Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of foreign aid on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in selected countries in East Asia and South Asia – two regions that have received huge foreign aid as well as FDI inflows. Theoretically, foreign aid can either facilitate FDI by funding projects that raise the marginal productivity of capital, or crowd out FDI as the number of investment opportunities in developing countries is usually limited. Using the FGLS (Feasible Generalized Least Squares) panel estimation methodology with 1995–2012 panel data from 7 East Asian and 7 South Asian countries, this study finds that the impact of foreign aid on FDI is significantly positive and robust across several model specifications. The estimated results also suggest that FDI is significantly affected by corruption control, rate of return, infrastructure, human capital, market potential, and political stability, and East Asia enjoys a locational advantage in attracting FDI vis-à-vis South Asia. These results further our knowledge of the foreign aid-FDI dynamics in developing countries.

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