (MNCs). Such effects are most likely to be found in host countries, where the operations of foreign multinationals may influence local firms in the MNC’s own industry as well as firms in other industries. There is...

Examining detailed data on Swedish MNCs during the period 1986-1994, this paper shows that there are signs of very notable structural changes in the home country operations of these corporations. It also shows that the character of these changes varies according to economic conditions in the...

Growth and structural transformation of the manufacturing sector in developing countries are generally considered to be the result of the expansion of the `modern' (large-scale) sector relative to the `traditional' (small-scale) sector. Examining the sources of labour productivity growth in...