The relationship between FDI in developing countries and the progress of these countries towards human development has been a subject of controversy for decades in the development community. Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective combining insights from international investment law, human rights law and economics, this book offers an original contribution to the debate. Through the use of original empirical data the book demonstrates the impact of bilateral and multilateral investment treaties on the flows of FDI, and the impacts of FDI on economic growth and on human development. It explores how improvements to the legal framework of FDI and to the way investment agreements are negotiated can maximize the contribution of FDI to human development.

1. Introduction : Foreign Direct Investment and Human Development, Olivier De Schutter, Jo Swinnen and Jan Wouters Part 1: The Development of International Investment Law in Historical Perspective 2. International Investment Law: the Perpetual Search for Consensus, Jan Wouters, Nicolas Hachez and Sanderijn Duquet Part 2: Economic consequences of Foreign Direct Investment 3. Foreign Direct Investment as an Engine for Economic Growth and Human Development: A Review of the Arguments and Empirical Evidence, Liesbeth Colen, Miet Maertens and Jo Swinnen 4. Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment Flows to Developing Countries: the Role of International Investment Agreements, Liesbeth Colen, Miet Maertens and Jo Swinnen 5. What Type of Foreign Direct Investment is Attracted by Bilateral Investment Treaties?, Liesbeth Colen and Andrea Guariso Part 3: Rethinking the Current Legal Framework: a Multi-Level Analysis 6. The capital-importing State : Improving the Monitoring of International Invesment Agreements at the National Level, Olivier De Schutter 7. Risk managers or Risk Promoters? The Impacts of Export Credit and Investment Insurance Agencies on Human Development and Human Rights, Matthias Sant'Ana 8. Improving the Framework of Negotiations on International Investment Agreements, Philip De Man and Jan Wouters 9. The Role of Development Banks : The European Investment Bank's substantive and procedural accountability principles with regard to human rights, social and environmental concerns, Nicolas Hachez and Jan Wouters

Olivier De Schutter is the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food since May 2008. He is a Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain and at the College of Europe (Natolin). He is also a Member of the Global Law School Faculty at New York University and is Visiting Professor at Columbia University.

Johan F. Swinnen is Director of LICOS-Center for Institutions and Economic Performance at the University of Leuven, Senior Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, and Visiting Professor in Stanford University. Previously, he was Lead Economist at the World Bank and Economic Advisor to the European Commission.

Jan Wouters holds the Jean Monnet Chair Ad Personam on EU and Global Governance at the KU Leuven, where he is Professor of International Law and International Organizations. He is the Director of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies - Institute for International Law, University of Leuven, and chair of the Flemish Foreign Affairs Council.