Investigating the Impact of Emerging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa

We are offering a self-funded PhD position in Strategy Entrepreneurship and International Business with the Brunel Business School. The project focuses on investigating the impact of emerging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions about the project or would like to arrange an informal discussion, please reach out to Dr Jun Hou at jun.hou@brunel.ac.uk.

The project

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has long been a critical driver of economic growth, employment, and structural transformation in developing countries.

Recent years have witnessed a shift in the origins of FDI, with an increasing share coming from emerging economies such as China, India, and other rising global players.

Unlike traditional FDI from Western countries, investment from these emerging economies often carries unique characteristics in terms of objectives, investment strategies, and impacts on host economies.

This project seeks to conduct a firm-level analysis combined with in-depth case studies to explore the multifaceted impacts of emerging FDI on Sub-Saharan African economies.

The research will focus on investments originating from China and India, with an emphasis on their economic, employment, and social impacts and their development contributions.

The student will be required to undertake a comprehensive review of existing literature on the impact of FDI, with particular attention to emerging economies' investments.

This will include studying the theoretical and empirical work on FDI's role in fostering economic growth, enhancing employment opportunities, and generating social benefits or challenges.

The research will primarily employ a quantitative approach using econometric modelling to assess the direct and spillover effects of emerging FDI on firm performance, labour productivity, and sectoral growth in selected African economies.

The student will also conduct case studies to explore the context-specific impacts that may not be fully captured in quantitative data. The project will offer the student the opportunity to collaborate with external stakeholders, including government agencies, international development organisations, and industry leaders.

Eligibility

To undertake this project successfully, the ideal candidate should have an academic background in business, economics, or management, preferably with solid quantitative skills.

Prior experience with econometric modelling and familiarity with data analysis software (e.g., Stata or R) will be advantageous.

Strong analytical and communication skills are also essential for engaging with external stakeholders.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the above PhD topic please follow the steps below:

1. Contact the supervisor by email or phone to discuss your interest and find out if you would be suitable. Supervisor details can be found on this topic page. The supervisor will guide you in developing the topic-specific research proposal, which will form part of your application.
2. Click on the 'Apply here' button on this page and you will be taken to the relevant PhD course page, where you can apply using an online application.
3. Complete the online application indicating your selected supervisor and include the research proposal for the topic you have selected.

Good luck!

This is a self funded topic

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. See more information here: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/Research-degree-funding. The UK Government is also offering Doctoral Student Loans for eligible students, and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Jun Hou - Dr Jun Hou is a Senior Lecturer at Brunel Business School. Prior to Brunel, Jun was previously a senior lecturer at the University of Lincoln and a research officer at the University of Oxford. He participated in multiple international research projects such as Diffusion of Innovation in Low-Income countries (DILIC, funded by ESRC-DFID) and Multinational Enterprises and Global Development (MNEmerge, EU FP7). Jun has also worked in several international organisations including the Overseas Development Institute, London (ODI) and The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). At ODI, he worked on several research projects sponsored by the Department for International Development (UK government), for example 'Support Economic Transformation (SET)' and 'The Shift of Manufacturing Employment in China (Link)'. 

Related Research Group(s)

Strategy Entrepreneurship and International Business - Our themes of research range from entrepreneurial and internationalisation strategies of small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to inward and outward investment by large enterprises and supra-national governance.