Alessia Amighini

Outward FDI from Developing Country MNEs as a Channel for Technological Catch-Up

One of the more recent aspects of the globalization process is the rise and the increasing outward expansion of multinational enterprises (MNEs) from developing countries. Among the more promising effects of this phenomenon is a potentially positive development impact: through outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) developing country MNEs acquire new knowledge, which contributes to the technological catch-up of their home countries. This paper reviews the recent literature on OFDI from developing countries, with a critical focus on the theory and evidence of FDI as a channel for technological catch-up. This literature suggests that the features and global business environment of current emerging country MNEs is different from those of latecomer firms in earlier decades. Modularity of production in an increasing number of sectors, combined with weak national innovation systems (NIS) in many developing countries explain why the sourcing of strategic assets ― including technology and innovation― from abroad through OFDI has become such an important channel for technological catch-up.

Investigating Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investments: How Can Firm‐level Data Help?

The empirical literature on Chinas outward foreign direct investment mainly relies on aggregate data from official statistics, but the reliability of such data is currently a matter of concern because it does not take account of relevant features such as industry breakdown, ownership structure and entry mode. A novel firm-level database, EMENDATA, compiled by matching data from several available sources on various types of cross-border deals and including information on group structure, provides a more accurate picture and enables new empirical analyses of the rapidly increasing presence of Chinese companies abroad. Based on this database, this paper offers a more precise assessment of the geographical and sector specialization patterns of Chinese outward foreign direct investment into Europe and suggests new avenues for future research.

The International Reorganisation of Auto Production

This paper aims at assessing whether and how the rise of new countries as important suppliers to the worlds leading car producers has changed the structure of the international organisation of auto production over the last decade or has simply caused a shift in the geography of suppliers. By using network analysis, we show that emerging economies caused a structural change in the international organisation of auto production, but their roles are largely peripheral, while the worlds leading producers now act as the core of a more hierarchical international division of labour than a decade ago.

The international expansion of Chinese auto firms: typology and trends

In the recent wave of outward FDI by Chinese firms, the automotive industry stands out as one of the sectors accounting for a relevant share of the total, with Europe being the favourite destination. After providing a detailed map of such FDI from 2003 until 2008, the paper discusses the major host country factors driving foreign location choices of Chinese auto firms, comparing OEM vs. suppliers, state-owned vs. privately-owned companies. A few interesting differences between different groups of investors emerge. Selected cases are discussed.

Chinese FDI in the European Automotive Sector

The automotive industry is one of the world’s most dynamic sectors in terms of the international reorganization of production. Until the 1990s, only the largest car manufacturers from industrialized countries expanded abroad through foreign direct investment (FDI), both in other developed and also in developing countries. Car producers from developing countries used to serve mainly their domestic markets or other developing countries. Within this scenario, the Chinese auto industry has rapidly and massively internationalized compared to other emerging countries. In less than half a century, the Chinese auto industry has become the world’s largest, with over 13 million vehicles produced in 2010 (over 18 million including commercial vehicles, buses and other vehicles). Considering that the bulk of production, between the 1950s and the early 1980s, consisted of military and commercial vehicles, and that production did not reach one million units at the end of the 1990s, the sector recorded an impressive rate of growth.

Global Governance and Global Summits from the G8 to the G20： History, Opportunities and Challenges

Pivotal informal organizations, above all the G20, the G7 and the BRICS, have accumulated growing power in recent years. At a basic level, informal organizations differ from the formal institutions such as the UN and the IMF in a number of key ways: membership structure; foundational or legitimizational character and level of bureaucracy. What are the implications of this phenomenon for global governance? What does this shift from a hub club to a focal point network imply for innovation in modes of cooperation? The author has participated in numerous such summits, in his capacity as Prime Minister of Italy and President of the European Commission, and shares his first�?hand thoughts.