City Research Online

Abstract

In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx famously stated that ‘[t]he theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.’ By this, Marx was primarily referring to private property in the means of production: factories, land, resources, and tools used to produce goods and generate profit. Given this ideological stance, it may seem antithetical for a communist country to sign an international investment treaty designed to provide legal protections to foreign private investors, including their property rights. Yet, many communist countries have done precisely that, raising the question: what motivates communist countries to adopt such economic policies, and how do they reconcile this approach with their ideology?

Publication Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Additional Information:	Copyright 2026, the authors.
Publisher Keywords:	Political Economy; Yugoslavia; Investment Treaty; Diplomacy
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Departments:	The City Law School The City Law School > Academic Programmes The City Law School > CLS Working Paper Series
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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