Towards sustainability: The relationship between foreign direct investment, economic freedom and inclusive green growth

Isaac Ofori (), Francesco Figari () and Nathanael Ojong ()
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Isaac Ofori: University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
Francesco Figari: Novara, Italy
Nathanael Ojong: York University,Toronto, Canada

No 23/023, Working Papers from European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS)

Abstract: This study contributes to the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability literature by examining three important issues. First, the study examines the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic freedom on inclusive green growth (IGG) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Second, we investigate whether economic freedom interacts with FDI to promote IGG. Third, we identify minimum the thresholds required for economic freedom to cause FDI to foster IGG. The findings are based on macro data for 20 SSA countries. Evidence, based on instrumental variable regression, show that, unconditionally, FDI is not statistically significant for promoting IGG. Second, the study finds that SSA’s ‘Mostly unfree’ economic architecture conditions FDI to reduce IGG. Third, results from our threshold regression reveal that the minimum threshold required for economic freedom to cause FDI to foster IGG is 66.2% (Moderately free). The study sheds new light on investments necessary for SSA’s economic architecture to form relevant synergies with FDI to promote IGG.

Keywords: Economic Freedom; FDI; Government Integrity; Inclusive Green Growth; Sustainable Development; sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F21 F6 H1 O55 P1 Q01 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 61
Date: 2023-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-env, nep-fdg and nep-int
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

Forthcoming: Journal of Cleaner Production

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http://publications.excas.org/RePEc/exs/exs-wpaper ... ive-green-growth.pdf Revised version, 2023 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:exs:wpaper:23/023

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