학술논문

The role of English as a lingua franca in FDI: Evidence from China.
Document Type
Article
Source
Journal of International Trade & Economic Development. Mar2024, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p294-315. 22p.
Subject
*ENGLISH language
*LINGUA francas
*LANGUAGE ability
*HIGH-income countries
ENGLISH-speaking countries
DEVELOPING countries
Language
ISSN
0963-8199
Abstract
This paper examines the impact of English as a lingua franca on FDI by using the bilateral FDI data between China and 36 OECD countries. We find that English as a lingua franca significantly promotes FDI between China and OECD countries; the impact of English proficiency on outward FDI is greater than that on inward FDI in China; the improvement of English proficiency is more conducive to promoting China's FDI with non-English-speaking countries than with English-speaking countries. Our findings suggest that English can be an effective lingua franca to remove language barriers in FDI for developing countries, especially when the investing partners are high-income and non-English-speaking countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]