Technology Transfer: Role of FDI and Trade Case of Tunisia

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze by which means Tunisia transfers to her area the technology is it through foreign investment or international trade? The answers to this problem was gradual as we followed an approach using economic theory, the reality of Tunisia and econometric and statistical tools. We tested the relation between Technology transfers and the Foreign investment, trade in Tunisia over a period of 38 years from 1975 to 2013.So, we estimated in two phases, for the 1^ST estimation is for the economic growth equation, and we deduced that residue is a proxy of technology. Then as a second phase, we regressed on European Foreign investment, exports of manufactures, imports of goods in addition to other variable to test the robustness of the results and describing the level of infrastructure in the country.

 Thus, it appears from our study that foreign direct investment does not contribute in transferring the technology and does not have an impact on the economic growth of Tunisia. However, it follows from our study that the international trade only through the imports represent the main channel of technology transfer in Tunisia