Citation:
Helpman, Elhanan. 2011. “A Linder Hypothesis for Foreign Direct Investment.” National Bureau of Economic Research. Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/y5vzvrer
Date Published:
Oct 1, 2011Abstract:
We study patterns of FDI in a multi-country world economy. First, we present evidence for a broad sample of countries that firms direct FDI disproportionately to markets with income levels similar to their home market. Then we develop a model featuring non-homothetic preferences for quality and monopolistic competition in which specialization is purely demand-driven and the decision to serve foreign countries via exports or FDI depends on a proximity-concentration trade-off. We characterize the joint patterns of trade and FDI when countries differ in income distribution and size and show that FDI is more likely to occur between countries with similar per capita income levels. The model predicts a Linder Hypothesis for FDI, consistent with the patterns found in the data.Notes:
Co-author Gene Grossman is a professor of economics at Princeton University. Co-author Pablo Fajgelbaum is an assistant professor of economics at the University of California, LA.
Working Paper 17550, National Bureau of Economic Research, October 2011.
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