Do property rights matter to FDI? : A cross-sectional study of property rights, institutions and FDI in middle income countries

Sammanfattning: Property rights are an important subject of economic theory and as a product of institutional qualities an essential determinant of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The purpose of this study is to examine how middle income countries with, on average, weak property rights can attract investments from abroad, given their (formal) institutions, and if differences in institutional qualities have an effect on FDI inflows. Using a panel approach to observe a sample of 20 countries over ten years, we find that there is mixed evidence supporting this theory. Whilst the theoretical background suggests that institutional qualities do affect a country’s ability to attract or deter investments, we cannot conclude a significant effect in our results. Furthermore, the study concludes that certain products of institutional qualities (democracy, corruption) can lead to mixed effects on the net inflows of FDI, but that an important determinant is the market-size of the country.