SPILLOVER EFFECTS OF FDI IN THE SERVICE SECTOR IN MOROCCO - A Case Study of the Emerging Call-Centre Industry -

Sammanfattning: The positive effects of foreign direct investments have encouraged several developing countries to offer preferential treatment of foreign investors. In addition to creating employment opportunities, it is argued that one of the most important contributions of foreign direct investments is the transfer of skills and knowledge i.e. spillover effects. While several studies have measured these spillover effects in the manufacturing sector the number of studies focusing on the spillovers in the service sector remains limited. Taking a closer look at Morocco, a country that has experienced a strong increase in foreign direct investment flows to the service sector in recent years, I have, by performing a field study in the emerging call-centre industry, found indications that spillovers exist but that there are differences between the service sector and the traditional manufacturing sector with respect to how spillovers occur.