Spatial determinants of US FDI and exports in OECD countries

World foreign direct investment (FDI) flows have been characterized by an unprecedented growth over the last four decades, with an uneven distribution across countries. This paper analyzes the spatial interdependence/third-country effects of multinational enterprises (MNE) for affiliate location choice and spillover effects of foreign direct investment (FDI). We specify a simultaneous equations model estimated using the generalized spatial two-stage least squares method on a sample of 25 OECD recipient countries of U.S. FDI during the period spanning the years 1999-2009. Our results lend support to the existence of complex vertical FDI and the significance of third-country effects, which is indicative of agglomeration economies. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.