The Nested Variable Model of FDI Spillover Effects: Estimation Using Hungarian Panel Data

A new empirical model is presented that considers the productivity spillover effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) by focusing on the multi-layered structure of industrial classifications. In this model, the market presence of horizontal FDI in a host country is expressed using multiple spillover variables with a nested structure corresponding to the aggregated level of industrial classification. Using large-scale firm-level data from Hungary, we estimated the nested variable model and verified horizontal FDI spillover effects that cannot be captured with the conventional model having a single horizontal variable.