COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE INVESTMENT CLIMATE IN THE USA AND CANADA

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the investment climate in the United States and Canada. The study covers the period from 2010 to 2024, with particular attention to the post – 2008–2009 global financial crisis environment, the surge in investment activity from 2016 to 2019, and the disruption of global supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The article aims to identify key challenges faced by both countries in attracting capital and to determine future directions for increasing in-flows of foreign direct investment (FDI). The hypothesis tested is that, despite a high degree of eco-nomic integration and shared institutional frameworks, the United States and Canada exhibit different models of foreign investment regulation, which result in distinctions in the volume, structure, and motivations of investors. The scientific novelty of the study lies in comparing the evolution of U.S. and Canadian regulatory approaches under conditions of intensifying geoeconomic competition. The research methodology is based on systemic, comparative, and institutional approaches, including structural analysis of investment flows and an examination of legislative acts governing investment activities. The theoretical foundation draws on D. North’s concept of the investment climate, UNCTAD’s investment attractiveness models, and studies on the effects of regulatory restrictions on cross-border capital flows. The findings show that the strengthening of U.S. strategic oversight over foreign invest-ment has led to a redistribution of FDI toward high-tech and “green” industries, as well as increased volatility in investment flows. Canada, with its regulatory and institutional framework, maintains a more transparent environment that supports stable investment in resource-based and industrial sectors. The practical significance of the results lies in identifying promising sectors for foreign investors (clean energy, semiconductors, critical minerals) and in formulating recommendations for the development of national investment policies.