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Efficiency spillovers from foreign direct investment in the EU periphery: A comparative study of Greece, Ireland, and Spain

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Abstract

Despite a growing number of empirical studies on efficiency spillovers arising from the presence of multinational firms for a number of countries, general conclusions on this issue have been inhibited by differences in the data sets and estimation techniques used across studies. In this paper we conduct a comparative empirical study for Greece, Ireland and Spain by creating comparable data sets and estimating identical models. Our results show evidence of spillovers in Ireland and Spain only, although these positive spillovers seem to depend on whether firms have the absorptive capacity to capture technological spillovers and the criteria used to classify them as foreign affiliates. JEL no. F23, O30

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Correspondence to Eric Strobl.

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Barrios, S., Dimelis, S., Louri, H. et al. Efficiency spillovers from foreign direct investment in the EU periphery: A comparative study of Greece, Ireland, and Spain. Rev. World Econ. 140, 688–705 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02659620

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