Financial Constraints and the Margins of FDI

Monika Schnitzer (), Claudia Buch, Iris Kesternich and Alexander Lipponer

No 7444, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Recent literature on multinational firms has stressed the importance of low productivity as a barrier to the cross-border expansion of firms. But firms may also need external finance to shoulder the costs of entering foreign markets. We develop a model of multinational firms facing real and financial barriers to foreign direct investment (FDI), and we analyze their im-pact on the FDI decision (the extensive margin) and foreign affiliate sales (the intensive mar-gin). We provide empirical evidence based on a detailed dataset of German multinationals which contains information on parent-level and affiliate-level financial constraints as well as on the location the foreign affiliates. We find that financial factors constrain firms? foreign investment decisions, an effect felt in particular by large firms. Financial constraints at the parent level matter for the extensive, but less so for the intensive margin. For the intensive margin, financial constraints at the affiliate level are relatively more important.

Keywords: Financial constraints; Heterogeneity; Multinational firms; Productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F2 G2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-int
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (31)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Financial Constraints and the Margins of FDI (2009)
Working Paper: Financial Constraints and the Margins of FDI (2009)
Working Paper: Financial Constraints and the Margins of FDI (2009)
Working Paper: Financial constraints and the margins of FDI (2009)
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