Digital & Printed Book

Attracting investment, especially foreign investment, is now a political promise. In the Greece of the 2020s, in a country suffering from a lack of investment due to years of economic crisis, the ability of a political figure to convince or entice big investors is presented as a key asset for which voters are asked to trust him or her.

The thesis of the book is that attracting investment is not just a matter of ideology and individual talent of political leaders but a complex socio-political process. Through a discussion of relevant theories (in economics, political economy and sociology) and two case studies (the 'Strategic Investment' legislation and the investment of the Chinese multinational COSCO in the port of Piraeus), we explore the following: What are the characteristics of those who facilitate and those who attempt to impose restrictions on large investments? How do the different 'camps' use institutions and scientific knowledge? What values do they invoke to legitimize their positions?

In the pages of the book, readers will find analyses of the profiles of the political leaders and technocrats who promote pro-investment policies and their alliances with sections of the business world; of the tactics of the bureaucrats, of the trade unions, political movements and non-governmental organisations that oppose the granting of 'privileges' to large investors; about the pro-investment institutions that are created at the meeting points between the state and business; about the political use of economic, legal and environmental studies; and, finally, the controversies about the juxtaposition of different 'public goods' - such as development, environmental protection and quality of life - around policies to attract large investments.