ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Thailand. It provides a review of existing and available panel data to understand the dynamics of FDI inflows within ASEAN and regions across the globe. The chapter explains the compelling need for a better method to determine the impact of FDI on sustainable development, demonstrating the difficulties of showing causal or relational links between FDI and development indicators. Recent FDI inflows in developing economies and more specifically, in the ASEAN region over the last decade or more, show promise as a region for investment. Looking more specifically within Asia, the amount of FDI received for the ASEAN region is considerably more than India and has recently caught up with investments in China and is encroaching on similar investments made to the United States and the European Union. In terms of relative competitiveness of FDI inflows within ASEAN, Thailand performs strongly.
