In this paper an index of financial competitiveness is calculated that corresponds to the market-to-book ratio of inward FDI stocks. For a panel of five advanced economies from 1980 to 2006 it is shown that price competitiveness, stable inflation rates and registered patents have a positive...

This paper empirically analyzes the impact of exchange rate uncertainty, exchange rate movements and expectations on foreign direct investment (FDI). Two competing specifications of exchange rate volatility are examined. The investigation is based on a cross-section time-series data set of U.S....

In a first step, more generally, the concept of institutional arbitrage within the comparative capitalism literature is put to a test: as a result of comparative institutional advantages due to different investment incentives provided by types of institutions, companies relocate activities to...

We show that the imputation of reinvested profits of the subsidiaries of foreign firms as a debit item on a host country's balance of payments account tends to overstate the current account deficit and to make the host country seem more vulnerable to financial crisis. We also show that, because...

In this paper we estimate the effects of transition and political instability in the Eastern European and Balkan transition countries on their FDI inflows. For transition countries unaffected by political instability, FDI inflows in the 1990s were around 20 to 30% of those achieved by European...

The paper uses a comprehensive data set with bilateral direct investment flows and establishes the influence of the de-facto exchange rate regime for FDI flows. We find a strong and significant effect from fixed rates on bilateral FDI flows in developed economies, but no significant effect for...

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can be a valuable tool for development. However, not all forms of FDI are equally beneficial for the host country. The paper analyses the characteristics and determinants of FDI in a typical developing country: Ghana. Moreover, key policy areas are indicated, in...