The success of the newly industrializing countries of the 1970s brought with it the hope that other Third World countries would soon be able to follow a similar path to development. The conditions facing this second generation of NICs appear far more unfavourable than those which faced the first...

In support of their industrialisation efforts developing countries are offering a number of incentives to investors in order to compensate the latter for shortcomings and handicaps resulting from the countries' development status. Do these incentives serve their purpose?