Information of the doctoral thesis: “Policy for promoting foreign direct investment from the EU into Vietnam”

Supervisor: Assoc, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tan Vinh and Assoc, Prof. Dr. Ha Van Hoi.

Training Institution: Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

Summary of the dissertation’s new contributions:

Theoretical contributions:

The dissertation advancesa theoretical approach to foreign direct investment (FDI) promotion policy by conceptualizing it as an integrated public policy operating along the investment life cycle, rather than merely a set of promotion activities or investment services. The study develops an analytical framework for FDI promotion policy by systematizing and clarifying its conceptual content, thereby contributing to the enrichment and refinement of the theoretical foundation of FDI promotion policy.

Building upon the application of the OECD public policy evaluation criteria to the field of FDI promotion, the dissertation proposes a set of evaluation criteria for FDI promotion policies. This represents a methodological contribution that addresses existing gaps in the literature, enhances the systematicity, objectivity, and verifiability of policy evaluation, and opens new research directions for the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks for FDI promotion policies.

Practical contributuons:

The dissertation providesa systematic analysis of FDI promotion policies targeting a specific partner, namely the European Union (EU). This partner-oriented approach contributes to filling research gap in the field of FDI promotion policy in Vietnam and implies the necessity of developing differentiated FDI promotion policies tailored to specific partners, rather than applying a single FDI promotion policy to all partners.

Based on examination of the current state of the policies for prômting FDI from the EU based on the developed evaluation criteria, the dissertation identifies structural and systemic limitations as well as the underlying causes of these shortcomings in Vietnam’s FDI promotion policies toward EU investors, particularly the absence of a comprehensive strategy of master plan specifically designed for EU investment promotion, along with limitations in addressing information asymmetries and reducing transaction costs for investors.

The dissertation proposes policy recommendations across three dimensions: strategic orientation, policy operation, and implementation capacity with the aim at enhancing attraction of high-quality FDI from the EU in alignment with Vietnam’s socio-economic development direction in the new stage./.