Absorptive Capacity Effects of Foreign Direct Investment in Selected Asian Economies

This study empirically examines the proposition that the domestic fundamentals of a nation can emerge as absorptive capacity factors to reap the benefits of inward FDI. The study is contextualized in Asia, set from1982 to 2017, and data is grouped into low-income and lower-middle-income economies, in comparison to high-income and upper-middle-income economies, catering to different geographical regions within Asia. The investigation is based on a series of absorptive capacity factors such as infrastructure, human capital, domestic credit, and health indicator. The methodological analysis is premised on dynamic panel structure and employs the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation technique. The empirical findings suggest that that the infrastructure variable appears to be the major absorptive capacity factor for both groups of countries. The health indicator, on the other hand, can help reap the benefits of inward FDI, but only if the threshold level is met. The selected economies must achieve this threshold level to reap the benefits of FDI. To absorb the benefits of inward FDI, countries must be proactive in providing sound infrastructure and implementing proper healthcare measures.