Identifying and Prioritizing of Obstacles to FDI in Iran: A Fuzzy Delphi Method

FDI has always played the starring role in financing especially in developing countries, the ones, are usually involved in financial difficulties. Indeed, the reasons such as inadequate domestic savings as an extremely critical problem, capital outflow, or more generally having access to a variety of alternative source of capital get policy makers to give FDI priority. Regarding this matter, in this study we try to identify and prioritize the obstacles to foreign direct investment. For this propose, our 39-people sample to be determined by a purposive random sampling and the statistical population includes foreign investors, university professors knowledgeable about the subject, and experts from the service and investment center of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance. Finally, the data gathered by questionnaires to be analyzed by fuzzy Delphi technique. The result demonstrates that foreign investors’ interest not to be aligned with the government officials’ and others involved in this matter inside the country. Besides, uncertainty in the investment environment, the high exchange costs and the absence of unanimity and coordination to determine the priorities of society are of the major barriers to foreign investment in Iran. So, the official authorities should take measures to reduce uncertainties and create a safe environment for foreign investors by setting the applicable rules and regulations.Then, removing obstacles in business environment to reduce transaction costs seems to be vital