Abstract

This paper has explores the interplay between economic freedom, foreign direct investment and economic growth using panel data analysis for a sample of 79 developing countries from 1998 to 2014 by considering the level of economic freedom, as provided by the “Heritage Foundation”. Panel unit root, pedroni residual co-integration test, generalized least square (GLS), feasible GLS (FGLS), pooled OLS, random effect, fixed effect, poisson regression, prais-winsten, generalized method of movement (GMM) and generalized estimating equation (GEE) methods have used to estimates the relationship. According to the OLS and generalized method of movement the coefficient implies that a one standard deviation improvement in business freedom, trade freedom, size, investment freedom, property rights, freedom from corruption, labor freedom, financial freedom, fiscal freedom, monetary freedom increases FDI by 21.4%, 15.6%, 21.6%, 17.5%, 11.55, 9.1%, 6.9%, 8.5%, 7.4%, 10.3% and 56.1%, 45.3%, 58.3%, 51.6%, 33.7%, 39.2%, 47.4%, 41.6%, 32.5%, 38.5% points respectively and  for the economic variable ,the coefficient implies that a one standard deviation improvement in GDPG and GDPPC increases FDI by 24.1%, 17.4% and 30.2%, 33.4% points respectively. By using the other method like random effect, fixed effect, poisson regression, prais-winsten and generalized estimating equation (GEE) method explores that economic freedom in the host country is a positive determinants of FDI inflows in developing countries and also the result suggests that foreign direct investment is positively correlated with the economic growth in the host countries.

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