Foreign Direct Investment as a Key Driver for Trade, Growth and Prosperity

Trade and investment are adding to global prosperity, albeit in a patchy regulatory landscape. A number of barriers have stunted the growth of foreign direct investment (FDI), the flow of investment funds from one country to another for business assets such as factories and equipment. Public subsidies distort FDI inflows and outflows, while thousands of bilateral investment treaties and regional trade agreements create an incoherent, risky environment for sources of FDI. Past attempts to correct these deficiencies have failed, but this expert report from the World Economic Forum says the time may be right for a multilateral agreement on investment. Though its technical content may challenge readers unfamiliar with international trade regulation and its recent history, getAbstract recommends this authoritative report to anyone interested in the inconsistencies in international investment regulations and their consequences for global growth.