Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The primary objective of this study was to examine the broader impact of institutional \nquality on enhancing foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign portfolio investment (FPI) \ninflows in a sample of twelve emerging market economies for the period 2007 to 2017. We \nspecifically sought to answer questions related to the key drivers of FDI and FPI inflows into emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on the role played by institutional quality factors. We further sought to interrogate the long-run and causal relationships between the key variables of FDI, FPI and institutional quality, in respect of the sample of emerging markets. The study employed the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to construct a composite index for institutional quality composed of the six Worldwide Governance Indicators. Various other econometric models were applied, including the dynamic panel data generalised method of moments (GMM) model, the panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model for dynamic heterogeneous panels, and the panel vector error correction model (VECM). The results revealed that FDI in the selected emerging markets was, in the main, attracted by economic growth and institutional quality. Institutional quality, economic rowth and capital account openness were positive determinants of FPI inflows; however, stock market development stood out as the foremost determinant factor. In addition to finding long-run, cointegrating relationships between the key variables, it emerged that there was bi-directional causality between FDI and FPI, as well as between FDI and institutional quality in the long run. Despite the latter findings, the results further suggested that the long-run relationship between the two foreign capital inflows, i.e. FDI and FPI, was more of a substitutability or trade-off nature in our sample of emerging markets. In light of these findings, we recommended that it would be in the best interests of these emerging markets if the responsible policymakers continued to liberalise these economies. Further, it was shown that in order to attract inward international capital flows, financial liberalisation should be coupled with the strengthening of the domestic institutional environment.Strengthening institutions could curtail the persistence of institutional weaknesses and insulate emerging market economies from the adverse effects of volatile capital flows, and in the long-run enhance international capital inflows.
Author: Immaculate Simiso Nxumalo
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3123791745