Institutional Reforms Debate and FDI Flows to MENA Region: Does One 'Best' Fit All?

52 Pages Posted: 11 Apr 2011

See all articles by Wasseem Mina

Wasseem Mina

UAE University; Economic Research Forum for the Arab Countries

Date Written: December 5, 2010

Abstract

The paper revisits the policy debate on institutional reform approaches to property rights protection and empirically examines it in the context of FDI flows to the MENA region. Using panel data on 11 MENA countries for the period 1991-2007 and adopting FGLS methodology, the paper finds a positive influence of improvement in the risk of investment expropriation in non-GCC MENA countries and of bilateral investment treaties in GCC countries. The joint influence of domestic institutional functions and bilateral investment treaties is positive in specifications containing investment expropriation risk and government stability in non-GCC MENA countries, and corruption in GCC countries. Results have important policy implications for the institutional reform approach to be adopted.

Keywords: Property rights protection, bilateral investment treaties, FDI, institutional reforms, MENA, heterogeneity

JEL Classification: F21, K33, O16, O17, O19

Suggested Citation

Mina, Wasseem, Institutional Reforms Debate and FDI Flows to MENA Region: Does One 'Best' Fit All? (December 5, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1806619 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1806619

Wasseem Mina (Contact Author)

UAE University ( email )

College of Business and Economics
P.O.Box 17555
Al Ain, Abu Dhabi 17555
United Arab Emirates

Economic Research Forum for the Arab Countries ( email )

21 Al-Sad Al-Aaly St.
(P.O. Box: 12311)
Dokki, Cairo
Egypt

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