City Research Online

Abstract

An increasing proportion of outward foreign direct investment (‘FDI’) now originates from emerging market economies. This represents a new stage of globalization that appears to have resulted in modifications to the existing regime of international investment law, created largely to serve the needs of Western multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the 20th Century. This article will examine some trends in international investment law that may indicate a rejection of liberalization in favour of greater control by host states, some aspects of which should be viewed in a positive light because of their acknowledgement of important public interest concerns. While these regulatory restrictions on FDI may not have been pursued specifically to disadvantage emerging market MNEs, these firms may face difficulties that their western counterparts did not, in large part because of greater recognition of the need for sustainability in international investment policy, entrenching so-called ‘first mover advantage’. The article concludes by recommending greater use of partnerships between host states and foreign investors as well as a balanced approach to the interpretation of FDI-restrictive laws.

Publication Type:	Article
Subjects:	K Law > K Law (General)
Departments:	The City Law School > Academic Programmes The City Law School > International Law and Affairs Group
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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