Capability development and the geographic destination of outbound FDI by developing country firms

Abstract

This paper uses UNCTAD data to relate the destination of FDI from developing countries to their capability development. It expands the Investment Development Path (IDP) and the flying geese model to include the destination of outward FDI. Investments from developing into developed countries are predominantly in low and medium research-intensive (often considered ‘sunset’) industries where investors have established strengths in their home base. Developing countries play an active role in knowledge-intensive services in especially the developing world. Even though the developing-country knowledge-intensive firms are not global leaders, their intra-regional FDI enables capability development in emerging industries.