March 2010

Welcome to the latest update from Invest in America, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s program to promote foreign direct investment to the United States This monthly update is meant to provide a few quick points highlighting some activities of Invest in America.

Invest in America Outreach

Invest in America will participate in:

• Trade and Investment Summit Workshop, hosted by Senator Kit Bond, Washington, DC, April 15, 2010. The Prime Minister of Malaysia will deliver keynote remarks.
• International Economic Development Council, Federal Economic Development Forum, Alexandria, Virginia, April 18-20, 2010.
• State International Development Organizations, Federal Forum, Washington, DC, April 21-23, 2010.
• Additional Invest in America outreach events in 2010 forthcoming.

Recent Invest in America participation:

• Chicago International Trade Commissioners Association Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, February 25, 2010.

Reports of Note

The Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies has published its annual report, The Transatlantic Economy 2010. Chapter 3 of this report, entitled “European Commerce and the 50 States” is especially interesting. This chapter examines some regional, industry and state preferences of European FDI in the U.S., European-U.S. trade linkages, and U.S. state-by-state FDI analyses.

Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) and government leaders regularly reevaluate their FDI attraction and industry sector development strategies. McKinsey & Company’s recent report, How to Compete and Grow: A Sector Guide to Policy, explores how sector-specific government policies can support industrial growth in ways that economy-wide growth policies cannot. Though this report is from the national government perspective, it holds clues to how EDOs at the state, county, regional, or city level can, with government support, use policy to maximize growth in those sectors that already have a competitive advantage.

Ernst & Young and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have produced a report analyzing Indian FDI flows to the United States and its numerous economic benefits. India is one of the fastest growing investor nations in the U.S., with India achieving a compound annual growth rate in its U.S. investment position of 64 percent during the 2004-2008 time period (according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data). The Ernst & Young-FICCI joint report explores the U.S. sectors benefiting from Indian FDI, as well as case studies of individual transactions. This report is available online from bothErnst & Young and FICCI.

Data

• Inquiries to date in 2010: 60
• Ombudsman cases in 2010: 4

Invest in America’s ombudsman program has achieved a number of successes in working across the federal government to address investor concerns and issues involving federal agencies. If a foreign investor has a federal-level issue that is jeopardizing an investment in the United States, please contact Aaron Brickman at 202-482-5199 or email Invest in America at aaron.brickman@trade.gov.

We invite you to connect with us through the “Invest in America” group on Linkedin.com.

Please address all comments and suggestions to info@investamerica.gov. For more information about Invest in America, please visit our website at www.investamerica.gov.