Business and investment facilitation have become central to both private sector development and FDI attraction efforts of governments in developing countries. At the core are information provision, transparency of rules and regulations, and streamlining of administrative procedures. Because these elements are information- and procedures-based, digitalization is central to effective implementation. They have thus led to a wave of digital government initiatives, including information portals and online single windows. Digital government has the potential to address many institutional challenges faced in developing countries, strengthening governance, reducing costs, improving services, and combating corruption. Because governance and institutional weaknesses are a key obstacle to attracting investment in many developing countries, digital government and the promotion of investment for sustainable development are closely intertwined.
This report focuses on special economic zones (SEZs) which are widely used across most developing and many developed economies. It explores the place of SEZs in today's global investment landscape and provides guidance for policymakers on how to make SEZs work for sustainable development. It presents international investment trends and prospects at global, regional and national levels, as well as the evolution of international production and global value chains. It analyses the latest developments in new policy measures for investment promotion, facilitation and regulation around the world.
The Global Investment Competitiveness report presents new insights and evidence on drivers of foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries, and FDI’s role in development. The report’s survey of 750 executives of multinational corporations finds that a business-friendly legal and regulatory environment is a key driver of investment decisions in developing countries, along with political stability, security, and macroeconomic conditions. The report’s topic-specific chapters explore the potential of FDI to create new growth opportunities for local firms, assess the power of tax holidays and other fiscal incentives to attract FDI, analyze characteristics of FDI originating in developing countries, and examine the experience of foreign investors in countries affected by conflict and fragility. Three key features of this Global Investment Competitiveness report distinguish it from other publications on FDI. First, its insights are based on a combination of first-hand perspectives of investors, extensive analysis of available data and evidence, and international good practices in investment policy design and implementation. Secondly, rather than exploring broad FDI trends, the report provides detailed and unique analysis of FDI depending on its motivation, sector, geographic origin and destination, and phase of investment. Thirdly, the report offers practical and actionable recommendations to policymakers in developing countries wishing to reform their business climates for increased investment competitiveness. As such, the report is meant to complement other knowledge products of the World Bank Group focused even more explicitly on country-level data, detailed reform diagnostics, and presentation of best practices. We are confident this report will bring value and fresh perspectives to a variety of audiences. To governments and policymakers, including investment promotion professionals, the report offers direct insights into the role of government policies and actions in investors’ decision-making. To foreign investors and site location consultants, the report provides information on FDI trends and drivers across sectors and geographies. For academic audiences, the new datasets on investment incentives and FDI motivations enables opportunities for additional research and analysis. Lastly, for development assistance providers and other stakeholders, the report highlights key approaches for maximizing FDI’s benefits for development.
Foreign Direct Investment Statistics: How Countries Measure FDI shows progress in recent years in moving toward compilation in accordance with international standards that have been established by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the ...
The Global Investment Competitiveness Report 2019-2020 provides novel analytical insights, empirical evidence, and actionable recommendations for governments seeking to enhance investor confidence in times of uncertainty. The report's findings and policy recommendations are organized around "3 ICs" - they provide guidance to governments on how to increase investments' contributions to their country's development, enhance investor confidence, and foster their economies' investment competitiveness. The report presents results of a new survey of more than 2,400 business executives representing FDI in 10 large developing countries: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. The results show that over half of surveyed foreign businesses have already been adversely affected by policy uncertainty, experiencing a decrease in employment, firm productivity, or investment. Foreign investors report that supporting political environments, stable macroeconomic conditions, and conducive regulatory regimes are their top three investment decision factors. Moreover, the report's new global database of regulatory risk shows that predictability and transparency increase investor confidence and FDI flows. The report also assesses the impact of FD! on poverty, inequality, employment, and firm performance using evidence from various countries. It shows that FDI in developing countries yields benefits to their firms and citizens-including more and better-paid jobs-but governments need to be vigilant about possible adverse consequences on income distribution. The report is organized in S chapters: Chapter 1 presents the results of the foreign investor survey. Chapter 2 explores the differential performance and development impact of greenfield FDI, local firms acquired by multinational corporations {i.e. brownfield FDI), and domestically-owned firms using evidence from six countries. Chapter 3 assesses the impact of FDI on poverty, inequality, employment and wages, using case study evidence from Ethiopia, Turkey and Vietnam. Chapter 4 presents a new framework to measure FDI regulatory risk that is linked to specific legal and regulatory measures. Chapter S focuses on factors for increasing the effectiveness of investment promotion agencies.
"The World Investment Report 2018 provides analysis of the interaction between new industrial policies and investment policies. It provides an overview of industrial policy models - based on an inventory of industrial policies adopted by more than 100 countries over the last decade - and the role of investment policies within each model. The Report illustrates how investment policy instruments are used differently across various models and suggests ways to improve the impact of industrial policy through more effective and efficient investment policies. Finally, the Report offers recommendations to update existing investment policy instruments, including investment incentives, special economic zones, investment facilitation and foreign investment screening mechanisms."--Provided by publisher.
This annual report examines the major sectoral and geographical changes in the pattern of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, particularly with regards to developing countries. After three years of decline in global investment flows, there are signs of revival in FDI, particularly in the services sector which makes up the largest economic sector in many countries. The 2004 edition looks at the shift towards services and examines the development challenges and opportunities likely to arise. The report is divided into three parts and considers a variety of issues including: regional FDI trends in Central and Eastern Europe, developing and developed countries; changing patterns of FDI in services, key players and driving forces, and the impact on host countries; the offshoring of corporate service functions; national and international policy challenges both for host and home countries.
The World Investment Report 2008 presents the latest data on foreign direct investment (FDI) and traces global and regional trends in FDI and in international production by transnational corporations (TNCs). This year's report puts a special focus on the role of TNCs in meeting the huge needs of developing countries for infrastructure such as roads, ports, water, gas and electricity supply, and telecommunications. Drawing on unique data, this year, the Report examines the universe of the largest TNCs investing in infrastructure industries and the increasing role of TNCs from the South in contributing to infrastructure in other developing economies. The Report explores how the participation of TNCs brings benefits, but also entails risks and costs. It considers how the mix of public and private (including TNC) involvement can help spur foreign investment and knowledge transfer to countries that need such inflows.
