Standing guard : protecting foreign capital in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries / Charles Lipson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lipson, Charles, author.

Series:

Studies in international political economy ; Volume 11.

Studies in International Political Economy Series ; Volume 11

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Eminent domain (International law)--History.

Eminent domain (International law).

International economic relations--History.

International economic relations.

Investments, Foreign--Law and legislation--History.

Investments, Foreign.

United States--Foreign economic relations.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (353 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, California : University of California Press, [1985]

Summary:

Foreign investors are drawn abroad by the lure of profits, but they also face significant risks. Standing Guard examines how investors coped with these risks and protected their capital abroad in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Toward the end of the twentieth century, less-developed countries, determined to control their own economic development, nationalized their most lucrative oil fields and mineral concessions and regulated all forms of foreign investment. While some firms were hard hit, many others adapted profitably to this new political environment. They rearranged their assets for self-protection and took full advantage of the tax breaks, low wages, and other incentives that attract capital to less-developed countries. At stake were not only corporate profits but also the character of national economic development and the global pattern of property rights. Charles Lispon traces these evolving issues from the days of gunboat diplomacy to modern corporate negotiations, showing how investors have tried to minimize their vulnerability to economic nationalism. Standing Guard analyzes the shifting corporate strategies and shows how they have affected U.S. foreign policy, providing a thorough, clearly reasoned, and insightful analysis of the long-term changes in investment security. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1985.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Tables and Figures

Preface and Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE An Unruly World? Anarchy, Rules, and International Capital Flows

PART I. INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY RULES IN THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES

CHAPTER TWO Expropriation and the Great Powers Before World War I

CHAPTER THREE The Interwar Challenge to Traditional Rules

CHAPTER FOUR "The American Century": The Revival and Decline of International Property Rules

CHAPTER FIVE The Sources of International Property Rules

PART II. DOMESTIC SOURCES OF U.S. ANTI-EXPROPRIATION POLICY

Introduction

CHAPTER SIX Foreign Aid Sanctions and Investment Protection

CHAPTER SEVEN The Development of Expropriation Insurance: The Role of Corporate Preferences and State Initiatives

CHAPTER EIGHT Conclusion: Rule Making and Policymaking

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-520-37859-8

OCLC:

1443086867