FDI attraction : comparative analysis of the Baltic States and Georgia

Abstract

The attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) is usually an economic policy priority due to its positive effects on economic growth because of new capital and technology, higher employment, new management practices, improvements in the quality of services, as well as innovation and lower production costs. This paper aims to assess the investment climate in the Baltic states and Georgia and evaluate what are the appropriate FDI policy objectives and approaches there. It considers three international indices as measures of investment climate: Index of Economic Freedom, Corruption Perceptions Index, and Ease of Doing Business Index. The results suggest that all three international indices are useful in assessing investment liberalization, promotion and facilitation. This paper argues that FDI policy needs to consider country-specific characteristics: for countries above a certain threshold FDI attraction depends mostly on macroeconomic and external factors, while other countries need to focus on specific reforms to improve investment climate.