Book Overview: 

This book is the first to systematically map the last step of the foreign investor’s journey, usually referred to as post-investment, aftercare or business retention and expansion. It provides a wide range of approaches and strategies for host economies to better retain foreign investors, encourage follow-on expansions and achieve greater local economic embeddedness through a multi-stakeholder dialogue, leading to improvement of the overall business climate.

Global foreign direct investments reached $1.5 trillion in 2019, but this figured reduced by over 40% in 2020, due to the pandemic. Against this backdrop, retaining established investors became even more important. Numerous organisations all over the world are dedicated to attracting foreign companies to invest in their markets. Facilitating this effort is a dynamic and competitive industry which involves international organizations supporting capacity building, think tanks, academia and consultants.
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However, once foreign companies decide to invest, a critical question arises: how can host economies grow and retain these foreign investments? Many host governments could do much better, as there is very little post-investment support for these foreign companies to help them grow their businesses throughout different stages of investment, business and economic cycles. This is where aftercare comes in. In this book, the authors include diverse examples from around the world to demonstrate aftercare best practices in action.

This book is an essential read for all public administration staff related to FDI attraction and promotion, practitioners in the private sector and FDI consultants. It will also be of great interest to multilateral organisations seeking to organize seminars and training courses for capacity building. The book will also benefit researchers, academics and postgraduate students of international relations, foreign trade and internationalisation.

Extracts

“Aftercare is about providing continuous responses to investor needs and challenges. It seeks to maintain an environment of trust through a constructive and mutually beneficial dialogue. OECD research shows that aftercare can influence whether companies decide to maintain or expand their operations and that it supports broader investment climate reforms through policy advocacy and institutional coherence. Aftercare initiatives can also help maximise the benefits foreign investors bring to host countries. These initiatives include better anchoring companies in the local economy and creating linkages with domestic firms, preventing potential disputes with the government or local communities, and promoting responsible business conduct and encouraging investors to adopt sustainable practices in their business operations.”

From: Foreword written by OECD
“We wrote this book in response to the growing demand from the government and business communities to better understand post-investment - the why, the what and the how of attracting, growing, and retaining foreign direct investments. In our conversations with policy makers, executives, managers and consultants involved with FDI, we observed a lack of an integrated perspective into the space of post-investment, a topic which is often perceived to be somewhat opaque. We noted there was no roadmap or framework that explained the interconnections between Aftercare, policy advocacy and the interaction with the local ecosystem or placemaking efforts. Our book responds to that need by gathering our collective experience and knowledge to comprehensively cover the key topics in a single book." 

From: Introduction Chapter
"The call of this book is to revisit the current approach to attracting and retaining investors that the FDI industry is so well-known for, and raise the game towards a more collaborative, integrated and stakeholder-driven approach, one that drives sustainable economic recovery and builds more cohesive, resilient and connected societies. Aftercare provides an effective platform for a wide range of interested stakeholders to get together to create new value, with a view that foreign investors become transformational champions of better societies. The hope is that readers will now take the baton, embrace Aftercare and make their own mark. The stakes are high. The roadmap is ready. It is time to act."

From: Closing Chapter
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Aftercare: an overview

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Aftercare: Investor Services

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The worst Aftercare is the one you don’t do.  The book provides you with a methodology to improve your Aftercare skills. Everything is ready for you.

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