We focus on investor-state dispute settlement provisions contained in various, though far from all, bilateral investment treaties as a possible determinant of BIT-related effects on bilateral FDI flows. Our estimation results prove to be sensitive to the specification of these provisions as well as the inclusion of transition countries in the sample. Stricter dispute settlement provisions do no...

The PaPer examines the shifts in attitudes to foreign investment; charts the dimensions and composition of capital flows to develeping countries; outlines existing barriers and the effects of taxation on these flows, and critically examines the demand for their regulation in the light of the Asian crisis. JEL classification: F3, F21, F23 Address: Dept. of Economics, UCLA, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Lo...

In this paper, we analyze tax competition in a model where investor firms have the choice between two types of investment, greenfield investment and mergers and acquisitions. We show that the coexistence of these two types of investment intensifies tax competition in comparison to the case where there is only greenfield investment. If a specific tax on acquisitions is available, this result cha...

MARKET STRUCTURE, TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND THE GATS J.F. Francois and I. Wooton Abstract: In this paper we consider the impact of improved domestic market access for a foreign service provider. We emphasize the interaction between the different modes of market access commitments in services (cross-border and establishment) market structure, and regulation. We work with a model where the domesti...

We investigate the hypothesis that workers in foreign-owned establishments face greater job insecurity. Using linked employer employee data from Germany, we examine whether foreign-owned establishments are more likely to exit production, and whether workers in foreign-owned establishments face higher separation rates, net of establishment exit. We find that, after controlling for the different ...

This paper applies the panel fixed effects with vector decomposition estimator to three FDI datasets to estimate the impact of time-invariant variables on FDI while including fixed effects. We find that the omission of fixed effects significantly biases several of these variables, especially those proxying for trade costs and culture. After including fixed effects, we find that many time-invari...

This paper analyses tax competition and tax coordination in a model where capital flows occur in the form of mergers and acquisitions, rather than greenfield investment. In this framework, we show that differences in residence based taxes do not necessarily distort international ownership patterns. Moreover, tax competition yields globally efficient levels of source based corporate income taxes...

Though the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) has failed, the original draft is likely to serve as a basis for future negotiations. This article gives a critical assessment of the draft from an industrial economics point of view. First, I summarize the contents of the agreement which is relevant for market structure and competition. Then I develop the industrial economics approach, whic...

The negative effects of intellectual property protection (IPP) on trade volume have been found in the literature when market power effects dominate market expansion effects. Because both effects will increase profits, IPP will induce entry without ambiguity. However, using product-level entry data, negative effects on market supply are found after controlling for country-specific effects. An ex...