This paper shows that value creation by multinational enterprises (MNEs) is the result of activities where geographic distance effects can be overcome. We submit that geographic distance has a relatively low impact on international research and development (R&D) investments, owing to the spiky...

Using data on 5509 foreign subsidiaries established in 50 regions of 8 EU countries over the period 1991-1999, we estimate a mixed logit model of the location choice of multinational firms in Europe. In particular, we focus on the role of EU Cohesion Policy in attracting foreign investors from...

Recent empirical works on the within-sector impact of inward investments on domestic firms' productivity have found rather robust evidence of no (or even negative) effects. We suggest that, among other reasons, a specification error might explain some of these results. A more general...

This paper describes the sectoral patterns of foreign direct investment in France, Italy and Spain, using a novel data set on manufacturing firms for the 1993–97 period. Significant heterogeneities emerge across countries in terms of weight and distribution of foreign presence, and in...

The idea that distance may hinder cross-border economic activities has a long tradition in both international trade and international business studies. And the need to consider distance as a multifaceted concept including both spatial and institutional features has also been increasingly...

The paper focuses on multinational companies' creation of linkages with local firms in the electronics industry. Evidence is drawn from a novel data-set, covering international operations of the top European and US electronics companies, over the 1984-1995 period. Econometric tests are provided...

We use comparable micro level panel data for 14 countries and a set of identically specified empirical models to investigate the relationship between exports and productivity. Our overall results are in line with the big picture that is by now familiar from the literature: Exporters are more...