The developing countries are caught in the cleft stick of assertion of national interests and independence, on one side, and need for an improved investment climate to attract foreign direct investment, on the other. The question facing the foreign firms is how they can safeguard their capital...

In its October-issue INTERECONOMICS published an article on Foreign Enterprises in Mexico. The present article deals with the role of multinationals in Colombia, their merits and the complaints about them. Colombia is of particular interest as a member of the Andes Pact.

Foreign direct investment flows to developing countries have undergone major changes in recent years, both regarding their scope and their determinants. This article reviews some new trends in this area and focuses specifically on their implications for export processing zones which in the past...

The Pros and Cons of direct investment promotion measures in overseas countries have recently become the subject of fierce controversy in all industrialised countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany. Advocates and opponents of such measures, however, almost exclusively try to analyse...

Many observations made in recent years suggest that even the developing countries which were previously known to have a sceptical approach to direct foreign investment have begun to take a fresh look at the situation. Undoubtedly, experiences with domestic state-owned enterprises and general...

Insufficient capital and foreign exchange have often been portrayed as key constraints to the growth and development of less developed countries. These economies have thus come to rely on foreign direct investment as a means of increasing their capital base and foreign exchange reserves and, via...

The effects of direct investments and multinational corporations remain a highly contentious issue. The author traces here the reasons for the large number of diverging statements and comments on this issue and considers what political conclusions should be drawn from this wide variety of views.