We explore the effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth in developing countries, distinguishing between mergers and acquisitions ("M&As") and "greenfield" investment. A simple model captures the key difference between the two types of FDI: unlike greenfield investment, M&As partly...

Expropriation risk has a binding effect on foreign direct investment (FDI). However, state-owned multinational corporations (MNCs) may counter the monopoly power of the host state by leveraging the political influence of their home government. The magnitude of this counter force, we argue, may...

Illicit financial flows (IFFs) constitute a major challenge for development in the Global South, as domestic resource mobilization is imperative for providing crucial public services. While several methods offer to measure the extent of IFFs, each has its benefits and drawbacks. Critically,...

This paper uses micro-data fromtheWorld Bank Investment Climate Surveys 2002-2006 to investigate how foreign ownership and access to external finance affect the likelihood of manufacturers in emerging markets to export and/or import. Applying propensity score matching to control for differences...

In this study, we use a cross-sectionally correlated and timewise autoregressive model and panel data for the period 1966-2000 to investigate human development as a measure of host country absorptive capacity in 30 developed and developing countries. The results suggest that technology diffusion...

It is a widely held belief that foreign direct investment (FDI) has a positive effect on economic growth. We test this hypothesis by performing convergence regressions derived from a model of endogenous technological change. We estimate the rate of growth in per-capita income, relative to the...

This paper investigates the relationship between education and the location of multinational affiliates. It finds that U.S. multinationals seek production locations with high levels of education rather than with uneducated labor. Furthermore, the education effect can be separated from the...