Exceptionally high FDI inflows into Ireland have been one of the main resources of Irish rapid economic growth, and earned the country a title of “Celtic Tiger”.  The goal of this thesis is to find out the driving sources behind this high inward investment and to examine whether Ireland has truly enjoyed higher amounts of FDI inflows than predicted by the model. This thesis analyzes the determinants of foreign direct investment in Ireland. The determinants being examined are GDP, GDP per capita, infrastructure, labor productivity, education and trade openness. The analyzed period is from 1997 to 2007 and data is collected for 30 OECD member states. With the help of the pooled regression we were able to obtain the following results: GDP, GDP per capita, infrastructure and education have a significant effect on FDI and FDI per capita inflows. However, labor productivity and trade openness turned out to be less significant in attracting FDI to Ireland. Moreover, based on the results, infrastructure had an unexpected negative sign, while the rest of the variables indicated expected positive relation to FDI.

Aborder le thème de l’attractivité des investissements directs étrangers (IDE) relève d’une préoccupation essentielle pour la Tunisie. Depuis les années 1970, les IDE sont devenus un vecteur clef dans la croissance du pays, en témoignent les différentes mesures législatives et réglementaires qui ont été prises afin de préparer un cadre attractif pour les investisseurs. Cependant, au regard des efforts consentis et des avantages accordés, les résultats sont plutôt décevants et restent loin des attentes. Dés lors, il est intéressant d’étudier les déterminants des IDE en Tunisie et leurs effets sur l’économie locale en particulier sur la croissance économique. A cette fin le capital humain est mis au cœur du mécanisme en analysant son impact sur la croissance et la manière dont il interagit avec les flux d’IDE. C’est autour de cette thématique que notre thèse est axée. L’analyse statistique et économétrique menée au cours de ce travail montre que durant les deux dernières décennies, les IDE en Tunisie s’expliquent par la réalisation des projets ponctuels de prospections pétrolières et des opérations de privatisation de grandes entreprises publiques. Ce sont principalement les secteurs rentiers (hydrocarbures) et les opérations non reconductibles de privatisation qui ont attiré le plus d’IDE, alors que les IDE manufacturiers restent toujours polarisés par le textile et l’habillement. Il apparaît aussi, que l’IDE, hors énergie et privatisations, est faible. De plus, ces opérations n’ont pas déclenché une dynamique d’entrée d’IDE dans ces secteurs. Pour conclure, les résultats attestent clairement de l’effet peu significatif de l’évolution des flux d’IDE et des taux de scolarisation (capital humain) sur la croissance économique en Tunisie. Il ressort aussi que les IDE pris isolément affectent positivement la croissance mais sans crée autant des externalités positives (effets spillovers). / Addressing the issue of the attractiveness of foreign direct investment is a major concern for countries like Tunisia. Since the 1970s, the attractiveness of FDI became a key variable in the country’s economic growth, as shown by the adoption of different legislative and regulatory measures meant to create a favorable environment for investors. However, given the amount of efforts invested and benefits granted, the results come across as being pretty disappointing and all remain far from the goals and hopes initially raised. In this context, it is interesting to study the FDI determinants in Tunisia and their impact on the local economy especially in terms of national growth. To this end, we will focus on the important role played by the human capital, its effects on growth and the way it interacts with the flows of FDI. The core of the thesis will indeed revolve around this theme. The statistical and econometric analysis undertaken in the dissertation will show that for the past two decades, FDI in Tunisia have been the result of a few oil exploration projects and privatization of big public companies. It is mainly the annuitant sector (hydrocarbon) and the non-renewable privatization projects that have attracted the most FDI, whereas industrial FDI remain polarized by the textile-Apparel industries. It also appears that, privatizations and energy sector set aside, FDI remain weak. Not only that, these operations have not triggered a dynamic input on FDI for these sectors. In conclusion, the results clearly prove that progress in FDI and school enrollment ratio (human capital) in Tunisia has had little effect on the Tunisian economic growth. It also has been brought to our attention that, taken alone, FDI have a positive impact on growth; however they fail to create spillover effects.

One of the most visible signs of the globalization of the world economy is the increase of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows across countries. This past decade the trend of FDI has shifted from developed countries to emerging economies, which is most notably in the BRICS countries. However, as BRICS reputation has been damaged these past years due to its weak growth outlook in the early 2010s, investors are shifting to the new economic grouping acronym, the MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) countries for better future prospects of FDI destination. Since the MINT countries have emerged as a popular destination of FDI, it is necessary to investigate what are the key factors that make these four countries attractive as FDI destinations. Hence, this paper analyzes what are the determinants of inward FDI into the MINT countries during the time period from 1990 to 2014. To be able to answer the research question and demonstrate the effect of the seven independent variables (market size, economic instability, natural resources availability, infrastructure facilities, trade openness, institutional stability and political stability) on FDI as a dependent variable, the study uses a panel data analysis. The data is based on secondary data, which is collected from the World Bank dataset. The empirical finding from the study illustrates that market size, economic instability, infrastructure facilities, trade openness, institutional stability, and political stability are significant as determinants FDI inflows to the MINT countries, meanwhile, natural resources availability appears to be an insignificant determinant of FDI inflows to the MINT countries.

The global flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Africa have increased steadily in recent years but the research on what determines the location of these investments is scarce. Research focusing on FDI flows from small and open economies such as Sweden is even more uncommon. From the locational factors found in the OLI paradigm we developed a model that was tested on a dataset of 25 African countries over the period of 2007 to 2010. The model proved inadequate in explaining the African inward FDI flows from Sweden. However, it well explains the aggregated inward FDI flows from firms around the world to Africa. Our results implies that the locational determinants derived from the OLI paradigm are inadequate in explaining Swedish FDI flows to Africa and maybe even in explaining flows from a small and open economy to developing countries. The answer to the question of what locational determinants are important for Swedish companies investing in African countries should perhaps be sought for elsewhere.

One of the major factors that affect economic growth is FDI - Forgein Direct Investment. BRICS is a newly formed trade bloc that includes 5 of the largest, most heavily populated, and most emerging economies in the world, their economies share various characteristics, yet they also have various differences. The purpose of the thesis is to find the determinants of FDI in this trade bloc. Those determinants were specifically chosen based on multiple accredited previous literature. In this thesis a panel data regression is performed for these 5 partners with data ranging from 1995 to 2018. The results of the thesis were both predicted and surprising, as two determinants were in accordance with the past literature, however the other two  determinants had other results, both of these variables had opposite signs compared to their predicted signs that were expected from the chosen previous literature. Our research tries to answer the question of how do these determinants affect FDI inflows, in order for countries to make strategies to attract it.

This dissertation is divided into six chapters, as foHows: Chapter 1 of this dissertation discusses the growing significance of FDI for developing countries. It compares FDT in developed and developing countries and analyses recent evidence ofFDI flows to developing countries. Chapter 2 analyses the (endogenous and exogenous) detenninants ofFDI flows into developing countries. Chapter 3 discusses the importance of FDI flows, which are essential for new investments or for financing fortuitous deficits in host countries, and looks at the adjustment mechanisms for the equilibrium of the balance of payments. Chapter 4 gives attention to FDI flows, the liberalisation of financial markets and the financial account of the balance of payments in developing countries in providing more opportunities and mechanisms for development and economic growth. Finally, chapter S examines and compares FDI flows tu South Africa and Angola - the biggest FDI recipients on the African continent. / Economics / MCom (Economics)

This dissertation is divided into six chapters, as foHows: Chapter 1 of this dissertation discusses the growing significance of FDI for developing countries. It compares FDT in developed and developing countries and analyses recent evidence ofFDI flows to developing countries. Chapter 2 analyses the (endogenous and exogenous) detenninants ofFDI flows into developing countries. Chapter 3 discusses the importance of FDI flows, which are essential for new investments or for financing fortuitous deficits in host countries, and looks at the adjustment mechanisms for the equilibrium of the balance of payments. Chapter 4 gives attention to FDI flows, the liberalisation of financial markets and the financial account of the balance of payments in developing countries in providing more opportunities and mechanisms for development and economic growth. Finally, chapter S examines and compares FDI flows tu South Africa and Angola - the biggest FDI recipients on the African continent. / Economics / MCom (Economics)