Corruption Heterogeneity and Foreign Direct Investment

In this research, I study the relationship between bilateral Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and difference in corruption between source and host countries. Using instrumental variables (IVs) approach, the results suggest that bilateral FDI between two countries might increase if the difference in corruption between them decreases. In addition, I find that firms from corrupt countries tend to invest abroad to exploit natural resources while those from less corrupt countries take advantage of relatively low local wages and open trade policies.