Zachary Elkins|Andrew T. Guzmán|Beth A. Simmons
Competing for Capital: The Diffusion of Bilateral Investment Treaties, 1960–2000
past fortyfive years bilateral investment treaties bits become important international legal mechanism encouragement governance foreign direct investment proliferation bits past two decades particular phenomenal intergovernmental treaties typically grant extensive rights foreign investors including protection contractual rights right international arbitration event investment dispute explain widespread adoption bits argue spread bits driven international competition among potential host countriestypically developing countriesfor foreign direct investment propose set hypotheses derive explanation develop set empirical tests rely network measures economic competition well indirect evidence competitive pressures host sign bits evidence suggests potential hosts likely sign bits competitors done find evidence coercion learning play role less support cultural explanations based emulation main finding diffusion bits associated competitive economic pressures among developing countries capture share foreign investment agnostic point benefits competition developmentfor useful comments earlier drafts article thank bill bernhard bear braumoeller frank dobbin robert franzese jeffry frieden geoffrey garrett tom ginsburg jude hays lisa martin bob pahre mark ramsayer steven ratner susan roseackerman john sides research assistance thank elizabeth burden raechel groom alexander noonan