Alice Owen, head of sustainable development at Yorkshire Forward, a British regional development agency, sounds excited when she talks about the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

The cost of insuring overseas investments against political risks such as nationalisation and exchange controls has soared since 11 September 2001 but insurance brokers insist cover can still be obtained for most countries.

Charles Simonds reports

Companies looking to locate overseas in smaller markets, where specialised knowledge and contacts are vital for negotiating the minefield of bureaucracy, are advised to contact a Iocal investment promotion agency, says Jules Stewart

The Chinese government has decided to fully open Shenzhen, China's most successful special economic zone (SEZ), to foreign investment.

The 2nd World Free Zone Convention was held in London earlier this year and was attended by delegates from 50 countries.

What can countries and regions do to facilitate FDI in tough times?

What can international organisations such as the World Bank and UNCTAD do to facilitate FDI?

How do you expect the character of FDI to change over the next few years?

Can FDI flourish even when portfolio investors are running for cover?

What is the outlook for FDI flows? Are there any grounds for optimism?

As our survey of eight Russian regions shows, investing in the great bear is as hazardous as it is haphazard and nothing oils the works better than a good rapport with the governor, writes Brian Caplen.

PepsiCo’s joint venture with a Chinese partner has ended in tears, brought down by disputes over profits, government intervention and management style. The upshot is that is that foreign multinationals will likely opt for wholly owned operations, Louise de Rosario reports from Beijing.

In the global battle between countries to lead in the biotech sector, IPAs are setting up partnerships and exploiting links between experts, to build their region’s “critical mass”. Ashleigh Lezard reports

Besides current financial concerns, investors looking to buy into US life sciences should beware. Staff motivation and retention is a critical issue and should be examined closely. Investors should also be aware that determining ownership of vital intellectual property can be a complex process under US law.

FDI Xchange, the information service started up by the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and launched in April of this year, now has 1800 subscribers.

Despite the attacks of September 11, bad government – not terrorism or security risk issues – is the biggest risk to business, according to RiskWire, a new service from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

When the world’s leaders arrived in Johannesburg at the World Summit at the beginning of September, the first thing they saw was not the protests of the poor and landless, nor the banners of those lobbying for greater access to water in developing countries. Instead, they were greeted by enormous advertisements for BMW cars, and whisked to their hotels in a fleet of silver Mercedes.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development, which took place in Johannesburg earlier this month, concluded that FDI has an important role to play in economic development. But, as shown by a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) entitled “World Investment Report 2002” documents, world FDI flows declined in 2001 by some 50% and may decline further this year.

German chemical giant BASF is to donate E1m in immediate aid to victims of floods in Central Europe. In addition, the company will match the amount donated by its employees to a relief fund.

Inward investment in Scotland has plummeted from Ł1.7bn for the financial year 2000/1 to just Ł271m in financial year 2001/2. Although this falloff is similar to the general decline in FDI flows around the world, Scotland has suffered mainly from the collapse of the electronics industry. In the last financial year electronics represented 18% of total projects, down from 25% the previous year.

It is often said that large transnational corporations (TNCs) are more powerful than entire national economies. Now here are the statistics to prove it.

Economists are divided on whether extensive legal and incentive reforms to improve Vietnam’s investment climate will attract more foreign direct investment. The latest proposed reforms follow amendments to the investment law made earlier this year.

US President George W Bush has approved an expansion in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), paving the way for increased investment and trading opportunities between Africa and the US. New provisions include tariff-free trade of “knit-to-shape” garments, such as socks and other apparel.

The days when foreign direct investment meant companies from rich countries setting up shop in poor countries and exploiting the local workforce and environment are over. This month, fDI shows how today’s investment is more diverse in terms of geography, requirements and principle actors.