Foreign Direct Investment and Regional Export Performance in China

This paper investigates the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the export performance of China at the provincial level. First, it presents a theoretical discussion of the impact of FDI on foreign trade, and then an empirical study of the impact of FDI on the export performance of regions in Chin. It has been found that the impact of FDI on exports differs across three macro-regions in China. The effect is stronger in the coastal region than in the inland regions. Although FDI shows a positive and significant impact on exports from the central region, its impact on the western region is found to be insignificant.     

Russia's Inward and Outward Foreign Direct Investment: Insights into the Economy

A prominent British economist reviews the recent growth, partner-country composition, and sector composition of foreign direct investment in and out of Russia from a comparative international perspective, based on UNCTAD and Central Bank of Russia data as well as selected case studies. Two hypotheses are tested: that foreign policy significantly affects the host-country pattern of Russia's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and that domestic institutions significantly impact the host-country pattern of Russia's OFDI and the sectoral pattern of its inward foreign direct investment (IFDI). Quantitative evidence of foreign-policy influence could not be found, while domestic institutional influences do appear to be present, most notably in the form of system-escaping OFDI.     

战后日本对中国的直接投资

战后日本对华直接投资开始于1979年,呈现出沿海地区集中、投资目的单一、由制造加工转变为注重销售等特点,同时在其发展中也存在着一些问题。为此,中国应在充分认识日本海外直接投资规律的基础上,进一步开放市场,优化投资环境,增强包括日本投资者在内的外国投资者的投资信心,以便吸引更多的投资满足国有企业改革和西部开发对资金、技术和管理的迫切需要。     

日本对外直接投资与经济空洞化的再认识

日本经济空洞化是一个老议题,中日两国的专家学者对于此议题的各类观点众说纷纭,相应的著作和论述也十分丰富,但是,到目前为止还没有一个相对完整的定论。本文试图在总结前人所得出的结论的基础上,去粗取精、去伪存真、理顺观念,透过现象看本质,以日本经济的整体运行为背景和依据,对于空洞化不再单纯地认为有或者没有以及一概而论地把空洞化定性为善或恶的片面认识,而是一分为二地把空洞化划分为“微观空洞化”和“宏观空洞化”以及“良性空洞化”和“恶性空洞化”,力图把一个真实而客观的日本经济空洞化较为直观地展现在人们面前。     

Foreign Direct Investment and Democratic Development in the Russian Provinces: A Preliminary Analysis

Foreign investment in Russia has consistently lagged behind East European countries throughout the last decade. Although formidable obstacles to attracting foreign investment remain throughout the country, some of Russia's 89 provinces have been more successful than others in creating attractive investment environments. One reason for this varied success may be related to the degree of economic and political elite consensus that exists in some regions. This, in turn, may help in the formulation of incentives to attract foreign investors. However, the political consensus that helps to establish a stable policy environment for foreign investment may well imperil pluralistic political development in the long run. Thus, we must be wary of conflating foreign investor interest with liberal politics and democratic development in Russia's regions.     

Restructuring of the Polish Passenger Car Industry through Foreign Direct Investment

A U.S.-based geographer discusses the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Polish passenger car industry. The paper illustrates the magnitude of enterprise restructuring and changes in a significant economic sector. Using the case study approach, the author focuses on three of the largest foreign-owned passenger car makers in Poland: Fiat Auto Poland, Daewoo-FSO, and Opel Polska. He then considers FDI in the rest of the Polish automobile industry, noting inter alia Poland's proximity to West European markets and the country's low-cost labor. The case studies, based in part on recent interviews, discuss investment policies, enterprise restructuring, production trends, and effects of FDI in the supplier bases of car makers. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: D20, F21, L62. 6 figures, 1 table, 76 references.     

The Location Choice of Foreign Direct Investment Within Turkey: An Empirical Analysis

This paper investigates the location choice of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Turkey over the period 1996–2003. Using FDI data at the provincial level and negative binomial model, the empirical evidence confirms that agglomeration economies and information costs are the most important determinants of FDI location in Turkey. Specifically, both foreign and domestic agglomerations and in particular urbanization economies strongly affect the location decision of foreign investors. The results also suggest that foreign investors are attracted to provinces with fast growing market, more educated labour force, high density of road network, greater public investment, milder climate, larger area and better quality of life. On the other hand, the empirical findings show that wage, productivity, labour availability, unionization, sea and air transportation, free zones and instability have no significant impacts on the location decision.     

Patterns of Foreign Direct Investment in Mongolia, 1990-2003: A Research Note

This paper delineates the pattern and structure of foreign direct investment (FDI) in a land-locked transition economy, Mongolia, situated strategically between Russia and China. The assessment is based on publications of major international financial institutions, official statistical publications of the Mongolian Government, and a unique dataset of 1,035 FDI firms based on a database compiled by the Mongolian office of the World Bank. A structured analysis of the dataset and government statistical publications makes it possible to ascertain patterns with respect to FDI country origin, sectoral composition, mode of entry, firm capitalization, composition of foreign and local partners, entry date, and location of the investment (core versus periphery). Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E60, F21, P33. 5 figures, 3 tables, 34 references.     

Competitive Advantage in the Irish Indigenous Software Industry and the Role of Inward Foreign Direct Investment

Since the mid-1980s, the software industry has been one of the fastest growing sectors of the Irish economy. This article examines the causes of the degree of success which the Irish indigenous software industry has attained in terms of growth and international competitiveness. In exploring the development of its competitive advantage we examine, in turn, the role of Irish factor conditions, domestic demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and firm strategy, structure and rivalry, in accordance with Porter's (1990) 'diamond' model. In doing this, we pay close attention to the role of foreign-owned transnational corporations (TNCs) in Ireland in influencing the development and competitive advantage of the indigenous software industry. This is a relevant issue in view of the simultaneous rapid development of the indigenous and foreign-owned branches of the industry, and also the strong growth among other, possibly related, TNC-dominated sectors such as computers and telecommunications equipment. This paper shows that the Irish indigenous software industry has had a strong competitive performance. There is no single outstanding reason for this; rather, causes can be found in all four of Porter's suggested determinants of competitive advantage, so that it is the combination of a range of favourable influences that has proved effective. However, the case of the Irish indigenous software industry shows how foreign TNCs can indeed have a significant positive influence on indigenous competitive advantage.     

U.S. and Japanese Foreign Direct Investment in East Asia: A Comparative Analysis

East Asia has led the world in economic growth and export expansion in recent decades. The phenomenal rate of economic growth among the so‐called “four little tigers”—Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan—enabled them to achieve newly industrializing country (NIC) status in the 1980s, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Earlier studies explained the development from the government‐led development paradigm, or the so‐called the statist approach. Scholars also argue that foreign direct investment (FDI) played an important role in the economic development, thanks to technology transfers. Kojima and Ozawa and later Kohama, however, argue that Japanese FDI help East Asian economies while U.S. FDI do not because Japanese technology transfer practices are appropriate for East Asian countries but not the United States'. Thus, we revisit the issue of East Asian economic development and test the economic effects of FDI from the United States and Japan. Using a Barro‐type growth model, we test the effects of FDI from the United States and Japan on economic growth in East Asian NICs. We find that FDI from both the United States and Japan helped economic growth in the “four little tigers,” but not in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.     

厦门特区利用外商直接投资探析

本文分四个阶段回顾了厦门利用外商直接投资推动特区经济发展的历程 ,从投资主体、投资方式、投资领域和投资规模的角度 ,分析了厦门利用外商直接投资的特点并细致考察了厦门利用外商直接投资发展迅猛的动因 ,阐述了利用外商直接投资对特区经济发展起到的推动作用 ,作者针对厦门特区再利用外商直接投资中仍存在的若干亟待解决的问题 ,提出了积极的建议     

The Global Economic Crisis and Foreign Investment in Russia from the EU: Empirical Evidence from Firm-Level Data

This paper empirically examines the impact of the recent global economic crisis on foreign investment from EU countries in Russia by estimating a location choice model for foreign firms' entry in Russian regions for the period 1997-2011. It also examines the relative importance of various determinants of location choice on the redistribution of foreign-owned firms among Russian regions before and after the crisis. Strong evidence during the post-crisis period (2008-2011) of a decrease in market-seeking foreign investment in manufacturing and resource-seeking foreign investment in trade is examined not only in light of the crisis but also (in the latter case) within the context of the new Russian law for foreign investment in strategic industries, which went into effect in 2008.     

投资与青海经济增长

投资作为拉动经济增长的“三驾马车”之一,对国民经济的持续发展具有决定性作用。长期以来,青海经济增长的主要拉动力是消费与投资,研究投资与经济增长的相关问题,探讨投资需求扩张的新途径,对于加快青海经济发展至关重要。     

Market Potential,Productivity and Foreign Direct Investment: Some Evidence from Three Case Studies

This paper aims at analysing the importance of local determinants to foreign direct investment (FDI) in three European regional case studies. The originality of the approach lies in the use of disaggregated data by sector and by region. The results are three-fold. First, regional demand and productivity are fundamental FDI determinants, confirming most studies with national data. Second, regional FDI inflows are more dependent on regional than national determinants. Finally, the effect of market potential measured with absolute gross domestic product (GDP) on regional FDI diminishes linearly with distance and does not when measured with GDP per capita.     

Foreign Direct Investment in a Recent Entrant to the EU: The Case of the Automotive Industry in Romania

A U.S.-based geographer presents the results of a survey of car and parts manufacturers in Romania with a focus on the role of foreign direct investment in the restructuring of the sector. Using a questionnaire and personal interviews, the author investigates and identifies the main factors attracting foreign automakers to Romania, which experienced a difficult transition after the collapse of the country's command economy and the ensuing loss of automotive exports to the neighboring states of CMEA. The paper covers the development of foreign ownership of vehicle assembly and car parts manufacturing plants, as well as the effects of foreign investment on Romania's national and local economies. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: D20, F21, L62. 1 figure, 2 tables, 68 references.     

环球调查:国外教科书里的中国

外国人的中国观是如何形成的?专家说,教育和媒体的影响最为重要。那么,国外历史教科书中怎么写中国?会不会颠覆我们过去所学?对这样的疑问,《环球》杂志记者求诸书本,一是为了解国外教育界灌输给学生的是怎么一个中国,二来也可寻找国外人对中国的各种看法由来的答案。     

Privatization and Foreign Investment in the Utilities Industries of Kazakhstan

An American economist specializing in the natural resource and related industries of Kazakhstan examines the experience in the privatization of that country's power generation, telecommunications, and postal services sectors. A focus is on the involvement of foreign companies in the process, the terms of the management contracts/joint-venture agreements, and the extremely short time frame within which privatization was implemented. Difficulties resulting from the rapid pace of privatization are described: unclear terms of sale, reversals of tender awards and cancellation of agreements, nonpayment by consumers, and uncertainties in the setting of rates. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F21, G34, L90. 1 figure, 1 table, 30 references.