The impact of institutional quality on foreign direct investment: empirical analysis based on mediating and moderating effects

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between institutional quality and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows using panel data of 42 G20 countries from 2005 to 2020. The results indicate a positive association between them. Mediating analyses reveal that institutional quality attracts FDI inflows by increasing trade openness, accelerating industrial structure optimization, and encouraging technological innovation. Furthermore, financial development, tax level, and natural resource abundance moderates the positive association between institutional quality and FDI inflows. Among them, financial development and natural resource abundance strengthen the promoting role of institutional quality in attracting FDI; the tax level weakens this process. These findings have implications for policymakers seeking to make full use of favourable institutions to achieve sustainable growth of FDI.