investment is crucial to the development of a nation`s economy and welfare. in contrast to the situation in the united states, investment activity in europe has been quite modest over the past few years. this volume gathers together a number of papers by prominent researchers in the field of investment. it provides an overview of recent developments in this area and presents new empirical findings on the determinants and implications of the investment process in european countries. among the topics examined are the role played by taxation, uncertainty and the financial systems, as well as the relevance of corporate governance to the investment process. two chapters are dedicated to infrastructure investment and foreign direct investment.