Leder ett medlemskap i ASEAN till ökade utländska direktinvesteringar?

Sammanfattning: This study investigates if there are any advantages in increasing foreign direct investments for members of the Association of South Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional integration area. The study explains the effect that regional integration, preferential trade agreements and free trade areas have on attracting foreign direct investments. Different aspects of regional integration are used to explain what projects within ASEAN that could contribute to an increased inflow of foreign direct investments. The organs and agreements within ASEAN that are discussed are the following; AIA, AFTA, CEPT and how they could contribute to foreign direct investments. The dynamic and stationary effects of regional integration are used to explain the advantages of being a member of a regional integration area. The model used to explain inflows of foreign direct investments is an augmented gravitation model in which different variables are investigated to help the explanatory effect of the regression. The time period used for this study is 2001 to 2012 and it measures inflows to ASEAN and control group of Asian countries from investor countries that are part of UNCTADS top 20 list of outflows of foreign direct investments. It is found that ASEAN could explain Foreign Direct Investments using one regression, but when adding some variables, it loses its significance and thus we find that to some extent a membership in ASEAN does have significance when it comes to attracting foreign direct investments.