Análise de fluxo investimento directo estrangeiro na SADC 1997-2003: que lições para Moçambique

Abstract

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a growth strategy already established among transnational companies originating from developed countries. However, it was found that, in recent times, and increasingly, the same strategy has been practiced by companies in developing countries (PVD), aiming to increase their competitiveness. As developing economies become more open, their companies have to face competition with transnational corporations from other countries, both domestically and abroad. In this context, FDI increases its importance and is being used for various purposes: to circumvent the restrictions established by some countries on imported products, strengthen competitiveness through economies of scale, enjoy the effects of specialization and have access to international financial markets under conditions more favorable, or reach a more advanced technological level, among others. In fact, the process of internationalization of companies takes two non-excluding forms: serving external markets via exports and FDI, either to boost exports or to implement production units. Strategies to increase exports via FDI are often aimed at overcoming various obstacles that interfere in the expansion of sales, such as non-tariff, institutional or cultural barriers. In addition to expenses on market prospecting, companies invest in distribution network, product storage, transport logistics and compliance with technical requirements or specific market demands. It has always been understood by international institutions that foreign direct investment (FDI), essentially private, would allow developing countries to free themselves from the "straightjacket" of public aid and achieve development by playing exclusively market mechanisms.