Foreign direct investment motivation and spillovers from southern MNCs in Switzerland: the role of FDI motivation and cultural dimension

An increasing number of studies analysed spillovers from northern economies to southern/northern economies, whilst little attention has been paid by scholars to study these effects from southern to northern economies. This study tests FDI spillovers from southern MNCs in Switzerland. It explores the intra- and inter-industry levels and focuses on the potential role of FDI motivation and cultural dimension in determining the size and the extent of intra- and inter-industry spillovers. Using firms-level data from Switzerland, we found that FDI intra- and inter-industry spillovers differ according to FDI motivation. Cultural dimension seems to be a significant element when assessing spillovers.