IMF Working Papers

The Global FDI Network: Searching for Ultimate Investors

By Jannick Damgaard, Thomas Elkjaer

November 17, 2017

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Jannick Damgaard, and Thomas Elkjaer. The Global FDI Network: Searching for Ultimate Investors, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2017) accessed December 3, 2024

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Summary

This paper addresses three types of geographical decoupling in foreign direct investment (FDI), i.e., challenges when using traditional FDI data as a proxy for real economic integration between economies: (i) large bilateral asymmetries between inward and outward FDI, (ii) the role of special purpose entities (SPEs), and (iii) the effect of moving from immediate counterpart to ultimate investing economy (UIE). A unique global FDI network is estimated, where SPEs are removed and FDI positions are broken down by the UIE. Total inward FDI in the new network is reduced by one-third, and financial centers are less dominant.

Subject: Asset and liability management, Balance of payments, Financial services, Foreign direct investment, Offshore financial centers, Special purpose vehicle

Keywords: FDI, FDI data, FDI equity, FDI estimate, FDI intensity, FDI network, FDI position, Financial globalization, Foreign direct investment, Global, Inward FDI, Multinational enterprises, OECD country, Offshore financial centers, Special purpose entities, Special purpose vehicle, Valuation method, WP

Publication Details

  • Pages:

    25

  • Volume:

    ---

  • DOI:

    ---

  • Issue:

    ---

  • Series:

    Working Paper No. 2017/258

  • Stock No:

    WPIEA2017258

  • ISBN:

    9781484329658

  • ISSN:

    1018-5941

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