This book provides an excellent overview of the changing relationship between multinationals and economic development as globalization has taken off, and substantially altered the conditions for catching up as opposed to falling behind. The authors move very effectively between the discussion of concepts that are crucial to understanding such changes, and various empirical evidence on foreign direct investment, trade, inter-firm relationships, institutional settings and competitiveness. John Cantwell, Rutgers University, US The globalisation of the world economy has undermined many of the old certainties regarding foreign direct investment flows. Dunning and Narula use the concepts of alliance capitalism and technological evolution to analyse recent trends in international business. They identify the challenges to government policymakers from regional integration, and the consequent intensification of political competition to attract high-technology investment. This masterful and incisive analysis brings great clarity to perplexing issues, and delineates a cogent industrial policy agenda for a globalised economy. Mark Casson, University of Reading, UK This book offers an important contribution to the contemporary debate on the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in economic development in an increasingly globalizing, knowledge-intensive and alliance-based world economy. Each of the chapters touches upon critical issues now facing the global economy. They also address the growing importance of innovative activities of firms in promoting economic development and industrial restructuring, as well as the role of FDI and cooperative agreements in furthering this goal. Emphasis is placed on the increasingly significant role of national governments in promoting the intellectual capital of their indigenous resources and capabilities, and of inter-firm collaborative alliances. Globalization and technological advances are reconfiguring the ingredients of the competitiveness of firms and nation states. They are emphasizing the increasingly important role of both private and social institutions as determinants of the success of corporations and of the economic development of societies. Covering a range of issues from economic development, alliance capitalism, government policies, regional integration and industrial development, this authoritative book will greatly appeal to academics and economists, especially those interested in international business and management.

Multinational Investment and Economic Structure examines the relationship between industrial development and foreign direct investment (FDI) activities, and the interaction between multinational (MNE) activity and economic structures. It deals with the changing structure of the world economy as a whole, and the dynamics of the relationship between industrial development and the extent of FDI activities across countries. It evaluates the concurrent (and interrelated) evolutionary processes behind economic growth and MNE activity and how these evolutionary forces impact on the economic structure of individual economies in the industrialised world as their economies converge through globalisation.

In order for foreign direct investment to have deep and lasting positive effects on host countries, it is essential that multinational corporations have close direct and indirect interaction with local firms. A valuable addition to the emerging literature on multinational-local firm interfaces, this book provides a number of case studies from emerging economies that examine such mutually beneficial business relationships and the policy measures necessary to support them.

This book explores some aspects of the interface between technology, competitiveness and the role of multinational enterprises in the world economy. This group of essays stresses the role of asset creation and usage, rather than reliance on natural factor endowments as a basis for national competitiveness and examines the role of multinational enterprises as vehicles for technological transfer, and the efficient co-ordination of economic activity across national boundaries.

How multinationals contribute, or don't, to global prosperity Globalization and multinational corporations have long seemed partners in the enterprise of economic growth: globalization-led prosperity was the goal, and giant corporations spanning the globe would help achieve it. In recent years, however, the notion that all economies, both developed and developing, can prosper from globalization has been called into question by political figures and has fueled a populist backlash around the world against globalization and the corporations that made it possible. In an effort to elevate the sometimes contentious public debate over the conduct and operation of multinational corporations, this edited volume examines key questions about their role, both in their home countries and in the rest of the world where they do business. Is their multinational nature an essential driver of their profits? Do U.S. and European multinationals contribute to home country employment? Do multinational firms exploit foreign workers? How do multinationals influence foreign policy? How will the rise of the digital economy and digital trade in services affect multinationals? In addressing these and similar questions, the book also examines the role that multinational corporations play in the outcomes that policymakers care about most: economic growth, jobs, inequality, and tax fairness.

Since the bursting of Japan’s bubble economy, from 1990 onwards, its multinational companies (MNCs) have faced new competitive challenges, and questions about the management practices on which they had built their initial success in global markets. Japanese engagement in the international economy has undergone a number of phases. Historically, Japanese MNCs learnt from foreign companies, frequently through strategic alliances. After the post-war ‘economic miracle’, Japanese manufacturers in particular converted themselves into MNCs, transferred their home-grown capabilities to overseas subsidiaries, and made an impact on the world economy. But the period after 1990 marked declining Japanese competitiveness, and asked questions about the ability of Japanese MNCs to be more responsive and global in their strategies, organization, and capabilities. It has been argued that the established management practices of Japanese MNCs inhibited adaptation to recent demands of global competition. This volume presents new case evidence on how Japanese MNCs have responded to the new challenges of the global market place, and it provides examples of how they have transformed strategies and competitive capabilities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.