As far as capital is concern, multinational enterprises (MNEs) invest in long-term projects, taking risks and repatriating profits only when the projects yield returns. The free flow of capital across nations is likely to be favoured by many economists since it allows capital to seek out the highest rate of return. Many MNEs, by virtue of their large size and financial strength, have access to financial resources not available to host- country firms. These funds may be available from internal company sources, or, because of their reputation, large MNEs may find it easier to borrow money from capital markets than host-county firms would.
Jenkins and Thomas argue that FDI can contribute to economic growth not only by providing foreign capital but also by crowding in additional domestic investment; so it increases the total growth effect of FDI. Bosworth and Collins provide evidence on the effect of capital inflows on domestic investment for 58 developing countries. They distinguish among three types of inflows: FDI, portfolio investment, and other financial flows .They found that about half of each dollar of capital inflow translates into an increase in domestic investment. According to them an increase of a dollar in capital inflows is associated with an increase in domestic investment of about 50 cents. (Both capital inflows and domestic investment are expressed as percentages of GDP.)
Once the capital inflows take the form of FDI, there is a near one-to-one relationship between the FDI and the domestic investment. Moreover, Borensztein et al found some evidence of a “crowding-in” effect, i.e., that FDI is complementary to domestic investment. A one dollar increase in FDI inflows is associated with an increase in total investment in the host economy of more than one dollar. Feldstein emphasized a number of advantages that are related to unrestricted capital flows, such us:
International flows of capital reduce the risk faced by owners of capital by allowing them to diversify their lending and investment.
The global integration of capital markets can contribute to the spread of best practices of corporate governance, accounting rules, and legal traditions.
The global mobility of capital limits the ability of governments to pursue bad policies.