Skip to main content

Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Serbia: Is the Concept of Distance Relevant?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
International Business and Emerging Economy Firms

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to define the meaning and the role of distance in determining cross border investment transactions. Specifically, it aims, using a transition country, i.e. Serbia as a case study, at demonstrating the implementation of a model based on Ghemawat’s culture, administrative, geographic, and economic distance framework modified by substituting administrative by institutional distance for testing the relevance of distance in determining Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to a country. In addition, this chapter also illustrates how each of the above distance dimensions, i.e. cultural, institutional, geographic and economic, correlates with FDI at different industries categorised by technological level in manufacturing, i.e. high technology, medium high technology, medium-low technology, low technology subsectors, and in services sectors, i.e. low knowledge intensive and high knowledge intensive service sectors. With the exception of institutional distance the remaining distance dimensions, i.e. cultural, geographic and economic follow Ghemawat (Harvard Business Review 79:137–147, 2001) propositions. Therefore, the “CAGE distance framework” in this research is being transformed into “CIGE distance framework”.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arslan, A., & Larimo, J. (2010). Ownership strategy of multinational enterprises and the impacts of regulative and normative institutional distance: Evidence from Finnish foreign direct investments in Central and Eastern Europe. Journal of East–West Business, 16(3), 179–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, H., Guillén, M. F., & Zhou, N. (2010). An institutional approach to cross-national distance. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(9), 1460–1480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brouthers, K. D. (2002). Institutional, cultural and transaction cost influences on entry mode choice and performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 33(2), 203–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brouthers, K. D., & Brouthers, L. E. (2001). Explaining the national cultural distance paradox. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(1), 177–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, B. G., Le, Q. V., & Rishi, M. (2012). Foreign direct investment and institutional quality: Some empirical evidence. International Review of Financial Analysis, 21, 81–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busse, M., & Hefeker, C. (2007). Political risk, institutions and foreign direct investment. European Journal of Political Economy, 23(2), 397–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chao, M. C. H., & Kumar, V. (2010). The impact of institutional distance on the international diversity–performance relationship. Journal of World Business, 45(1), 93–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, N. (2004). Intra-national versus international trade in the European Union: Why do national borders matter? Journal of International Economics, 63(1), 93–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daude, C., & Stein, E. (2007). The quality of institutions and foreign direct investment. Economics and Politics, 19(3), 317–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dikova, D., & Van Witteloostuijn, A. (2007). Foreign direct investment mode choice: Entry and establishment modes in transition economies. Journal of International Business Studies, 38(6), 1013–1033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drogendijk, R., & Slagengen, A. (2006). Hofstede, Schwartz, or managerial perceptions? The effects of different cultural distance measures on establishment mode choice by multinational enterprises. International Business Review, 15, 361–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunning, J. H. (1988). The eclectic paradigm of international production: A restatement and some possible extensions. Journal of International Business Studies, 19(1), 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunning, J. H. (2000). The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity. International Business Review, 9, 163–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunning, J. H. (2001). The eclectic (OLI) paradigm of international production: Past, present and future. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 8(2), 173–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egger, P., & Winner, H. (2005). Evidence on corruption as an incentive for foreign direct investment. European Journal of Political Economy, 21(4), 932–952.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erramilli, M. (1996). Nationality and subsidiary ownership patterns in multinational corporations. Journal of International Business Studies, 27(2), 225–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Estrin, S., Baghdasaryan, D., & Meyer, K. E. (2009). The impact of institutional and human resource distance on international entry strategies. Journal of Management Studies, 46(7), 1171–1196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaur, A. S., & Lu, W. (2007). Ownership strategies and survival of foreign subsidiaries: Impacts of institutional distance and experience. Journal of Management, 33(1), 84–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaur, A. S., Delios, A., & Singh, K. (2007). Institutional environments, staffing strategies and subsidiary performance. Journal of Management, 33(4), 611–636.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghemawat, P. (2001). Distance still matters. Harvard Business Review, 79(8), 137–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghemawat, P. (2007). Redefining global strategy: Crossing borders in a world where differences still matter. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Globerman, S., & Shapiro, D. (2002). Global foreign direct investment flows: The role of governance infrastructure. World Development, 30(11), 899–919.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habib, M., & Zurawicki, L. (2002). Corruption and foreign direct investment. Journal of International Business Studies, 33(2), 291–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagedoorn, J., Cloodt, D., & Van Kranenburg, H. (2005). Intellectual property rights and the governance of international R&D partnerships. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(2), 175–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, M. T., & Lovas, B. (2004). How do multinational companies leverage technological competencies? Moving from single to interdependent explanations. Strategic Management Journal, 25, 801–822.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harms, P., & Ursprung, H. W. (2002). Do civil and political repression really boost foreign direct Investments? Economic Inquiry, 40(4), 651–663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennart, J. F., & Larimo, J. (1998). The impact of culture on the strategy of multinational enterprises: Does national origin affect ownership decisions? Journal of International Business Studies, 29(3), 515–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (1991). Culture and organizations: Software of the mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (2004). Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huntington, S. P. (1968). Political order in changing societies. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iyer, G. R. (1997). Comparative marketing: An interdisciplinary framework for institutional analysis. Journal of International Business Studies, 28(3), 531–561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Javorcik, B. S. (2004). The composition of foreign direct investment and protection of intellectual property rights: Evidence from transition economies. European Economic Review, 48(1), 39–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, N. M. (2003). Democratic governance and multinational corporations: Political regimes and inflows of foreign direct investment. International Organization, 57(3), 587–616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, J. L., Cullen, J. B., & Sakano, T. (1991, June). Cultural congruency in international joint ventures: Does it matter? In Proceedings of the Eastern Academy of Management Fourth Biennial International Conference. Nice, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, D., Kraay, A., & Mastruzzi, M. (2010). The worldwide governance indicators: Methodology and analytical issues (Policy Research Working Paper Series 5430). The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufmann, D., Kraay, A., & Zoido- Lobaton, P. (1999). Aggregating governance indicators (Policy Research Paper 2195). Washington, DC: The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, W. C., & Hwang, P. (1992). Global strategy and multinational entry mode choice. Journal of International Business Studies, 23(1), 29–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogut, B., & Singh, H. (1988). The effect of national culture on the choice of entry mode. Journal of International Business Studies, 19(3), 411–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolstad, I., & Villanger, E. (2008). Determinants of foreign direct investment in services. European Journal of Political Economy, 24(2), 518–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kostova, T. (1997). Country institutional profiles: Concept and measurement. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1997(1), 180–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kostova, T., & Roth, K. (2002). Adoption of an organizational practice by subsidiaries of multinational corporations: Institutional and relational effects. Academy of Management Journal, 45(1), 215–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kostova, T., & Zaheer, S. (1999). Organizational legitimacy under conditions of complexity: The case of the multinational enterprise. Academy of Management Review, 24(3), 64–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishna, P. (2003). Are regional trading partners “natural”? Journal of Political Economy, 111(1), 202–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Porta, R., Lopez de Silanes, F., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. (1998). Law and finance. Journal of Political Economy, 106(6), 1113–1155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leff, N. H. (1964). Economic development through bureaucratic corruption. American Behavioral Scientist, 8(3), 8–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levchenko, A. (2007). Institutional quality and international trade. Review of Economic Studies, 74(3), 791–819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, J. T., & Guisinger, S. (1991). Comparative business failures of foreign-controlled firms in the United States. Journal of International Business Studies, 22(2), 209–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mauro, P. (1995). Corruption and growth. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 110(3), 681–712.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, T., & Zignago, S. (2005). Market access in global and regional trade (CEPII Working Paper 2).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, T., & Zignago, S. (2011). Notes on CEPII’s distances measures: The GeoDist database (CEPII Working Paper No. 2011-25).

    Google Scholar 

  • McSweeney, B. (2002). Hofstede’s model of national cultural differences and their consequences: A triumph of faith—A failure of analysis. Human Relations, 55(1), 89–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mengistu, A. A., & Adhikary, B. K. (2011). Does good governance matter for FDI inflows? Evidence from Asian economies. Asia Pacific Business Review, 17(3), 281–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, K. L., & Nollen, S. D. (1996, 4th Qtr.). Culture and congruence: The fit between management practices and national culture. Journal of International Business Studies, 27(4), 753–779.

    Google Scholar 

  • North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ozawa, T. (1979). International investment and industrial structure: New theoretical implications from the Japanese experience. Oxford Economic Papers, 31(1), 72–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, S. H., & Ungson, G. R. (1997). The effect of national culture, organizational complementarity, and economic motivation on joint venture dissolution. Academy of Management Journal, 40(2), 279–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng, M. W. (2003). Institutional transitions and strategic choices. Academy of Management Review, 28(2), 275–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, M., Takeuchi, E., & Sakakibara, H. M. (2000). Can Japan compete? London: Macmillan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quazi, R. (2007). Economic freedom and foreign direct investment in East Asia. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 12(3), 329–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Redpath, L., & Nielsen, M. O. (1997). A comparison of native culture, non-native culture and new management ideology. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 14(3), 327–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose-Ackerman, S. (1975). The economics of corruption. Journal of Public Economics, 4(2), 187–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H. (1994). Beyond individualism/collectivism: New cultural dimensions of values. In U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S. C. Choi, & G. Yoon (Eds.), Individualism and collectivism: Theory, methods, and applications (pp. 85–119). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, H. S. (2008). Cultural value orientations: Nature & implications of national differences. Moscow: Publishing House of SU HSE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. R. (1995). Institutions and organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shenkar, O. (2001). Cultural distance revisited: Towards a more rigorous conceptualization and measurement of cultural differences. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(3), 519–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. W. (1993). Corruption. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108(3), 599–617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solocha, A., & Soskin, M. D. (1994). Canadian direct investment, mode of entry, and border location. Management International Review, 34(1), 79–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steenkamp, J. B. E. M. (2001). The role of national culture in international marketing research. International Marketing Review, 18(1), 30–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tihanyi, L., Griffith, D. A., & Russell, C. J. (2005). The effect of cultural distance on entry mode choice, international diversification, and MNE performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(3), 270–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trevino, L. J., & Mixon, F. G. (2004). Strategic factors affecting foreign direct investment decisions by multi-national enterprises in Latin America. Journal of World Business, 39(2), 233–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H. C. (1993). Collectivism and individualism as cultural syndromes. Cross-Cultural Research: The Journal of Comparative Social Science, 27(3–4), 155–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trompenaars, F. (1993). Riding the waves of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in business. London: Nicholas Brealey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsang, E., & Yip, P. (2007). Economic distance and the survival of foreign direct investments. Academy of Management Journal, 5, 1156–1168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuman, J. P., & Emmert, C. E. (1999). Explaining Japanese foreign direct investment in Latin America, 1979–1992. Social Science Quarterly, 80(3), 539–555.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voyer, P. A., & Beamish, P. W. (2004). The effect of corruption on Japanese foreign direct investment. Journal of Business Ethics, 50(3), 211–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, S. J. (2000). How taxing is corruption on internal investors? The Review of Economics and Statistics, 82(1), 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, D., & Mody, A. (1992). International investment location decisions: The case of U.S. firms. Journal of International Economics, 33(1–2), 57–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (2005). Available at https://data.worldbank.org/. Accessed 20 Apr 2017.

  • Xu, D. (2001). The effect of institutional distance on multinational enterprise strategy. Ph.D. Dissertation, York University, Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, D., Pan, Y., & Beamish, P. W. (2004). The effect of regulative and normative distances on MNE ownership and expatriate strategies. Management International Review, 44(3), 285–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, D., & Shenkar, O. (2002). Institutional distance and multinational enterprise. Academy of Management Review, 27(4), 608–618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, H. W. C. (1997). Business networks and transnational corporations: A study of Hong-Kong firms in the ASEAN region. Economic Geography, 73(1), 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yiu, D., & Makino, S. (2002). The choice between joint venture and wholly owned subsidiary: An institutional perspective. Organization Science, 13(6), 667–683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshino, M. Y. (1976). Japan’s multinational enterprises. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Zaheer, S., & Zaheer, A. (1997). Country effects on information seeking in global electronic networks. Journal of International Business Studies, 28(1), 77–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

List of Appendices

List of Appendices

See Appendices 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 and 5.5.

Appendix 5.1 Factor analysis/correlations
Appendix 5.2 Factor loadings (pattern matrix) and unique variance
Appendix 5.3 Factor analysis/correlations
Appendix 5.4 Rotated factor loadings (pattern matrix) and unique variances
Appendix 5.5 Factor rotation matrix

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Grujic, N., Kyrkilis, D. (2020). Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Serbia: Is the Concept of Distance Relevant?. In: Larimo, J., Marinov, M., Marinova, S., Leposky, T. (eds) International Business and Emerging Economy Firms. Palgrave Studies of Internationalization in Emerging Markets. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27285-2_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics