Existe relação entre o comércio internacional, o investimento estrangeiro direto e a desigualdade de renda? Uma investigação empírica

Abstract

Based on the assumptions listed by the Heckscher-Ohlin and the Stolper-Samuelson (HOS) theorem, researchers began to seek evidence to prove the theory. Although many have found it,others have started to compute evidence contrary to what was expected. Theories wereelaborated in order to explain the results found. One of the theories that emerged during the1990s was that of Feenstra and Hanson (1996), concerning the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on income inequality. The authors argued that FDI would bring new technologies to the countries, increasing income inequality. Although much research has been done aiming to verify the accuracy of this thesis, the vast majority of studies that have researched the relationship between FDI and income inequality, did not consider data related to the entry of technology through international trade, which may have led their research to misleading results. When it comes to the analysis of income inequality, another problem emerges: how to measure it. Even though the best alternative to measure income inequality is through concentration by tenths of income, very few studies have used this form of measurement in their analysis. Given the problems listed, this work seeks to contribute to the theme, researching the relationship between the technology that enters the country through globalization and income inequality. In order to do that, a panel data regression was performed for a group of 25 countries. FDI disaggregated data by sector were used, together with imported technology data through international trade. To measure income inequality, the income concentration of the richest 10% in each country was used. Data range goes from 2004-2017. The results found indicate that the impact of technology that enters through globalization in the countries is very small, both in developed and in developing countries.