Foreign direct investment and LDC exports

This paper examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on manufacturing exports in four Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. The sensitivity of merchandise exports, manufacturing exports, and the share of manufacturing exports in total merchandise exports to two measures of FDI activity is tested using panel data spanning 1975-2003. The findings suggest that FDI activity positively affects the host country's merchandise and manufacturing exports. Nevertheless, FDl activity is still short of generating any increase in the share of manufacturing exports in merchandise exports.