Technology transfer through vertical linkages: The case of the Spanish manufacturing industry

Whether or not foreign direct investment helps to upgrade the technological capacities of firms in host countries is an important question for policy makers. Even more important is the question of what are the most effective channels of technology transfer. The econometric analysis presented here is based on a firm level database from Spain for the period 1990-2000. We associate spillovers with the effect of horizontal and vertical FDI on total factor productivity of local firms. We find that technology spillovers are limited to the case of vertical linkages. However these spillovers are affected by the technology gap between domestic firms and foreign affiliates as well as by the characteristics of foreign affiliates. Linkages with exportoriented affiliates and fully owned ones seem to have a better influence on the productivity of domestic firms.technology spillovers, vertical linkages, foreign direct investment

Public governance as a key determinant of FDI : a comparative analysis of sub-saharan Africa and south-east Asia host countries

The World Bank (2000), in its report on Quality of Growth emphasises the importance of public governance as the keystone of a country's development. Studies examining determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) are also increasingly taking account of such fundamentals as institutional and political factors. Thus, rule of law, bureaucratic corruption, educational attainment or quality of physical infrastructure are now included in econometric analyses next to more common variables such as market size, labour costs or trade openness. In other words, good governance appears to be a key condition for attracting FDI. For instance, Lehmann (1999), shows that a country like India could increase its share of US affiliates' physical investment by 50% if it were to eliminate all political uncertainty. For a developing country, the stakes for improving its public governance are high. Beyond an increase in its growth rate, a favourable business climate is likely to attract more FDI and enhance their alleged spillovers. More FDI means more financial resources for the host country, whereas it is likely that the technological intensity of these investments and the transfer of foreign know-how to domestic firms will largely depend on the quality of public governance. This article has three goals. First, to clarify why public governance is likely to influence FDI inflows. Second, to propose a new evaluation of public governance through the construction of quantitative, relatively objective, easily replicable and sample-specific indicators. The public governance of two geographic zones will be assessed through this method: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South-East Asia (SEA). As shown in table 1.1, the former attracts much less FDI than the latter. Third, to test econometrically whether public governance explains the diverging abilities of SSA and SEA to attract FDI

localisation à l'étranger des entreprises multinationales.

La décision de localisation d'une entreprise multinationale peut être décrite comme une séquence de choix géographiques dans laquelle l'entreprise choisit d'abord un pays puis une région à l'intérieur de ce pays. Cette séquence de choix est confirmée par l'analyse du comportement des entreprises japonaises en Europe. La structure géographique du choix est prise en compte en séparant les déterminants du choix national et ceux du choix infra-national. Les entreprises multinationales ont tendance à se localiser dans les mêmes pays et dans les mêmes régions que leurs concurrentes. Cette tendance est plus forte à l'échelon régional qu'à l'échelon national. L'analyse des effets d'agglomération serait donc plus pertinente à une échelle géographique « fine ». L'influence des coûts du travail sur la décision de localisation est plus marquée au niveau régional. De plus, la concurrence entre les régions sur le plan des salaires joue plus à l'intérieur des pays qu'entre régions de pays différents.

How do firms agglomerate? A study of FDI in france

This paper studies the determinants of location choice by foreign investors in France using a sample of almost 4000 foreign investments over 10 years and 92 locations. Concerning agglomeration effects, we find very strong evidence of positive spillovers between firms, and identify detailed patterns of clustering, assessing, for instance, the countries of origin and the industries for which those spillovers are the most substantial. Concerning regional policies, we find very little evidence of any positive impact. Finally, we identify a ‘learning process’ of FDI, the location decisions becoming more remote from the country of origin during the period we study

How do firms agglomerate? A study of FDI in france

This paper studies the determinants of location choice by foreign investors in France using a sample of almost 4000 foreign investments over 10 years and 92 locations. Concerning agglomeration effects, we find very strong evidence of positive spillovers between firms, and identify detailed patterns of clustering, assessing, for instance, the countries of origin and the industries for which those spillovers are the most substantial. Concerning regional policies, we find very little evidence of any positive impact. Finally, we identify a 'learning process' of FDI, the location decisions becoming more remote from the country of origin during the period we study

A novel TaulacZ allele reveals a requirement for Pitx2 in formation of the mammillothalamic tract

The hypothalamic mammillary region is critical for spatial memory and vestibular processing. Pitx2 encodes a paired‐like transcription factor that is highly expressed in the developing mammillary region and is required for subthalamic nucleus formation. Here we analyzed a loss of function Pitx2 ‐ TaulacZ knock‐in allele to study the effects of Pitx2 deficiency on neuronal projections in the embryonic mammillary region. Pitx2 ‐expressing neurons contribute axons to principal mammillary, mammillotegmental and mammillotectal tracts. Embryos with Pitx2 deficiency exhibit axonal fibers in the principal mammillary tract that are improperly bundled and disorganized, yet project caudally toward the tectum and tegmentum. Embryos with Nestin‐Cre mediated conditional Pitx2 deficiency exhibit truncated mammillothalamic tracts (mtt) that fail to elongate, and reduced Pax6 ‐positive cells at the branching point of the principal mammillary and mtt. These data suggest that Pitx2 mediates cell‐autonomous and nonautonomous guidance cues necessary for mammillary collaterals destined to project to the anterior thalamus. genesis 50:67–73, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90263/1/20793_ftp.pd

Para uma sociologia dos crimes ambientais. Reflexões sobre o caso dos pesticidas em França

A questão das catástrofes ambientais e sanitárias, causadas pelas actividades económicas humanas, tem sido cada vez mais divulgada desde os anos 70. Uma sociologia do ambiente e depois uma sociologia do risco desenvolveu-se nos Estados Unidos e depois na Europa. Mas só muito recentemente é que a sociologia do desvio se debruçou sobre estes temas, questionando a existência de práticas criminosas que, por vezes, desempenham um papel importante na perpetuação das ameaças. A sociologia do desvio inspira-se na tradição de investigação sobre a “criminalidade de colarinho branco” iniciada por Edwin Sutherland e, mais precisamente, na investigação sobre a criminalidade empresarial. Este artigo procura contribuir para a constituição e a problematização deste relativamente novo campo de investigação na Europa continental que, aqui, é ilustrado com o exemplo da poluição do solo e da água por pesticidas utilizados maciçamente na agricultura em França.The issue of environmental and health disasters caused by human economic activities has been increasingly publicized since the 1970s. Environmental sociology and then sociology of risk have been developed in the United States and then in Europe. But it is only very recently that the sociology of deviance has taken up these subjects, questioning the existence of delinquent practices that sometimes play a major role in the perpetuation of threats. It is inspired by the tradition of research on White Collar Crime initiated by Edwin Sutherland, and more precisely by research on Corporate Crime. This article attempts to contribute to the constitution and problematization of this relatively new field of research in continental Europe. It also illustrates it through the example of soil and water pollution by pesticides used massively in French agriculture