Revisiting Zimbabwe's First Generation BITs: A Case for Balancing Rights and Obligations

Abstract

Foreign investments have many benefits; most of which are dependent on the kind of investment. For host countries, the expected benefits which would arise from their perspectives include, but are not limited to; technology, knowledge and skills transfer. Apart from these non-monetary benefits; more directly, a country benefits from increase in job opportunities, increased competition, and in some cases, increased economic stimulus. Where greenfield investments are set up, the host country also stands to benefit in terms of infrastructural development. Also, foreign direct investment (FDI) has been said to be resilient in times of financial crises. For example, in East Asia, between1997-98, FDI remained stable as opposed to the down-ward spiralling of portfolio investments.