Marketing a Country: Promotion as a Tool for Attracting Foreign Investment

Abstract

This study is about the promotional techniques and structures that countries employ in their competition to attract foreign direct investment. On the basis of the evidence collected by the authors, it is argued that : 1) different combinations of promotional techniques are useful at different phases of a promotion program; 2) the type of organization responsible for promotion makes a difference in effectiveness; 3) there are various useful ways to evaluate a promotion program; 4) investment promotion appears to have a statistically significant influence on foreign investment flows; and 5) investment promotion programs have proved effective in attracting only certain kinds of investors. Promotional techniques consist of : a) providing information to potential investors; b) creating an attractive image of the country as a place to invest; and c) providing services to prospective investors. However, promotion is only one of several tools available to countries eager to attract foreign investment. Governments can : i) provide tax incentives and grants; ii) provide industrial estates, export processing zones, and other infrastructure; iii) attempt to simplify the bureaucratic procedures facing potential investors; iv) negotiate bilateral tax, trade and investment treaties; and v) attempt to create a favorable environment by guaranteeing repatriation of profits, assuring access to imported components, and promising not to expropriate property without compensation.

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