• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.41-52
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• 2021

Purpose: The study aims to analyze effects of wage on FDI inflows based on the threshold of institutional quality in 14 developing economies of Southeast and South Asia over the period from 2000-2017. Research design, data, and methodology: The study applies a fixed effect panel threshold regression. As a proxy for the institutional quality, it uses the six components of Worldwide Governance Indicators or a compound index obtained by an average of the six components. The data were taken from World Bank, the Chinn & Ito Database, and UNCTAD. To the best of our knowledge, no researches so far have considered the threshold of institutional quality in estimating the effect of wage on FDI inflows. Results: The composite index and each component of the six indicators of institutional quality except for voice and accountability, and regulatory quality are found to have nonlinear effects on FDI inflows. When the institutional quality is below the threshold, wage affects FDI inflows negatively. When the institutional quality is above the threshold, however, wage does not significantly affect FDI inflows. Conclusions: The effect of wage on FDI inflows varies depending on whether the institutional quality of the target countries is above or below the threshold.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.37-52
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• 2022

Purpose - The objective of this study is to investigate what motivates global FDI inflows in the different economic development level and to clarify the FDI motivation type in the level of qualitative economic growth. Design/methodology/approach - Major macroscopic social·economic factors induced FDI inflows were analyzed using fixed-effect panel regression with 30-year panel data of 28 countries from 1985 to 2014. For analysis in the stage of economic growth, two category of developed and developing countries was used. And to analyze FDI motivation type in the level of qualitative economic growth, 4 shares of GDP; consumption·government·investment expenditure and export, was used as explanatory variable. Findings - In developed country, TFP(total factor productivity) and GDP have a great influence on FDI inflows, and consumption and labor compensation have a slight effect. This result indicates that the market seeking-driven, horizontal type investment is shown along with efficiency seeking investment. In developing country, human capital and TFP is shown to have greater impact on FDI inflows and labor compensation, exports, investment and government expenditures also have impacts. Thus it has confirmed that not only efficiency-seeking vertical investment for using low cost well educated laborer, but also government-driven economic growth and export policies could affect the FDI inflows. Research implications or Originality - The FDI investment decision making of multinational companies is decided by their own purpose. But, in the concept of as follows; 1) FDI is a long-term capital flowing for maximization of economic utility with limited global resource, 2) Thus FDI could be affected by macro socio·economic factors of host country. 3) Also such macro factors is different by each economic growth qualitative level. Therefore macro socio·economic factors of each country could be affected by the qualitative level of their own economic growth. To attract FDI inflows, it is desirable to implement differentiated incentive policies in the qualitative level of economic growth. Furthermore in developing countries it is recommended to implement government driven economic growth policies as follows; fostering well educated human resources, improving technology productivity in the relative lower cost labor market compared to developed countries and boosting international export volume.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.63-80
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• 2020

Purpose - Recent empirical studies have shown that FDI is expected to be strongly associated with democratic governance, political stability, and sound macroeconomic conditions of the host country. We attempt to take it a step further to see if governments implement a major change in institutional characteristics, will the institutional reform toward better governance have a substantive effect in enhancing FDI inflows. This paper thus aims to analyze the importance of good governance as an important factor in the attractiveness of FDI inflows in ASEAN+3 (Korea, China, Japan) countries. Design/methodology - To determine the effects of good governance on FDI inflows across ASEAN+3 countries recorded between 1996-2018, the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) are used to investigate the impact of good governance on FDI inflows. The model has been estimated by using fixed effects to show the robustness of the results. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows: Political Stability, Rule of Law, and Voice and Accountability have a statistically significant impact on the inflow of FDI in the ASEAN+3 Countries, especially for Korean economy. Moreover, GDP growth continue to exert their positive influence. However, Regulatory Quality, Government Effectiveness and Control of Corruption, though equally important, are insignificant to attract FDI inflows. The key finding is that good governance has a significant impact on inward FDI in the ASEAN+3 countries. Originality/value - Existing studies focus on the impact of political factors on FDI across countries. This paper instead attempts to investigate which type of good governance is the most important in promoting FDI inflows across ASEAN+3 countries, which is essential for multinationals to consider when choosing a foreign site as a possible FDI destination.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.31-41
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• 2021

Purpose: This study estimates the threshold values of institutional quality through investigating the non-linear effect of six sub-indices of Worldwide Governance Indicators on FDI inflows in 34 developing countries in Asia and Eastern Europe over the period from 2000-2017. Research Design, data and methodology: GMM EGLS is employed which does not include the lagged value of the dependent variable as an independent variable. As a proxy for the institutional quality, either one of the six sub-indices of WGI from World Bank or the composite index obtained through a principal component analysis is used in a separate model. Results: An improvement in institutional quality, when the quality stays below a certain threshold level, does not increase FDI inflows, and only when the quality is above the threshold, it can positively influence FDI inflows. The threshold values of political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, and rule of law are relatively higher than those of the other dimensions of WGI. Conclusion: Institutional quality of the developing economies of Asia and Eastern Europe has a non-linear effect on FDI inflows. The target countries need to upgrade their institutional quality above the threshold in order to attract more FDIs.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.11
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• pp.325-332
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• 2021

Foreign capital inflows play an essential role in each country's socio-economic growth, particularly for undeveloped and developing countries where capital accumulation is limited in the early stages of development, and Vietnam is no exception. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of foreign capital inflows on economic growth in Vietnam. The empirical method employed secondary time-series data set during the period 1995-2018 to determine the impact of FDI, foreign aid, foreign loans, and exports on economic growth in Vietnam by using a linear approach. For this study, data was collected from the World Bank and relevant agencies in Vietnam. The results show that FDI (net inflows), foreign aid, foreign loans, exports, and GDP (current), have a positive effect at a 1% significance level on economic growth. Rather, an increase in FDI (net inflows), foreign aid, foreign loans, exports has beneficial effects on the Vietnamese economy in the study period. Based on the findings of this study, the article proposes several important policy implications for Vietnam in maintaining a high rate of economic growth via the contribution of FDI inflows, foreign aid, foreign loans, and exports.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.25-43
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• 2022

Purpose - This study is to investigate the direct and moderating effect of intangible variable like economic freedom to facilitating factors on FDI(foreign direct investment) inflows and the difference of facilitating factors by the stage of economic development. Design/methodology/approach - Fixed-effect panel regression analysis with 19-year macro economic data from 2000 to 2019 including economic freedom index from Fraser Institute in 13 developed and 15 developing countries was used. Research implications or Originality - In analysis of direct effect of 5 sectors in economic freedom, the influence of economic freedom was shown weaker than other macro economic factors on FDI inflows, which indicates that actual development of economic factors are more important. The effect of economic freedom on FDI inflows at the stage of economic development differed. In developed countries, human capital, GDP, export, free trade and regulation affected FDI inflows in decreasing order, as did human capital, GDP, consumption expenditure, export, investment expenditure, government expenditure, free trade and sound money in developing countries. In analysis of moderating effect of economic freedom, a domestic and international market size, a flexible labor market which can provide a cheaper good human resources and government expenditures for improving social infrastructure under free economic environment facilitated FDI inflows. However, the statistical significance of moderating effect on export was not shown, which indicates that economic freedom policy itself without actual improvement of exports could not attract FDI inflows.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2021

The study explores the nexus between foreign direct investment (FDI), financial innovation, and exchange rate volatility in selected South Asian countries for 1980 to 2017. The study applies the unit root test, Autoregressive Distributed Lagged, nonlinear ARDL, and causality test following Toda-Yamamoto. Unit root tests ascertain that variables are integrated in a mixed order; few variables are stationary at a level and few after the first difference. Empirical model estimation with ARDL, Long-run cointegration revealed with the tests of FPSS, WPSS, and tBDM by rejecting the null hypothesis of "no cointegration." This finding suggests that, in the long-run financial innovation, FDI inflows, and exchange rate volatility move together. Moreover, study findings established adverse effects running from FDI inflows and financial innovation to exchange rate volatility in the long run. These findings suggest that continual FDI inflows and innovativeness in the financial system assist in lessening the volatility in the foreign exchange market. Furthermore, nonlinear ARDL confirms the presence of asymmetric cointegration in the model. The standard Wald test established asymmetric effects running from FDI inflows and financial innovation to exchange rate volatility, both in the long and short run. Directional causality unveils feedback hypothesis holds for explaining causality between FDI, financial innovation, and exchange rate volatility.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.47-67
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to determine factors of FDI inflows which positively influence economic development. While MNCs ultimately decide on which country to engage in FDI, it can be affected by the general investment environment of host countries. Thus, it may be closely linked to national macro socio-economic factors. In the fixed-effect panel regression analysis using 30 years of data of 13 developed countries and 15 developing countries, results indicate that labor redemption exerts the greatest influence on global FDI inflows; this implies that FDI decisions are based on locations featuring higher productivity by the reduction of labor costs. According to the level of economic development, the motive of FDI inflows differs. In developed countries, GDP, government expenditure and consumer expenditure exert the greatest influence on FDI inflows; which shows characteristics of market seeking and horizontal investment. However, in developing countries, labor redemption and human capital exert the greatest influence on FDI inflows; which shows characteristics of efficiency seeking and vertical investment.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.123-136
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• 2019

This study investigates the facilitating factors of FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows in 15 developing countries of three continents (Asia, Latin America, and Africa) using fixed-effect panel regression analysis with 30-year macro socio-economic data. The facilitating factors of FDI inflows in each continent differed. In Asia, labor compensation, GDP, consumer expenditure, human capital, and export facilitated FDI inflows in decreasing order, as did export, total factor productivity, GDP, and human capital in Latin America, and investment expenditure, human capital, government expenditure, and export in Africa. Most importantly, the character of cost saving efficiency-seeking investment was very strong in Asia. Also, third-party export-oriented investment and economic growth-oriented investment were shown in Latin America and Africa, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.5282-5286
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• 2015

This study is to analyze the effects of the FDI inflows service industry on China's economic growth using panel data from China's service industry for the period 1990-2012. The results of this study show that the FDI inflows into service industry in China is behind a key driving force to develop its economic growth, and that other factors like investment in the fixed assets and investment in human capital and labor make contribution to promoting its economic development. The results suggest that in order to enhance its growth, the government should expend a great deal of effort trying to make a good environment for investment to increase the FDI inflows into China's service industry.