African Leaders: Their Education Abroad and FDI Flows

33 Pages Posted: 13 Dec 2010

See all articles by Amelie F. Constant

Amelie F. Constant

Princeton University; UNU-MERIT; CESifo; University of Pennsylvania

Bienvenue Tien

World Bank

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Abstract

Leaders are critical to a country's success. They can influence domestic policy via specific measures that they enforce, and they can also influence international public opinion towards their country. Foreign Direct Investments are also essential for a country's economic growth. Our hypothesis is that foreign-educated leaders attract more FDI to their country. Our rationale is that education obtained abroad encompasses a whole slew of factors that can make a difference in FDI flows when this foreign-educated individual becomes a leader. We test this hypothesis empirically with a unique dataset that we constructed from several sources, including the Library of Congress and the World Bank. Our analysis of 40 African countries employs the robust technique of conditional quantile regression. Our results reveal that foreign education is a significant determinant of FDI inflows, beyond other standard characteristics. While intuitive, this result does not necessarily indicate sheepskin effects or superior human capital obtained abroad. Rather, it indicates the powerful role of the social capital, networks, and connections that these leaders built while they were abroad that they in turn mobilize and utilize when they become leaders.

Keywords: FDI, leaders' educational level, return migration, Africa

JEL Classification: C31, C33, F21, I21

Suggested Citation

Constant, Amelie F. and Tien, Bienvenue, African Leaders: Their Education Abroad and FDI Flows. IZA Discussion Paper No. 5353, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1723991 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1723991

Amelie F. Constant (Contact Author)

Princeton University ( email )

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UNU-MERIT ( email )

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CESifo ( email )

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University of Pennsylvania ( email )

Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Bienvenue Tien

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

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