Is the Ukrainian economy’s absorptive capacity appropriate to attract foreign direct investment and facilitate economic growth?

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1928-1947
Author(s):  
Svitlana Shevelova ◽  
Svitlana Plaskon

Purpose Despite an increasing volume of literature focussed on foreign direct investment (FDI) in transition economies, there has been little research into FDI in Ukraine. The relationship between the inflows of FDI (IFDI) and absorptive capacity (AC) has been under-researched in the peripheral transition countries like Ukraine. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the appropriateness of the Ukrainian economy’s AC to attract IFDI and facilitate economic growth with a particular focus on AC factors, such as the potential of human resources to absorb innovation and benefit from research and development (R&D) expenditure. Design/methodology/approach This study presents a thoughtful research design: there is an analysis of the AC framework for justification and selection factors that allows a measurement of the potential of Ukraine’s AC to attract and exploit IFDI. The study uses data from 25 regions in Ukraine for the 1996–2015 period. To estimate the effects of IFDI on Ukrainian economic growth, a Cobb–Douglas production function is used. As an appropriate instrumentation technique for dynamic panel data, the Generalised Method of Moments is used to provide unbiased and efficient estimates of the results. The application of the interactive term in this study allows the authors to indicate the existence of complementarities between IFDI and human capital, in particular with higher education, that afford opportunity to absorb new technologies and benefit from IFDI. Findings The resulting model indicates that R&D expenditure benefited very significantly in evolving country’s innovation system due to economic growth. Physical and human capital has not been used effectively in Ukraine to facilitate economic growth and attract IFDI. The number of patents is not significant in all of the regression models. Moreover, IFDI in Ukraine for the 1996–2015 period did not significantly impact on economic growth. However, the AC of human capital, in particular those with a higher education, is relatively relevant to benefit from IFDI. Practical implications The findings have important implications for governmental policy, which should be based on improving the business climate, a strategy for digital development, innovation, migration, institutional and regional policies aimed at the achievement of country’s sustainable economic growth. The government should increase R&D expenditure as an important factor of gross domestic product growth and introduce grants, loans and other financial supports for encouraging students to continue university education. Originality/value The originality and value of this paper is empirical and methodological. The empirical results of this study enable a conclusion about the appropriate level of the country’s absorptive capability required to benefit from IFDI. The paper also contributes to the existing academic debate and proves that despite the well-established theoretical framework for the IFDI–AC economic impact context, a new theorisation is needed to explore the full complexity of the country’s explicit relationship between AC and IFDI. Future research should be focussed on examining not only groups of countries but also distinctly the country’s explicit relationship between AC and IFDI with the particular attention for the under-researched countries: the peripheral transition economies to discover new research niches for theory building. This study presents an original methodological approach with a careful justification of the theoretical framework for hypothesis development, an appropriate sample and an original application of seminal research methods based on the Cobb–Douglas production function. This study proves that the interactive term, which allows indication of the existence of complementarities between IFDI and other variables, is appropriate for measuring AC in countries with smaller amounts of IFDI.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kesuh Jude Thaddeus ◽  
Chi Aloysius Ngong ◽  
Njimukala Moses Nebong ◽  
Akume Daniel Akume ◽  
Jumbo Urie Eleazar ◽  
...  

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine key macroeconomic determinants on Cameroon's economic growth from 1970 to 2018.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from the World Development Indicators and applied on time series data econometric techniques. The auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds model analyzed the data since the variables had different order of integration.FindingsThe results showed long and short runs’ positive and significant connection between economic growth in Cameroon and government expenditure; trade openness, gross capital formation and exchange rate. Human capital development, foreign aid, money supply, inflation and foreign direct investment negatively and significantly affected economic growth in the short and long-runs. Hence, the macroeconomic indicators are not death.Research limitations/implicationsThe present research paper has tried to capture the impact of nine macroeconomic determinants on economic growth such as the government expenditure (LNGOVEXP), human capital development (LNHCD), foreign aids (AID), trade openness (LNTOP), foreign direct investment (LNFDI), gross capital formation (INVEST), broad money (LNM2), official exchange rate (LNEXHRATE) and Inflation (LNINFLA). However, these variables have the tendency to affect each other in a unidirectional or bidirectional manner. Further, the present research paper is unable to capture the impact of other macroeconomic variable due to the unavailability of data.Practical implicationsThe study recommends that Cameroon should use proper planning and strategic policy interventions to achieve higher sustainable economic growth with human capital development, foreign aid, money supply, foreign direct investment and moderate inflation.Social implicationsMacroeconomic indicators, if managed well, increase economic growth.Originality/valueThis paper to the best of the researcher's knowledge presents new background information to both policymakers and researchers on the main macroeconomic determinants using econometric analysis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friday Osemenshan Anetor

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the mediating effect of human capital in foreign direct investment (FDI) and growth nexus and establish the threshold of human capital in 28 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the period 1999–2017. Design/methodology/approach This study used a secondary source of data obtained from the World Development Indicator and used the system generalized method of moments and dynamic panel threshold regression (TR) to analyze the data. Findings This study found that FDI and human capital have no significant impact on the economic growth in SSA. However, when the interactive term of FDI and human capital was introduced in the model, the economic growth effect of FDI became positive and significant, while the coefficient of the interactive term is negative and significant. This presupposes that SSA does not have a sufficient high-quality workforce that can absorb and transform the spillover benefits of FDI into economic growth. As a result, this study applied the TR to determine the minimum level of human capital and established a threshold level at 63.91%. Practical implications It, therefore, becomes pertinent for policymakers in the SSA region to have a human capital policy to build up their absorptive capacities to fully take advantage of FDI. Originality/value The contribution of this study lies in establishing a threshold of human capital at 63.91% for countries in the SSA region.


2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Azam ◽  
Ather Maqsood Ahmed

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to validate the Endogenous Growth Model by examining the impacts of Human Capital (HK) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic growth in ten countries from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Design/methodology/approach – For empirical investigation, a linear regression model based on growth theory and panel data set covering the time-period from 1993 to 2011 are used. Fixed and random effects models are applied. On the basis of the Hausman test, the fixed effects model has been preferred over the random effects model. Findings – The results support the hypothesis of the study by confirming that HK development is critical for economic growth. Similarly, FDI has been found to have a facilitating role in promoting growth in the former Soviet Republics now comprising Central Asian independent economies. This is despite of the fact that there are country-specific differences across CIS. Practical implications – The findings suggest that investment climate in the host countries must be enriched through suitable policies. Improved domestic conditions not only enhance the performance of multinational corporations but also allow host economies to reap greater benefits of FDI inflows. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that investment in both education and health are indispensable. Therefore, improved levels of education and health should be the primary objective running concurrently with other factors in order to stimulate economic growth. Originality/value – The choice of CIS has been made because very little research has been found for the region particularly in the area of economic growth despite strong evidence of commonality in terms of landlocked geographical layout and economic and political structures of these economies. The region has gained importance gradually after independence of these states; and it has started to attract foreign funds in the shape of FDI only recently. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the future prospects pertaining to the importance of FDI and HK on growth performance of these economies and will insistently contribute to the literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amna Zardoub ◽  
Faouzi Sboui

PurposeGlobalization occupies a central research activity and remains an increasingly controversial phenomenon in economics. This phenomenon corresponds to a subject that can be criticized through its impact on national economies. On the other hand, the world economy is evolving in a liberalized environment in which foreign direct investment plays a fundamental role in the economic development of each country. The advent of financial flows – FDI, remittances and official development assistance – can be a key factor in the development of the economy. The subject of this article is to analyses the effect of financial flows on economic growth in developing countries. Empirically, different approaches have been employed. As part of this work, an attempt was made to use a panel data approach. The results indicate ambiguous effects and confirm the results of previous work.Design/methodology/approachThe authors seek to study the effect of foreign direct investment, remittances and official development assistance (ODA) and some control variables i.e. domestic credit, life expectancy, gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), inflation and three institutional factors on economic growth in developing countries by adopting the panel data methodology. Then, the authors will discuss empirical tests to assess the econometric relevance of the model specification before presenting the analysis of the results and their interpretations that lead to economic policy implications. As part of this work, the authors have rolled panel data for developing countries at an annual frequency during the period from 1990 to 2016. In a first stage of empirical analysis, the authors will carry out a technical study of the heterogeneity test of the individual fixed effects of the countries. This kind of analysis makes it possible to identify the problems retained in the specific choice of econometric modeling to be undertaken in the specificities of the panel data.FindingsThe empirical results validate the hypotheses put forward and indicate the evidence of an ambiguous effect of financial flows on economic growth. The empirical findings from this analysis suggest the use of economic-type solutions to resolve some of the shortcomings encountered in terms of unexpected effects. Governments in these countries should improve the business environment by establishing a framework that further encourages domestic and foreign investment.Originality/valueIn this article, the authors adopt the panel data to study the links between financial flows and economic growth. The authors considered four groups of countries by income.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3(J)) ◽  
pp. 101-112
Author(s):  
Kunofiwa Tsaurai

Recent studies which investigated the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in BRICS include Hsin-Hong and Shou-Ronne (2012), Nandi (2012), Jadhav (2012), Darzini and Amirmojahedi (2013), Nischith (2013), Ho et al. (2013), Kaur et al. (2013) and Priya and Archana (2014). The findings from these studies shows lack of consensus and confirm that a list of agreeable determinants of FDI in BRICS countries is still an unsettled matter. This paper was therefore initiated in order to contribute to the debate on the discourse on FDI determinants in BRICS countries.This paper deviates from earlier similar studies in five ways: (1) uses most recent data, (2) is the first to investigate whether a combination of financial development, trade openness, human capital, economic growth and inflation influence FDI in BRICS countries, (3) uses different proxies of the variables that affect FDI, (4) employed both fixed effects and pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) approaches and (5) used a stacked data approach.The results of the study showed that economic growth, trade openness and exchange rate stability positively impacted on FDI, financial development positively influenced FDI under fixed effects, FDI was positively influenced by human capital development using the pooled OLS and inflation negatively affected FDI in line with literature. Taking into account these findings, this study urges BRICS to implement policies that increase financial sector efficiency and economic growth, maintain stable exchange rates, keep inflation rates at lower levels, enhance trade openness and human capital development in order to increase FDI inflows.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1119-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Song ◽  
Qianjiao Xie

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of the green talent dividend on China’s economic growth and regional differences using a theoretical derivation of the Cobb–Douglas production function. Design/methodology/approach This study develops a measurement model with human capital based on Chinese inter-provincial panel data for 2001–2017, and analyzes the influences on economic growth of employees’ education level, per capita material capital, green labor participation rate and green jobs. The study explores the impact of the green talent dividend on regional economic growth for different regions. Findings Employees’ education level, per capita material capital, green labor participation rate and green jobs promote China’s economic growth. The dependency ratio hinders economic growth. The green labor participation rate impacts economic growth more than green jobs do. Furthermore, the scale of green talent in China and its dividend effect are regionally unbalanced. Therefore, to fully release the dividend of green talent, the green labor participation rate should be improved to promote the rational flow of talent among regions. Practical implications These findings shed light on the talent dividend, provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of relevant talent policies, and show that the demographic dividend can be transformed into the green talent dividend, which has practical significance for the sustainable development of China’s economy given its aging population. Originality/value This study provides a macro perspective on the green talent dividend’s impact on economic growth. The Cobb–Douglas production function in this study differs from the traditional micro perspective on green labor.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagadish Prasad Sahu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows leads to surge in economic growth in 52 developing countries for the period 1990-2014. Design/methodology/approach The author used a threshold approach to identify surge incidences in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth rates and FDI inflows (measured as percentage of GDP) for each country included in the sample. Three different criteria are used to identify surge instances. As a preliminary analysis the author used the probit and complementary log–log regression methods to estimate the likelihood of growth surge occurrence. To correct the potential endogeneity problem the author jointly estimated the growth surge and FDI surge equations using the recursive bivariate probit (RBP) regression. Findings The author found that East Asia and the Pacific region has highest rate of growth surge incidences followed by South Asia. The results suggest that surge in FDI inflows significantly increases the likelihood of growth surge. The finding is robust to alternative surge definitions and methods of estimation. Practical implications The analysis reveals that inbound FDI flow is a critical driver of economic growth in developing countries. Large FDI inflows matters for achieving rapid economic growth. Therefore developing countries should adopt favourable policies to attract more FDI. Policymakers should focus on improving the investment climate of the country to boost domestic investment and to attract larger amount of FDI into the economy. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge this is the first study to examine whether surge in FDI inflows stimulates surge in economic growth in developing countries. The analysis reveals that FDI surge is a robust predictor of rapid economic growth in developing countries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 2053-2072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chong-Hoe Kim ◽  
Byung Il Park

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to pinpoint key conduits promoting knowledge spillovers through inward foreign direct investment in the banking sector. Design/methodology/approach The data were obtained by a survey. The survey data were collected from managers of five major local banks in Korea. The survey was conducted during May 10-June 30, 2015 with a total of 581 self-administered responses finally collected at the end (response rate: 60.5 percent). Findings Based on the survey data collected from the survey, the results indicate that knowledge spillovers from foreign to local banks occur in the Korean context. Demonstration effect, worker mobility and absorptive capacity of local banks are found to be effective conduits for knowledge spillovers. In addition, the authors have also found that competitive pressure negatively influences worker mobility leading to knowledge spillovers while two other elements (i.e. demonstration effect and absorptive capacity) positively mediate the relationship between competitive pressure and knowledge spillovers. Practical implications It is essential for the managers of multinational banks vigorously consider placing a strong emphasis on security of internal information and management of own personnel as the knowledge outflow through the demonstration effect and worker mobility is critical. For the managers of local banks, the discoveries suggest that active investment in human resources to maximize knowledge spillovers through the demonstration effect and through absorptive capacity is heightened by building an internal knowledge base. Originality/value The study contributes to the extant literature in the field of international business in two key ways. First, it examines the knowledge spillovers in the banking sector, a regulated industry, in Korea where empirical research is sparse. This paper’s second contribution is the finding of the key conduits of knowledge spillover phenomena by predicting and identifying the elements which affect the magnitude of knowledge flows from foreign to local banks.


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