Does Corruption Affect Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflows in SADC Countries?

Abstract

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a crucial factor to development in SADC, while at the same time corruption continues to be an obstacle to economic transformation in these countries. Empirically, studies provide controversial results on the effect of corruption on FDI. Some studies conclude that corruption negatively impacts FDI inflows in a country, while others provide evidence that corruption can act as a ‘helping hand’ to FDI inflows in a country. Given this ambiguity in the results of previous studies, using panel data for the period 2000-2016 for 15 SADC countries, this study examines the impact of corruption on FDI inflows in these countries. Lack of attention in previous studies on the impact of corruption on FDI inflows in SADC motivated this research. Estimation results using robust random effects model show that when corruption is widespread in a country, foreign investors are reluctant to invest. Thus, corruption negatively affects FDI inflows in SADC countries. The study recommends that SADC countries should develop and implement efficient, effective and strong anti-corruption measures to reduce corruption and hence increase FDI inflows.