South Korea has seen its export-focused economy slow in the global economic downturn, leading its government to launch a fiscal stimulus package to encourage growth and leaving investors hoping that the country can regain its momentum in the long term.

The political instability that has engulfed Egypt since the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak has threatened to further suppress the country's FDI inflows and has led to a huge decline in tourism. But with a new democratically elected government, stability should return and with it investor confidence.

Local authorities in the US have long considered incentives to be a good way of attracting companies to invest in their city or state. But with many local budgets suffering from enormous deficits and a long list of companies that have failed to deliver the level of investment or job creation that was expected of them, is this the best way to spend public money?

Indonesia has achieved significant economic growth in the past three years and now, with the help of a new development plan, its government has set the ambitious target of transforming the country into a major economic power by 2025. Can Indonesia compete on the same stage as Asia's behemoth economies such as India and China, or will the basic issues of infrastructure and inflation continue to hold it back?

The northern Polish region of Pomerania, which lies on the Baltic coast, has a long and proud history of shipbuilding. However, boosted by EU funding, the area is undergoing a rapid modernisation, with its infrastructure transformed and its industries venturing into various hi-tech sectors.

As competition for attracting FDI intensifies, carving out a niche and offering expertise in a particular field could be the best strategy. Karen E Thuermer looks at two US states which have done this in the aerospace and iron and steel production sectors