Financial Crises and Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment Flows

Despite impressive studies on financial crises consequences and foreign capital flows, by large the research done has examined these economic phenomenons separately without addressing their nexus. This paper aims at bridging this gap by examining the impact of financial crises on bilateral foreign direct investment (BFDI). Financial turmoil reshapes the perception and magnitude of BFDI flows in both host and home countries; host countries governments see in FDI a mean for overcoming the sluggish economic situation and hence become eager to stimulate FDI inflows, while for the same reasons home countries governments, and investors become more cautious about their decisions to invest abroad. This paper addresses in particular the impact of financial crises on FDI in both host and home countries. To that end the paper uses a panel data covering the period 1985-2008 on home countries, as presented by the six largest FDI outflow, and 42 host countries. Empirical analysis applies the system GMM estimator to a gravity model of BFDI flows. The key findings in this paper are that financial crises exerts a negative impact on BFDI, a generalized fact that applies to all financial disturbances that took place during the last 23 years. Second the magnitude of the negative shock of financial crises on FDI differs by type and origins causing the financial crises.