Japan's FDI drivers in a time of financial uncertainty. New evidence based on Bayesian Model Averaging

Mariam Camarero, Sergi Moliner and Cecilio Tamarit

Japan and the World Economy, 2021, vol. 57, issue C

Abstract: In this paper we analyse the determinants of Japanese outward FDI stock for the period 1996–2017. This period is especially relevant as it covers a process of increasing economic globalization and two financial crises. To this aim, we consider a large set of candidate variables based on the theory as well as on previous empirical analysis. Our sample includes a total of 27 host countries. We select the covariates using a data-driven methodology, the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) analysis. Moreover, we also analyse whether these determinants change depending on the degree of development (emerging vs developed) or the geographical areas (EU vs East Asia) of the countries considered. We find that Japan's FDI can be explained by a wide variety of variables, that include not only the typical gravitational ones but also institutional and macroeconomic variables, including those that measure financial development. Moreover, Japanese FDI can be explained by both horizontal and vertical FDI motives in the groups of countries analysed. However, in developed, and more precisely, EU countries, horizontal FDI strategies are predominant, whereas for East Asian and emerging countries, there is more evidence in favour of vertical FDI.

Keywords: Japan; Foreign direct investment; Bayesian Model Averaging; Gravity; Financial development; Institutional quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F21 F23 R39 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0922142521000050
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:japwor:v:57:y:2021:i:c:s0922142521000050

DOI: 10.1016/j.japwor.2021.101058

Access Statistics for this article

Japan and the World Economy is currently edited by Robert Dekle and Yasushi Hamao

More articles in Japan and the World Economy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().