This study is the result of research undertaken by the Netherlands Economic Institute, Division Balanced International Growth, Rotterdam, under the auspices of the O.E.C.D. Development Centre. In the division of labour agreed with professor Grant L. Reuber, who directed a parallel study under the auspices of the Centre' , the N.E.I. research deals with the evaluation of economic effects of private foreign investment in developing countries. The effects studied are confined to macro-economic effects which are quantifi able. The lack of a satisfactory methodology for the assessment of these effects seemed to justify this limitation in the approach to the evaluation of private foreign investment. The study is organized as follows. Part I reviews briefly and critically the literature about the evaluation of private foreign investment and suggests the need for an appropriate macro-economic methodology. Part II develops the principles and techniques for such a methodology which is applied empirical ly to data for five developing countries in Part III. While Parts II and III are concerned with the effects of aggregated volumes of private foreign invest of the previous parts, the appraisal of ment, Part IV considers, independently projects financed through foreign investment and discusses the special fea tures of social benefit-cost analysis of such projects.

This study is the result of research undertaken by the Netherlands Economic Institute, Division Balanced International Growth, Rotterdam, under the auspices of the O.E.C.D. Development Centre. In the division of labour agreed with professor Grant L. Reuber, who directed a parallel study under the auspices of the Centre' , the N.E.I. research deals with the evaluation of economic effects of private foreign investment in developing countries. The effects studied are confined to macro-economic effects which are quantifi able. The lack of a satisfactory methodology for the assessment of these effects seemed to justify this limitation in the approach to the evaluation of private foreign investment. The study is organized as follows. Part I reviews briefly and critically the literature about the evaluation of private foreign investment and suggests the need for an appropriate macro-economic methodology. Part II develops the principles and techniques for such a methodology which is applied empirical ly to data for five developing countries in Part III. While Parts II and III are concerned with the effects of aggregated volumes of private foreign invest of the previous parts, the appraisal of ment, Part IV considers, independently projects financed through foreign investment and discusses the special fea tures of social benefit-cost analysis of such projects.

Text of papers and debates following a conference held by representatives of two multinational companies, of a public investment body and of countries like India, the Caribbean and Mexico, with respect to aspects of private foreign investment including taxation and joint venture prospects in developing countries.

Explores three related issues of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the point of view of the host country: benefits and risks; the effectiveness of international markets in providing FDI to developing countries; and the kinds of policies that allow countries to capture the benefits and avoid the risks of FDI. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In development literature Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is traditionally considered to be instrumental for the economic growth of all countries, particularly the developing ones. It acts as a panacea for breaking out of the vicious circle of low savings/low income and facilitates the import of capital goods and advanced technical knowhow. This book delves into the complex interaction of FDI with diverse factors. While FDI affects the efficiency of domestic producers through technological diffusion and spill-over effects, it also impinges on the labor market, affecting unemployment levels, human capital formation, wages (and wage inequality) and poverty; furthermore, it has important implications for socio-economic issues such as child labor, agricultural disputes over Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and environmental pollution. The empirical evidence with regard to most of the effects of FDI is highly mixed and reflects the fact that there are a number of mechanisms involved that interact with each other to produce opposing results. The book highlights the theoretical underpinnings behind the inherent contradictions and shows that the final outcome depends on a number of country-specific factors such as the nature of non-traded goods, factor endowments, technological and institutional factors. Thus, though not exhaustive, the book integrates FDI within most of the existing economic systems in order to define its much-debated role in developing economies. A theoretical analysis of the different facets of FDI as proposed in the book is thus indispensable, especially for the formulation of appropriate policies for foreign capital.

At head of title: Development Centre of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris.