WORKING PAPER NO. 06-01 The Missing Links between Foreign Investment and Development: Lessons from Costa Rica and Mexico

A developing country will derive long-lasting development benefits from FDI only, if there is the right coincidence between its location-specific assets and TNCs’ global interests, and the right match between the country’s national linkage capability and TNCs ’ strategic interest in domestic sourcing. We argue that Costa Rica and Mexico have been very successful in attracting high-tech FDI due to the cumulative results of past development policies, proximity to the U.S., and trade arrangements. However, a combination of pervasive market failures, government inaction, and changes in TNC strategies explains why the two countries have not been able to reap lasting benefits from high-tech FDI. We conclude that pro-active government policies have to be an integral part of any FDI-linked development strategy. Pro-action is needed to attract FDI, to promote indigenous linkage capability, and to enhance key location-specific assets on an on-going basis in the context of a coordinated policy framework