Bhutan, 11 December 2021

Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher’s Academic Blog on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and International Trade: Opportunities versus Risks

Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher - Researcher in International Business with a focus on Risks

PhD in Public Policy & Management with a focus on International Business; M.A. in International Relations & Strategy with a focus on Foreign Policy & International Security; B.A. in Political Science; Sociology and Anthropology; Associate Degree in Business Management and General Management (448 Academic Hours); Certified Technician in Control Systems and Instrumentation; Technician in Telecommunication Systems;

In this blog, I focus each time on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and International Trade in a certain country or territory in terms of how Location Factors (Political, Economic, Technological, Ecological, Legal and Cultural) and Entry Modes (e.g. M&As, Export and Greenfield) impact the attractiveness - or vice versa - the risks of FDI and International Trade in the specific country or territory. Still, keep in mind that each risk may lead to an opportunity for resolving problems via suitable FDI and International Trade, while each opportunity for FDI and International Trade may involve risks.

Political Risks: Regime Transformation, Political Instability, Wars, Conflicts, Geopolitical Conflicts, Sanctions, Global Terror, Regional Crises, and Global Crises.
Economic Risks: Economic Instability, Restrictions on FDI and International Trade, Impact of FDI on Labour Markets; International Trade Agreements and Trade Wars
Strategic Risks: Strategic Risks in M&As, Integration in M&As, Cultural Distance, Cultural Openness, Labour Unions in M&As

Bhutan - Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade

**Bhutan**

**Capital:** Thimphu
**Population:** 771,612 (World Bank, 2020)
**GDP per capita, PPP:** $ 11,508.2 (World Bank, 2020)
**GNI per capita, Atlas Method:** $ 2,860 (World Bank, 2020)

Paro, Bhutan

**Main Religion:** Buddhism (Tibetan Buddhism)

Key Figures of FDI and International Trade

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$): $13.01(Millions) (2019)
Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$): $0.00 (Millions) (2019)
Exports of goods and services (BoP, current US$): $786.68 (Millions) (2020)
Imports of goods and services (BoP, current US$): $1,188.48 (Millions) (2020)
Source: World Bank

Information and Data on FDI and International Trade

Investing in Bhutan - International Trade Portal International Trade Portal (lloydsbanktrade.com)
FactSheet_2021_new (unctad.org) https://unctad.org/system/files/non-official-document/wir_fs_bt_en.pdf
Trade Profile - Bhutan - International Trade Portal International Trade Portal (lloydsbanktrade.com)

Macro Data

Bhutan | Data (worldbank.org)
Bhutan and the IMF

General Information and Political Information

Bhutan - The World Factbook (cia.gov)
Bhutan country profile - BBC News

Research Papers and Research Books

Energy, environment and development in Bhutan - ScienceDirect
Tourism Development in Bhutan: Tensions between Tradition and Modernity: Journal of Sustainable Tourism: Vol 9, No 3 (tandfonline.com)
Climate change and potential impacts on agriculture in Bhutan: a discussion of pertinent issues | Agriculture & Food Security | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)
Spatio-temporal Patterns of Land Use/Land Cover Change in the Bhutan-Bengal Foothill Region Between 1987 and 2019: Study Towards Geospatial Applications and Policy Making - NASA/ADS (harvard.edu)
Wastewater management in urban Bhutan: Assessing the current practices and challenges - ScienceDirect
Change to hydropower development in Bhutan and Nepal - ScienceDirect
Seismic hazard and risk in Bhutan | SpringerLink
ERIC - EJ1239314 - Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning on English Communicative Ability of 4th Grade Students in Bhutan, International Journal of Instruction, 2020-Jan (ed.gov)
A Study on Impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on Poverty Reduction in Bhutan | Sherub Doenme (sherubtse.edu.bt)
Bhutan Policy Notes | Policy Notes (worldbank.org)
Impact of Trade Liberalization on Economic Growth in Small Developing Economies: Bhutan as a Case Study | Asian Journal of Empirical Research (aessweb.com)
Ecotourism discourses in Bhutan: contested perceptions and values: Tourism Geographies: Vol 0, No 0 (tandfonline.com)
Returns to rural electrification: Evidence from Bhutan - ScienceDirect

Public Policy and Politics via Documentaries and in-Depth TV News Programs

Keep in mind that Documentaries and in-Depth TV News programs usually reflect a certain viewpoint. ZRB

Bhutan: The dictatorship of happiness? | DW Documentary - YouTube
Bhutan: The Pursuit of Happiness | 101 East - YouTube
Bhutan, the mountain kingdom - YouTube

Important History Events

Why History? History shapes the present and future and even may repeat itself. ZRB

The History of Bhutan - Karma Phuntsho - Google Books
Himalayan Kingdom Bhutan: Tradition, Transition, and Transformation - Awadhesh Coomar Sinha - Google Books

Other Issues

Issues that may have indirect effects or long-run effects either on opportunities or risks of FDI and International Trade. ZRB

Landslide Issue

Water | Free Full-Text | Temporal Probability Assessment and Its Use in Landslide Susceptibility Mapping for Eastern Bhutan (mdpi.com)
Measuring landslide vulnerability status of Chukha, Bhutan using deep learning algorithms | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
Geosciences | Free Full-Text | Spatial Landslide Risk Assessment at Phuentsholing, Bhutan (mdpi.com)
Hydrology | Free Full-Text | Determination of the Probabilities of Landslide Events—A Case Study of Bhutan (mdpi.com)
Automatic calculation of rainfall thresholds for landslide occurrence in Chukha Dzongkhag, Bhutan | SpringerLink

China-Bhutan Boundary

MoU on China-Bhutan boundary talks 'breaks deadlock caused by India, paves way for diplomatic ties' - Global Times
What Does China's New Land Borders Law Mean for Its Neighbors? (voanews.com)

Other

Bhutan King offers prayers for CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, says he will be remembered as friend by people of country (bignewsnetwork.com)
The Aquaculture Sector In Bhutan (linkedin.com)
Suicidal ideation and attempt among school going adolescents in Bhutan – a secondary analysis of a global school-based student health survey in Bhutan 2016 | SpringerLink