How Global is FDI? Evidence from the Analysis of Theil Indices

It is open to question whether the intensified worldwide competition for FDI has reduced its traditionally strong concentration in a few large and relatively advanced host countries. We calculate and decompose Theil indices to track changes in absolute and relative concentration of FDI during the period 1970‐2013. We find that both absolute and relative concentration decreased when excluding offshore financial centers from the overall sample. In addition to the narrowing gap between OECD and non‐OECD countries, the concentration across non‐OECD countries declined – for major subgroups and for both the absolute and relative measures. Finally, recent developments indicate that low‐income countries are no longer at the losing end of the competition for FDI.

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