A panel analysis of FDI inflows and poverty reduction in BRICS countries: An implication for the sustainable development goal one

Abstract

FDI inflows and poverty reduction nexus has been an ongoing global debate in the recent times. Against this backdrop, this study examined the relationship between FDI inflows and poverty reduction in this economic bloc between 1990 and 2019. Data was collected from UNCTAD and WDI respectively, and a Panel Error Correction Model and the Pairwise Dumitrescu Hurlin Panel Causality tests were respectively employed. The following findings originated from the study; firstly, the relationship between FDI inflows and human development was negative and significant in the short run. In the long run, the reverse was the case. Therefore, the study concluded that FDI inflows have a trickle-down effect on poverty reduction in BRICS countries only in the long run. Therefore, it was recommended that for the policymakers in BRICS countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 1), policy that will propel massive inflows of FDI into BRICS economies should be explored.