An Exploratory Analysis of Joint Ventures' Performance in Romania

This paper gives empirical evidence for the superior performance of foreign direct investment in Romania in the presence of highly labor-intensive production and large market shares. Performance is measured in terms of investment volume and net profits. Partial state-ownership in joint ventures adversely affects performance, while a higher degree of import competition - in contrast to common conviction - favors profits during this stage of reforms. According to the results of a profitability analysis, the optimal size per investment has neither been reached nor even been surpassed yet.