Public Management of Private Foreign Investment: The Complementarity of Promotion and Control

Abstract

Public administrations all over the world are interested in attracting more foreign direct investment to their regions. For many governments, however, especially those in developing countries, this new‐found enthusiasm towards promoting investment appears to be at odds with an historical emphasis on closely controlling foreign investment. This study examines the manner in which ten developing countries manage foreign investment in order to assess the extent to which the functions of promoting and controlling foreign investment substitute for, or complement, each other. The data suggest that most governments in developing countries do view promotion and control as functions that do not co‐exist well. The experiences of a few countries, however, demonstrate that under the right conditions these separate functions can be carried out even within the same organisation.

Citation

Wint, A.G. (1991), "Public Management of Private Foreign Investment: The Complementarity of Promotion and Control", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 31-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513559110002658