Competing for Business: Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives in Southeast Asia

The Trade Knowledge Network is a global collaboration of research institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas working on issues of trade and sustainable development. Coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the TKN links network members, strengthens capacity and generates new research to assess and address the impact of trade and investment policies on sustainable development. The overarching aim of the TKN is to help ensure that trade and investment contribute to sustainable development, with social development and the environment equitably addressed in trade and investment policies. The TKN furthers this aim by generating compelling research with clear policy recommendations and communicating those effectively to decision makers nationally, regionally and globally. The TKN is hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a Canada-based not-for-profit organization promoting change towards sustainable development. As a policy research institute dedicated to the effective communication of its findings, the Institute engages decision-makers in government, business, NGOs and other sectors in the development and implementation of policies that are simultaneously beneficial to the global economy, the global environment and to social well-being. This study is part of a larger TKN project that seeks to better understand the impacts of investment incentives on sustainable development. Other research outputs include four country case studies looking at investment incentives for the mining and quarrying industry in Vietnam (by the Central Institute for Economic Management, Vietnam), the pharmaceutical industry in Singapore (by the Singapore Institute for International Affairs), the chemical industry in Indonesia (by the Center for Asia Pacific Studies at Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia) and the tourism industry in Malawi (by the University of Malawi and the South African Institute for International Affairs). The research findings were used as input for developing a checklist which sets out some key issues and questions to be addressed when assessing the impacts of investment incentives on promoting economic growth, social development and environmental protection. The project outputs are available on the TKN website. The International Institute for Sustainable Development contributes to sustainable development by advancing policy recommendations on international trade and investment, economic policy, climate change, measurement and assessment, and natural resources management. Through the Internet, we report on international negotiations and share knowledge gained through collaborative projects with global partners, resulting in more rigorous research, capacity building in developing countries and better dialogue between North and South. IISD's vision is better living for all—sustainably; its mission …