The World Investment Report 2008 presents the latest data on foreign direct investment (FDI) and traces global and regional trends in FDI and in international production by transnational corporations (TNCs). This year's report puts a special focus on the role of TNCs in meeting the huge needs of developing countries for infrastructure such as roads, ports, water, gas and electricity supply, and telecommunications. Drawing on unique data, this year, the Report examines the universe of the largest TNCs investing in infrastructure industries and the increasing role of TNCs from the South in contributing to infrastructure in other developing economies. The Report explores how the participation of TNCs brings benefits, but also entails risks and costs. It considers how the mix of public and private (including TNC) involvement can help spur foreign investment and knowledge transfer to countries that need such inflows.

Transnational Corporations is a policy-oriented journal for the publication of research on the activities of transnational corporations and their implication for economic development. Articles accepted for publication in this issue report on the following research themes: international tax

This annual report is widely regarded as the most authoritative source of data and analysis on the trends of foreign direct investment and developments in related national and international policy. Every issue of the report comprises an analysis of the trends in foreign direct investment during the previous year; with special emphasis on the development implications. It also provides a ranking of the largest transnational corporations in the world, in-depth analysis of a specific topic related to foreign direct investment, policy analysis and recommendations, and a statistical annex with data on foreign direct investment flows and stocks for nearly 200 economies. The 2012 edition presents a comprehensive investment policy framework for sustainable development, covering both its national and international dimensions

The result of two years work by 19 experienced policymakers and two Nobel prize-winning economists, 'The Growth Report' is the most complete analysis to date of the ingredients which, if used in the right country-specific recipe, can deliver growth and help lift populations out of poverty.

The world's demand for food is expected to double within the next 50 years, while the natural resources that sustain agriculture will become increasingly scarce, degraded, and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In many poor countries, agriculture accounts for at least 40 percent of GDP and 80 percent of employment. At the same time, about 70 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas and most depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. 'World Development Report 2008' seeks to assess where, when, and how agriculture can be an effective instrument for economic development, especially development that favors the poor. It examines several broad questions: How has agriculture changed in developing countries in the past 20 years? What are the important new challenges and opportunities for agriculture? Which new sources of agricultural growth can be captured cost effectively in particular in poor countries with large agricultural sectors as in Africa? How can agricultural growth be made more effective for poverty reduction? How can governments facilitate the transition of large populations out of agriculture, without simply transferring the burden of rural poverty to urban areas? How can the natural resource endowment for agriculture be protected? How can agriculture's negative environmental effects be contained? This year's report marks the 30th year the World Bank has been publishing the 'World Development Report'.

The Global Investment Competitiveness Report 2019-2020 provides novel analytical insights, empirical evidence, and actionable recommendations for governments seeking to enhance investor confidence in times of uncertainty. The report's findings and policy recommendations are organized around "3 ICs" - they provide guidance to governments on how to increase investments' contributions to their country's development, enhance investor confidence, and foster their economies' investment competitiveness. The report presents results of a new survey of more than 2,400 business executives representing FDI in 10 large developing countries: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. The results show that over half of surveyed foreign businesses have already been adversely affected by policy uncertainty, experiencing a decrease in employment, firm productivity, or investment. Foreign investors report that supporting political environments, stable macroeconomic conditions, and conducive regulatory regimes are their top three investment decision factors. Moreover, the report's new global database of regulatory risk shows that predictability and transparency increase investor confidence and FDI flows. The report also assesses the impact of FD! on poverty, inequality, employment, and firm performance using evidence from various countries. It shows that FDI in developing countries yields benefits to their firms and citizens-including more and better-paid jobs-but governments need to be vigilant about possible adverse consequences on income distribution. The report is organized in S chapters: Chapter 1 presents the results of the foreign investor survey. Chapter 2 explores the differential performance and development impact of greenfield FDI, local firms acquired by multinational corporations {i.e. brownfield FDI), and domestically-owned firms using evidence from six countries. Chapter 3 assesses the impact of FDI on poverty, inequality, employment and wages, using case study evidence from Ethiopia, Turkey and Vietnam. Chapter 4 presents a new framework to measure FDI regulatory risk that is linked to specific legal and regulatory measures. Chapter S focuses on factors for increasing the effectiveness of investment promotion agencies.

This study analyzes the characteristics, motivations, strategies, and needs of FDI from emerging markets. It draws from a survey of investors and potential investors in Brazil, India, South Korea, and South Africa.

This report is part of a series of annual reports which provide data and analysis on recent trends in foreign direct investment, the activities of transnational corporations and relevant policy issues, along with in-depth examinations of selected themes regarding the role of transnational corporations in worldwide economic development. This report focuses the decline which poses challenges for many developing countries, as FDI has become their largest source of external financing. The impact is analysed in detail in the first part of the report. It also examines the role that transnational corporations (TNCs) play in agricultural production in developing countries. There is renewed and growing interest in this sector, provoked in part by the recent food crisis and concerns about food security. The report looks at this trend, including the rise of South-South investment, and at specific cases of host countries and industries in which TNCs are active in a meaningful way.