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Foreign Direct Investment and Democracy: A Global Network Analysis, 2 001–2017

Rob Clark & Jeffrey Kentor

Global Networks: A Journal of Transnational Affairs2025https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.70026article
AJG 3ABDC A
Weight
0.37

Abstract

We examine the effect of the global foreign direct investment (FDI) network on electoral democracy in 93 less developed countries (LDCs) between 2001 and 2017, utilizing log‐log models with an Arellano–Bond estimator and two‐way fixed effects. We rely on bilateral data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Bilateral FDI Statistics and the International Monetary Fund's Coordinated Direct Investment Survey . We find that inward coreness in the global FDI network has a robust positive effect on electoral democracy in LDCs, net of conventional control variables, and across a wide range of cases. We hypothesize that embeddedness in the global FDI network has a positive effect on democracy by stimulating economic growth and facilitating a diffusion of democratic ideals and processes that promote the emergence and growth of democracy in less developed countries.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.70026

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@article{rob2025,
  title        = {{Foreign Direct Investment and Democracy: A Global Network Analysis, 2 001–2017}},
  author       = {Rob Clark & Jeffrey Kentor},
  journal      = {Global Networks: A Journal of Transnational Affairs},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.70026},
}

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Foreign Direct Investment and Democracy: A Global Network Analysis, 2 001–2017

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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