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How do firms’ outward FDI strategies relate to their activity at home? Empirical evidence for the UK

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  • Helen Simpson

    (CMPO University of Bristol, IFS and Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation)

Abstract

This paper investigates the structure of firms’ outward FDI and their behaviour at home in both manufacturing and business services sectors. UK multinationals with overseas affiliates in low-wage economies invest simultaneously in a large number of high-wage countries. I find that more productive multinationals operate in a greater number of countries, consistent with their being able to bear the fixed costs of investing in numerous locations abroad. UK manufacturing plants owned by large-scale, low-wage economy outward investors display lower domestic employment growth, in particular in low-skill activities, consistent with low-wage economy labour substituting for low-skill labour in the UK.

Suggested Citation

  • Helen Simpson, 2010. "How do firms’ outward FDI strategies relate to their activity at home? Empirical evidence for the UK," Working Papers 1009, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
    • Handle: RePEc:btx:wpaper:1009
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    2. Becker, Johannes & Riedel, Nadine, 2013. "Multinational firms mitigate tax competition," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 118(2), pages 404-406.
    3. Amendolagine, Vito & De Pascale, Gianluigi & Faccilongo, Nicola, 2021. "International capital mobility and corporate tax revenues: How do controlled foreign company rules and innovation shape this relationship?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    4. Crescenzi, Riccardo & Gagliardi, Luisa & Iammarino, Simona, 2015. "Foreign multinationals and domestic innovation: Intra-industry effects and firm heterogeneity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 596-609.
    5. Bernhard Dachs & Bernd Ebersberger & Steffen Kinkel & Oliver Som, 2015. "The effects of production offshoring on R&D and innovation in the home country," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(1), pages 9-31, March.
    6. Kuusi, Tero & Ali-Yrkkö, Jyrki, 2021. "BITs with a Bite? EU Home Investment Effects of EU-China Bilateral Investment Treaties," ETLA Reports 115, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    7. Jitao Tang & Rosanne Altshuler, 2015. "The spillover effects of outward foreign direct investment on home countries: evidence from the United States," Working Papers 1503, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
    8. Richard Harris & John Moffat, 2013. "The Direct Contribution of FDI to Productivity Growth in Britain, 1997–2008," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(6), pages 713-736, June.
    9. Liao, Hongwei & Yang, Liangping & Dai, Shuanping & Van Assche, Ari, 2021. "Outward FDI, industrial structure upgrading and domestic employment: empirical evidence from the Chinese economy and the belt and road initiative," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    10. Pravakar Sahoo & Ashwani Bishnoi, 2021. "IMPACT OF OUTWARD FDI: Evidence from Emerging Economies for Policy," IEG Working Papers 433, Institute of Economic Growth.
    11. CHUN, Hyunbae & HUR, Jung & SON, Nyeong Seon, 2018. "Hollowing Out or Filling In? Impacts of Multinational Enterprises on Domestic Plant Turnover and Job Growth in Factory Asia," Discussion paper series HIAS-E-71, Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study, Hitotsubashi University.
    12. Hyunbae Chun & Jung Hur & Nyeong Seon Son, 2020. "Hollowing Out or Filling In? The Effects of Multinational Enterprises on Domestic Plant Turnover and Job Growth in Factory Asia," Korean Economic Review, Korean Economic Association, vol. 36, pages 285-317.
    13. Sahoo, Pravakar & Bishnoi, Ashwani, 2021. "Impact of outward foreign direct investment: Evidence from Asia," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 1131-1148.
    14. Andrzej Cieślik & Oleg Gurshev & Sarhad Hamza, 2022. "Between the Eurozone crisis and the Brexit: the decade of British outward FDI into Europe," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(3), pages 1159-1192, September.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    multinational enterprises; skills; globalisation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business

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