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Fiscal federalism and foreign direct investment: An empirical analysis

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  • Feld, Lars P.
  • Köhler, Ekkehard A.
  • Palhuca, Leonardo
  • Schaltegger, Christoph A.

Abstract

Previous empirical studies suggest that decentralization, measured by the number of government layers, is associated with less foreign direct investment (FDI). With an improved dataset on tax autonomy of sub-federal government tiers, we present evidence that fiscal decentralization (de facto) does not reduce FDI. If local governments can set their tax rates and bases independently, they attract more FDI. Analyzing 83,458 corporate cross-border acquisitions (CBA), between 148 source and 187 host countries from 1997 to 2014, we also find that takeovers between two countries increase with size, cultural similarities and common borders of two economies. Shared institutions such as membership in a customs union facilitate CBA. These results apply for high-income hosts but not for middle-income countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Feld, Lars P. & Köhler, Ekkehard A. & Palhuca, Leonardo & Schaltegger, Christoph A., 2022. "Fiscal federalism and foreign direct investment: An empirical analysis," Freiburg Discussion Papers on Constitutional Economics 22/4, Walter Eucken Institut e.V..
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:aluord:2204
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal Decentralization; Cross-Border Acquisition (CBA); Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); Tax Autonomy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue

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