Aims, functions and structures of European investment promotion agencies: a comparative analysis

In the globalised economy the promotion of foreign direct investments (FDIs) has been increasingly adopted as a development policy enhancing internationalisation and competitiveness. Since their origins in the 1950s, a huge number of public-sector FDI initiatives has been developed worldwide, including both institutional regulations (laws, tax rules and incentives) and the creation of intermediary structures (governmental departments, offices, agencies, etc.) to attract, generate and manage FDIs.