Department of Economics Working Paper Series the Investment Development Path of Austria

We explore some empirical properties of Austria’s "Investment Development Path" (IDP) on the macro level as well as on the structural and the bilateral level. Three dimensions are analyzed, namely the growth, the stability, and the sign of the Net Outward Investment Position (NOIP). While the NOIP on the macro level has been negative throughout the last two decades, there is considerable variation on the industry and the bilateral level. Given the small domestic market size, the NOIP of Austria does not reflect the high level of development in terms of GDP. Several explanations for the below-average NOIP of Austria are provided.