Evolution of FDI Hosting Economies in the Context of the Rapid Worldwide Diffusion of Robotics Technologies – Analysing the Manufacturing Sector of the V4 Countries

The thesis analyses the impact of new automation tendencies on the Visegrad-Four countries. One of the critical sectors affected is manufacturing, where robotisation is already quite advanced and has relatively long traditions. The Visegrad countries are particularly interesting for research due to their “catching-up” status. Therefore, the analysis explores robotisation's impact on the Visegrad region's manufacturing sector. This potential influence was analysed in four ways: foreign direct investment, technological upgrading, upgrading in global value chains, and employment. A complex methodological framework supported the investigation: the potential effect was scrutinised at macro- and micro-levels. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out by building on field and desk research. My findings are the followings: 1. In terms of foreign direct investment, my point of departure was that leading industrial countries are gaining more economic advantages with the recent technological developments than the less developed ones, like the V4. However, during the research, no evidence was found for the negative impact of robotisation on foreign direct investment in manufacturing. Accordingly, the manufacturing sectors of the V4 countries are still attractive destinations for investments from the major FDI-sending countries. 2. Regarding technological upgrading, I revealed a related development in the Visegrad Four region. The robotisation of the local subsidiaries of large multinational companies is a primary source of this progress. 3. However, technological upgrading does not go hand in hand with upgrading global value chains. I did not observe related evidence in the statistics for the region. The reason behind this is the still dominantly assembly and production-oriented focus of activities in the local subsidiaries of large multinationals. Such activities usually possess a lower added value in global cooperation. 4. Finally, I did not unveil a negative impact of robotisation on employment in the V4. On ...