Determinants of FDI Inflows as Seen Through the Doing Business Indicators Lens: Evidence from the EU

Abstract

The Doing Business indicators published by the World Bank serve as a proxy for assessing the quality of institutions and the business environment. In recent years, Doing Business scores or rankings have been used to evaluate choices affecting foreign direct investment decisions. The study purpose is to examine the extent to which the quality of institutions and the business environment, as reflected in the Doing Business indicators, is associated with higher foreign direct investment inflows in European Union countries. The paper uses data on member country performance based on selected indicators, the Corruption Perception Index, and data on work stoppages and strikes. The latter is used to capture the importance of the labour market environment and political stability. Panel data cover the period 2005–2020 for most European Union member countries. The results suggest that the quality of business and institutional environments is an important factor in attracting foreign direct investment inflows. These results vary considerably depending on the countries chosen and have important policy implications. Specifically, governments should put emphasis not only on the general functioning of the economy, but also on the improvement of institutional quality to attract foreign direct investment.