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Can You Teach Old Dragons New Tricks? FDI and Innovation Activity in Chinese State-Owned Enterprises

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  • Girma, Sourafel
  • Görg, Holger
  • Gong, Yundan

Abstract

We investigate whether inward FDI, either at the firm or industry level, has any impact on product innovation by Chinese State owned enterprises (SOEs). We use a comprehensive firm level panel data set of Chinese SOEs covering the period 1999 to 2003. Our results show that foreign capital participation is associated with higher innovative activity. Inward FDI in the sector has a negative effect on innovative activity in SOEs. However, there is a positive effect of FDI on SOEs that export, invest in human capital or R&D, or have prior innovation experience. We also find that SOEs with internal R&D activity and human capital development are successful innovators. Hence, our results suggest that rather than relying on sector level inward FDI to improve domestic innovative activity, it is important to get the firm-level fundamentals right.

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  • Girma, Sourafel & Görg, Holger & Gong, Yundan, 2006. "Can You Teach Old Dragons New Tricks? FDI and Innovation Activity in Chinese State-Owned Enterprises," CEPR Discussion Papers 5838, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:5838
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    2. Rita Almeida & Ana Margarida Fernandes, 2008. "Openness and Technological Innovations in Developing Countries: Evidence from Firm-Level Surveys," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(5), pages 701-727.
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    4. Jeon, Yongbok & Park, Byung Il & Ghauri, Pervez N., 2013. "Foreign direct investment spillover effects in China: Are they different across industries with different technological levels?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 105-117.
    5. Yundan Gong & Holger Gorg & Sara Maioli, 2007. "Employment Effects of Privatisation and Foreign Acquisition of Chinese State-owned Enterprises," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 197-214.
    6. Yuqing Xing, 2008. "FDI in China: Facts and Impacts on China and the World Economy," Working Papers EMS_2008_03, Research Institute, International University of Japan.
    7. Fredrik Sjöholm & Nannan Lundin, 2013. "Foreign Firms and Indigenous Technology Development in the People's Republic of China," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 30(2), pages 49-75, September.
    8. Gorodnichenko, Yuriy & Svejnar, Jan & Terrell, Katherine, 2007. "When Does FDI Have Positive Spillovers? Evidence from 17 Emerging Market Economies," IZA Discussion Papers 3079, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Aurora Teixeira & Li Shu, 2012. "The level of human capital in innovative firms located in China. Is foreign capital relevant?," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 343-360.
    10. Liu, Xiaohui & Buck, Trevor, 2007. "Innovation performance and channels for international technology spillovers: Evidence from Chinese high-tech industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 355-366, April.
    11. Naveed Ul Haq, 2023. "Impact of FDI and Its Absorption Capacity on the National Innovation Ecosystems: Evidence from the Largest FDI Recipient Countries of the World," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 58(2), pages 259-288, May.
    12. Matija Rojec & Mark Knell, 2018. "Why Is There A Lack Of Evidence On Knowledge Spillovers From Foreign Direct Investment?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 579-612, July.
    13. Man Jin & Huiting Tian & Subal C. Kumbhakar, 2020. "How to survive and compete: the impact of information asymmetry on productivity," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 107-123, February.
    14. Damijan, Jože P. & Rojec, Matija & Majcen, Boris & Knell, Mark, 2013. "Impact of firm heterogeneity on direct and spillover effects of FDI: Micro-evidence from ten transition countries," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 895-922.
    15. Jaan Masso & Tõnu Roolaht & Urmas Varblane, 2010. "Foreign Direct Investment And Innovation In Central And Eastern Europe: Evidence From Estonia," University of Tartu - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Working Paper Series 67, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu (Estonia).
    16. Lin, Ping & Liu, Zhuomin & Zhang, Yifan, 2009. "Do Chinese domestic firms benefit from FDI inflow?: Evidence of horizontal and vertical spillovers," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 677-691, December.
    17. Todo, Yasuyuki & Zhang, Weiying & Zhou, Li-An, 2009. "Knowledge spillovers from FDI in China: The role of educated labor in multinational enterprises," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 626-639, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; Fdi; State-owned enterprises; Spillovers; Competition; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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