The role of foreign investment in mineral development : a comparative analysis

Abstract

My aim in undertaking this thesis was to discover, as accurately as possible, what occurs in and between countries when foreign investments are made in mineral development. In this regard, two areas were identified as requiring attention. 1) The nature of the transactions which constitute the process of foreign investment on the physical level. What is involved here are movements across national boundaries of objects, money and instruments of credit, information (interpreted in its widest sense to include technologies, skills and ideas), and individuals. 2) The nature of the relationships which are created between foreign investors and governments (or other relevant political identities) in countries where foreign investments are made. These areas can be dealt with separately for purposes of analysis, but they are closely interrelated in practice. The nature of physical transactions (or perceptions of the same) play a crucial role in determining the character of host country-foreign investor relations, and the policies and attitudes adopted by host country authorities exercise an important influence, in turn, on the physical effects of foreign investments. Show more