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Technology Transfer through Training Spillovers
HRD activities conducted by the MNEs have proven to be important for host developing countries since domestic firms are more likely to face training constraints due to market failure. MNE training is also important since it is most likely to bring in the advanced skills and technologies to which domestic firms otherwise have no access. One important channel through which this technology may transfer from MNEs to domestic firms is the so-called training spillovers.
Human Capital Formation by MNEs: Supporting Formal Education
While training is no doubt the major source of HRD activities undertaken by the MNEs, they can also contribute to the HRD of host developing countries by mobilising formal education. One of the MNEs that has invested substantially in formal education is Intel. They have invested in curriculum, educational equipment, infrastructure and technical support to almost all countries where they have production facilities, including Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, China, Malaysia, South Korea, India, Russia, Poland, Ireland and South Africa.
HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION BY MNES AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS
The previous section examined the role of host countries in attracting inward FDI and found that efforts to develop an attractive investment climate supported by sound policy reforms in HRD would help open doors to inward FDI. This section focuses on what host countries can do next to mobilise these MNEs to strengthen HRD further.
Attracting Service Sector MNEs
As shown in section II.2, services sector FDI has been a growing area in the past 15 years. Since the service sector FDI, in general, involves high value-added MNEs that possess knowledge and technology, host developing countries may want to mobilise their human resources so as to attract these types of MNEs. While not all servicesrelated MNEs require high-skilled workers, some of the growing services-related MNEs do actually require a high-skilled workforce. They include MNEs operating in the area of financial services, information technology, telecommunication, pharmaceutical, medical, as well as firms that locate regional headquarters in the host country.
Policies to Develop Human Resources
Now that the importance of human capital in attracting FDI is understood, the next question is: what are the past HRD policy experiences of host developing countries that have strived to attract inward FDI? This section focuses on formal education policies to attract FDI. While vocational training policies also help improve human resources of host developing countries, they are likely to be more important after some influx of FDI into the economy.
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND ATTRACTING INWARD FDI
One of the characteristics of rich industrial economies is the availability of a workforce with a high level of human capital. Whether human capital has been the key driver of economic prosperity or vice-versa is still a matter of debate. Nevertheless, long time series trends in educational attainment and economic growth during the last century indicate that HRD and economic prosperity went hand in hand10. Some developing countries followed similar trends in human capital and economic growth. What was distinctive about these developing countries is that they appeared to have realised large economic benefits in attracting MNEs into host economies, and have thus mobilised inward FDI to attain rapid economic growth.
Trends in FDI in Developing Countries: Background
During the past two decades, a number of developing countries witnessed a growing importance of FDI as the primary source of financial capital flows into their economy. FDI brings not only increased access to foreign exchange, trade and employment, but also new products, information and technology. It is no coincidence that this rapid growth of FDI was accompanied by an increase in the level of human capital. The latter was achieved by strong government commitments to expand formal education and vocational training along with improved enterprise efforts to improve training opportunities for workers. This section looks at recent trends in both FDI and HRD in order to highlight the magnitude of this issue as well as to explain some of the key issues raised in this paper.
Summary: HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
This paper synthesises the existing literature on human capital formation and foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries.

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Preface: HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
The main theme for the programme of work 2001-2002 at the Development Centre was Globalisation and Governance. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are a key actor of globalisation and also raise numerous governance issues. Accordingly, their role in poor countries has always interested the development community
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND ATTRACTING INWARD FDI
One of the characteristics of rich industrial economies is the availability of a workforce with a high level of human capital. Whether human capital has been the key driver of economic prosperity or vice-versa is still a matter of debate. Nevertheless, long time series trends in educational attainment and economic growth during the last century indicate that HRD and economic prosperity went hand in hand10. Some developing countries followed similar trends in human capital and economic growth. What was distinctive about these developing countries is that they appeared to have realised large economic benefits in attracting MNEs into host economies, and have thus mobilised inward FDI to attain rapid economic growth.
Attracting Service Sector MNEs
As shown in section II.2, services sector FDI has been a growing area in the past 15 years. Since the service sector FDI, in general, involves high value-added MNEs that possess knowledge and technology, host developing countries may want to mobilise their human resources so as to attract these types of MNEs. While not all servicesrelated MNEs require high-skilled workers, some of the growing services-related MNEs do actually require a high-skilled workforce. They include MNEs operating in the area of financial services, information technology, telecommunication, pharmaceutical, medical, as well as firms that locate regional headquarters in the host country.
HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION BY MNES AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS
The previous section examined the role of host countries in attracting inward FDI and found that efforts to develop an attractive investment climate supported by sound policy reforms in HRD would help open doors to inward FDI. This section focuses on what host countries can do next to mobilise these MNEs to strengthen HRD further.
Do MNEs Train More than Domestic Firms?
Most empirical findings confirm this by using variables representing foreign ownership. Tan and Batra (1996), Tan and Lopez-Acevedo (2003), and Miyamoto and Todo (2003) show that higher foreign equity share is indeed an important determinant of training in Mexico, Indonesia and Malaysia. Why do MNEs train more than domestic firms?
Human Capital Formation by MNEs: Supporting Formal Education
While training is no doubt the major source of HRD activities undertaken by the MNEs, they can also contribute to the HRD of host developing countries by mobilising formal education. One of the MNEs that has invested substantially in formal education is Intel. They have invested in curriculum, educational equipment, infrastructure and technical support to almost all countries where they have production facilities, including Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, China, Malaysia, South Korea, India, Russia, Poland, Ireland and South Africa.
Technology Transfer through Training Spillovers
HRD activities conducted by the MNEs have proven to be important for host developing countries since domestic firms are more likely to face training constraints due to market failure. MNE training is also important since it is most likely to bring in the advanced skills and technologies to which domestic firms otherwise have no access. One important channel through which this technology may transfer from MNEs to domestic firms is the so-called training spillovers.
HRD Policies to Promote Training and Spillovers
The above assessment of selected past empirical evidence suggests that firms, in spite of large productivity gains, underinvest in training due to market failures such as credit market constraints, lack of information and labour turnovers. The underinvestment is even more acute among small- and medium-sized domestic firms that tend to have higher productivity gains from training compared to MNEs or large domestic firms. It has also shown that MNEs have numerous channels to improve HRD in host developing countries by training their own workers and facilitating training spillovers. This calls for policy measures to tackle market failures in training and to stimulate training spillovers, especially among domestic small- and medium-sized firms.
THE VIRTUOUS CIRCLE OF HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION, INWARD FDI, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS
The past two sections described how host developing countries attract MNEs. It is found that while basic education for all adults is the key starting point, a demand driven HRD at a higher level is necessary to attract higher value-added MNEs including those in the recently growing services sector.
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