Foreign direct investment has quadrupled over the past decade in Latin America, which today is one of the world's major investment magnets. Yet the question of which foreign investment policies maximize these inflows remains unanswered. Even though the shift to market-oriented economies has liberalized investment policies throughout Latin America, FDI remains concentrated in only a few countries.

Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America evaluates the volume of these new FDI inflows, the factors that attracted them, and their contribution to Latin American development. The book analyzes investment decisions in part through a comprehensive survey of businesses that have recently invested in the region.

Case studies of FDI flows to Argentina, Chile and Colombia examine the role of foreign investment liberalization, incentives and performance requirements, complementary policies in such areas as macroeconomics, taxation, foreign exchange and trade, and foreign debt conversion programs.