Category: Investment

Why are global FDI flows falling and what can governments do?

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Global flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) have been declining for several years, well before the pandemic hit in early 2020. While these flows can be cyclical, as with any other type of investment, they have been falling both in absolute amounts and relative to overall GDP for several years, causing many to wonder whether there has been a structural change in the global economy. OECD’s Stephen Thomsen takes a look at this worrying trend and at what governments can do about it.

In the fight against deforestation, companies can turn to due diligence tools

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Behind every deforestation struggle is a global supply chain. The demand for commodities in one place can lead to the loss of forest in another, particularly when forest area is converted to other land uses such as agricultural production. This column looks at how the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and related due diligence guidance can help companies understand how they can help address biodiversity challenges, amongst other environmental risks, in their business operations, supply chains and relationships.

Can development aid enhance the resilience of investment in developing countries?

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The current crisis is stretching developing countries’ financing capacities to their limits. Already suffering from rising debt levels and the risk of debt distress, and insufficient domestic and external financing resources, developing countries are now struggling to mitigate the interrelated health, humanitarian and economic effects of the pandemic.

Foreign direct investment during the pandemic: A buffer for jobs?

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The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a global humanitarian, social and economic crisis. Poverty will rise for the first time since 1998, with hundreds of millions of jobs lost and livelihoods affected. Many of the jobs affected by the pandemic depend on investments and operations of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their buyers and suppliers in global value chains. But foreign direct investment (FDI) is estimated to fall by at least 30% in 2020 – meaning that fewer jobs than expected have been and will be created.