Abstract
Does the partisan composition of state governments in the United States influence the location decisions of foreign multinational companies? This article argues that it does. We contend that partisan differences over state economic development policies still exist. Whereas Republicans tend to prefer an investment-driven (supply-side) growth model, Democrats favor a consumption-driven (demand-side) path to growth. Both sets of policies are of value to foreign direct investment; thus, multinationals do not favor one party over the other. A useful blend of policy measures is sought by foreign firms, making split state government preferable over unified government. Our arguments are comprehensively tested in a time-series cross-section analysis covering the period 1977–2004, with results supporting our claims.
