Service and innovative special economic zones: advantages of localising international investments

The article highlights the trend of a global sectoral shift in the localisation of foreign direct investment projects of multinational corporations from manufacturing to the service sector. Indeed, in terms of the global production it occurs mainly due to the innovative segment of the service sector. The access to highly qualified labour resources, investments in the reliable technological infrastructure, a favourable institutional environment determine the sustainable development of the segment. The research substantiates the procedure for concentrating the foreign direct investment in terms of the key elements of the national innovation system: strategic planning of technological development, infrastructure of scientific and technological initiative, research and development, and innovations. Moreover, to optimise limited resources, it identifies the expediency of implementing a policy of encouraging foreign direct investment through the special economic zones based on the global value chains and integrated into the national socio-economic context. However, the zonal policy should ensure stable business environment for residents, advanced infrastructure and competitiveness, prerequisites for embedding national companies in the global value chains, and the global investment trends. The research also defines the types of the most economically attractive special economic zones in the service sector, provides the best conditions for the localisation, their priority sectors, competitive advantages, and factors for sustainability increasing at the global and macro-regional levels.