ABSTRACT
We have seen from Chapter 5 that the outward direct investment of countries reflects their traditional comparative advantages in that the competitive advantages of these countries are associated with their natural asset advantages. In this chapter we shall compare the extent and industrial distribution of international economic activity across the manufacturing sector between a sample of countries of different sizes and endowments in natural resources, so that we can evaluate whether or not these differences are reflected in the created assets of their MNEs if we exclude the sectors in which competitive advantages derive directly from access to natural assets. We intend to examine the importance of countryspecific determinants in influencing the outward investment activity of firms from these countries, as well as their exports.
