Globalization, Foreign Direct Investment and Technology Transfers

The impact of globalization during the past decade has been uneven across regions, countries and sectors. While many countries have become more integrated into the world economy, increasing their cross-border transactions, others have been left behind. Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and technology transfers are increasingly concentrated in a handful of countries, while the least developed countries continue to be marginalized, despite the liberalization of their investment regimes. This book discusses emerging patterns and directions of FDI and technology transfers and the growth prospects for developing countries in this context of globalization. In this study, leading scholars on the subject examine and explain the emerging patterns in international technology transfers and FDI flows over the past two decades. They analyse trends in internationalization of corporate activity in major conventional and emerging source countries of FDI to comment upon the prospects for outflows. This departs from the existing treatments of FDI as a homogenous resource and allows for a more detailed prediction of future outflow patterns.
Throughout, the research focuses upon the implications of new trends for developing countries. Kumar concludes by outlining the policy implications for the governments of such countries seeking to mobilize technology and FDI for their industrialization and further integration into the international community. Controversially, he cautions against excessive optimism about the potential of FDI inflows as an agent of development. This book draws together much data and information which is not readily available and provides reflections upon international business negotiations from a developing countries perspective. This book has been produced in collaboration with Jamuna P. Agarwal, John H. Dunning, Robert E. Lipsey, Shujiro Urata. Nagesh Kumar, United Nations University Institute for New Technologies, Maastricht, Netherlands; Jamuna P. Agarwal, Kiel Institute of World Economics, Kiel Germany; John H. Dunning