Foreign direct investment and trade: a study on selected brazilian industries

Abstract

This study aims to investigate whether foreign direct investment (FDI) growth improved the Brazilian foreign trade in the long run and whether there is a predictable relationship between a firm's FDI strategy and a firm's foreign trade. We applied moderated multiple regressions and generalized linear models to test the effects of FDI on both export and import equations of 11 Brazilian industries from 1996 to 2009. Our data sources include the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Ministry, Central Bank of Brazil, and the Applied Research Institute. Results showed that FDI is correlated with increased exports in the short run, but not in the long run. In the long run, the positive relationship between FDI and exports will only occur for export-oriented industries in which resource-seeking strategies are preponderant. We found a positive relationship between imports and FDI in the short run, particularly in import-oriented industries. A negative relationship between FDI and imports was found in the long run.