FDI Spillovers, Financial Markets, and Economic Development
Author: Laura Alfaro
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Published: 2003-09-01
Total Pages: 34
ISBN-13: 1451859481
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis paper examines the role financial markets play in the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic development. We model an economy with a continuum of agents indexed by their level of ability. Agents can either work for the foreign company or undertake entrepreneurial activities, which are subject to a fixed cost. Better financial markets allow agents to take advantage of knowledge spillovers from FDI, magnifying the output effects of FDI. Empirically, we show that well-developed financial markets allow significant gains from FDI, while FDI alone plays an ambiguous role in contributing to development.