The Role of Governance on Outward Foreign Direct Investment in Emerging Market Economies

Abstract

Emerging market economies have clear deficit in governance infrastructure and also have an increasing trend in the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows compared with advanced countries. Hence the main issue of the study is to identify the determinants leading to the increase in FDI outflows with special emphasize given to the role of governance infrastructure. Thus, the aim of the study is to analyze the effect of governance infrastructure together with other control variables on FDI outflows in emerging market economies. It is found that improvement in all measured aspects of governance infrastructure leads to increase in FDI outflows from emerging market economies and governance infrastructure, human capital and physical infrastructure are base factors for MNCs taking outward FDI decision from emerging market economies. It is also found that FDI outflows from emerging market economies are not market or efficiency seeking; instead they are resource, labor or finance seeking.