For some businesses being part of a cluster is essential. For others, such close proximity to the competition is undesirable. Yet the former’s voice is often heard, and the latter’s seldom. In this issue, fDi asks the unasked questions about business clusters. Courtney Fingar explains.

Despite being embroiled in a legal dispute in Russia, Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor remains committed to expansion overseas, building on its successful investments in central Europe and Asia, writes Ginanne Brownell.

Thwarted by rejected planning applications, Vestas’ problems in the UK reflect the stagnation of the country’s wind energy project, finds Ginanne Brownell.

Western companies operating in developing economies are in a better position to ride out the recession, as long as they take the right approach and avoid making any of the seven common errors highlighted by Sukhendu Pal.

With a $700m budget surplus, North Dakota and its governor have the liquidity to launch incentives to attract foreign investors, which resulted in the state boasting the best economic growth rate in the US last year, writes Ginanne Brownell.

The violence, poverty and corruption that has blighted Haiti over the past few years has given way to an air of peace, efficiency and optimism. Michael Deibert reports.

The Texan port of Corpus Christi is ideally placed to engage with the Cuban energy industry – so long as the US Congress lifts its long-running trade embargo. Karen E Thuermer reports.

India has surpassed China for the first time as a destination for R&D.

The governor of the Philippines’ central bank tells Michelle Price how swift and early action helped the country stave off the worst effects of the credit crisis, and why a favourable inflationary outlook points to a positive future.

China wants an international financial centre in Shanghai, but there are obstacles ahead, writes Geraldine Lambe.

The past few years have been turbulent even by Ukraine’s standards, but prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko insists the situation will settle after next year’s presidential elections, writes Courtney Fingar.

St Petersburg governor Valentina Matvienko talks to Courtney Fingar about how the city’s diversified economy and highly developed manufacturing and technology sectors are helping to soften the blows of the global recession.

Slowing business and rising unemployment are a cause for concern in Latvia as it faces a bleak winter, although government plans to boost Riga’s entertainment sector may bring some welcome heat back to the country’s ailing economy, reports Courtney Fingar.

Estonia’s response to the economic crisis has been ­indicative of how extraordinarily flexible, efficient and non-restrictive its economy is – traits that endear the small, nimble country to foreign investors.

There is more to the region of Murcia than golf courses and beaches. Developments in transport, construction, education and technology are attracting investors to Spain’s fastest growing autonomous community, writes Ginanne Brownell.

Flanders is poised to become one of the top European regions for investment during the next decade following a government-led initiative supporting public-private bodies to develop talent, technology and business, writes Tom Blass.

Ministers from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Namibia and Mauritius tell Wendy Atkins why investors staying away from sub-Saharan Africa should banish their pre-conceptions.

A corruption case in France against three African leaders has thrown into question the economic relationships between developed countries and their former colonies, reports Michael Deibert.

There is a growing trend to improve national food security by investing in foreign farmlands. But will it actually work, or does it raise a whole new range of social and political risks, asks Adrian Lewers of Lloyd’s insurer Beazley.

Conventional wisdom states that being part of a cluster is integral to companies operating within certain sectors. Lara Williams investigates whether business clusters justify the huge hype that surrounds them.

Advances in telecoms technology, and the demand for such products in emerging economies, could play a key role in the world’s recovery from recession, writes Wendy Atkins.

World Bank research Suggests that too many investment promotion agencies around the world are allowing opportunities to slip between their fingers because of poor information and advice for prospective investors.

After many years of boom for various countries around the world, the second half of 2008 represented a significant turning point.