Person:
Saurav, Abhishek

Last updated:November 12, 2025

Biography

Abhishek Saurav, an Indian national, is a Senior Economist with the Global Investment Climate Unit of the World Bank Group’s Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation Global Practice. He leads policy research on foreign direct investment (FDI) and initiatives to shape the investment climate and competitiveness agenda in developing countries. He leads global research to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on MNEs in developing countries and the Global Investment Competitiveness survey 2021 to investigate the “Future of FDI” in key sectors. His research investigates the contributions of FDI on jobs in developing countries and the pathways to increase investment for environmentally sustainable private sector growth. He holds a doctorate in Public Policy and Public Administration from the George Washington University, master’s degree in public policy from the George Mason University, and bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Delhi, India.

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The Effect of Multinational Enterprises on Climate Change: Supply Chain Emissions, Green Technology Transfers, and Corporate Commitments
(World Bank, 2023-05-23) Steenbergen, Victor; Saurav, Abhishek
Multinational enterprises (MNEs) provide both a fundamental risk to and an opportunity for climate change mitigation. The climate ambitions of MNEs will affect the environmental performance of countries around the world. As a leading actor, proactive MNEs can impose sustainability standards or encourage green technology transfers that, in some cases, could affect millions of producers and accelerate the climate transition. However, obstructive MNEs may equally hold back any progress to reduce a country’s emissions via inaction or by actively resisting, obstructing, or lobbying against change. The objective of this report is to study the effect of MNEs on climate change. Toward this goal, the report reviews the latest available data, conducts new empirical analysis, and summarizes pioneering literature. The report answers four key questions related to the relationship between MNEs and climate change: » What effect do MNEs currently have on climate change, both through their own activities and through the emissions of their broader supply chains? » How do MNEs shape the potential transfer of “green” technologies to domestic firms, and how do different types of interactions with MNEs stimulate such technology transfers? » How committed are leading MNEs currently to transitioning their supply chains to net-zero emissions by 2050, and do they have long-, medium-, and short-range strategies to realize this? » What types of policies can influence MNEs’ effects on climate change?
World Bank Investor Confidence Survey: Evidence from the Quarterly Global Multinational Enterprises Pulse Survey for the Second Quarter of 2021
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-11-08) Saurav, Abhishek; Kusek, Peter; Albertson, Mark
As economic conditions begin to improve in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign investors face new challenges that are impeding a complete recovery. Results from the latest round (Q2 2021) of World Bank Group’s quarterly pulse survey of Multinational Enterprise (MNE) affiliates suggests that despite output and demand reaching pre-pandemic levels on average, most firms are still facing adverse effects. The share of firms reporting at least one adverse impact of the pandemic continued to fall in Q2 to 73 percent compared to 93 percent in Q1 2021. Within the ten business dimensions measured, employment and investment saw the largest improvement from Q1, but new challenges are emerging. Worker productivity and liquidity have emerged, alongside input cost pressures and supply chain reliability, as areas of concern for a complete recovery. MNEs’ future investment plans have become slightly more optimistic, providing early signs of an improvement in the investment outlook. The share of surveyed MNEs expecting to increase investment over the next three years has reached a pandemic high (21 percent) – driven by changes or expected changes in regulations and policies for foreign investors as well as insourcing of production. At the same time, uncertainty remains the primary factor limiting the appetite of firms to invest. Results also show over half of surveyed firms were forced to lay off workers during the pandemic, but recruitment plans over the next three years indicate an expected net increase in workforce. MNEs are increasingly looking for highly educated workers with strong managerial, analytical, and problem-solving skills. While these survey results may not be generalizable to all developing countries, they are directionally indicative of MNEs’ experiences in developing countries.
The Impact of COVID 19 on Foreign Investors: Evidence from the Quarterly Global Multinational Enterprise Pulse Survey for the First Quarter of 2021
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06) Saurav, Abhishek; Kusek, Peter; Kuo, Ryan; Viney, Brody
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic enters its second year, foreign investors can see light at the end of the tunnel as economic conditions improve. Results from the latest round (Q1 2021) of World Bank Group’s quarterly pulse surveys of Multinational Enterprise (MNE) affiliates suggests that most firms are still operating below full capacity. The pandemic’s adverse effects on MNEs in developing countries continued to ease in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 2021). Impacts remained widespread with 93 percent experiencing at least one adverse impact, but fewer firms report negative demand, output, revenue, and profit impacts (relative to Q1 2020) than in prior survey rounds. The average magnitude of these impacts was also more limited and continued to ease from Q4 2020. The longer-term outlook for foreign investment in developing countries remains subdued. Overall, 92 percent of firms report that their foreign parent had no plans to change (increase or decrease) the company’s level of investment over the next 1-3 years. Uncertainty about future demand is the key factor holding investment back, but policy and regulatory restrictions are also a factor for almost half of firms. Survey results confirmed that almost all MNE affiliates have increased their adoption of digital technologies for remote working, e-commerce, and supply chain management in response to the pandemic. Half of MNE affiliates also report increasing their focus on sustainability and decarbonization of products and services, with foreign parent companies again playing a critical role. While these survey results may not be generalizable to all developing countries, they are directionally indicative of MNEs’ experiences in developing countries
The Voice of Foreign Direct Investment: Foreign Investor Policy Preferences and Experiences in Developing Countries
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10) Saurav, Abhishek; Kuo, Ryan
This paper provides insights to inform government efforts to attract and retain foreign direct investment, by analyzing the results of a survey of more than 2,400 affiliates of multinational enterprises across 10 middle-income countries. The paper explores corporate perspectives and decision-making on countries’ legal and regulatory environments, political risk, and investment promotion activities. The survey finds that a business-friendly policy environment is critical to multinational enterprises’ investment decisions, confirming the importance of removing regulatory barriers to foreign direct investment (particularly approval processes), lowering political risks, and having investment promotion agencies. The survey results also show that investors are heterogeneous, with affiliates’ sectors, trading behaviors, sizes, ages, source countries, and foreign ownership levels affecting their perceptions of and sensitivity to various policy factors. Thus, policy makers should tailor their policy efforts to the needs of priority investor segments. Notably, the analysis consistently finds variation based on the extent to which affiliates import their inputs, suggesting that this relatively understudied topic deserves increased research and policy attention.
Catalyzing Investment for Green Growth: The Role of Business Environment and Investment Climate Policy in Environmentally Sustainable Private Sector Development
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-11-01) Saurav, Abhishek; Viney, Brody
Developing countries today confront an unprecedented combination of challenges of the need for inclusive growth, worsening environmental degradation, and the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A successful response must be founded on the principles of sustainable development, circular economic systems, and green growth. By transforming private sector activity through sustainable investment, countries can accelerate recovery and stimulate growth. Achieving this transformation will require robust environmental policies to address externalities and to drive sustainable investment. This paper considers the unique role that business environment and investment climate policy can play in meeting these goals and transitioning to green private sector growth in developing countries. The paper is organized around three key questions. First, how does a country’s investment climate help enable green economic growth? Second, how can efforts to improve the domestic business environment through business regulation reform take account of the need for environmental protection and sustainability? Third, how can policies related to foreign direct investment (FDI) be adjusted to play a stronger role in promoting sustainable sectors and business practices? Together, the answers to these questions establish key concepts and principles that can make investment climate reform an effective and integral component of a green growth strategy.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Foreign Investors: Evidence from the Quarterly Global MNE Pulse Survey for the Fourth Quarter of 2020
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03) Saurav, Abhishek; Kusek, Peter; Kuo, Ryan; Viney, Brody
A fourth round of the quarterly pulse survey, reflecting the last quarter of 2020, was administered in February 2021. This round of the survey included new questions reflecting on 2020, and the impacts of the crisis on technology adoption and environmental sustainability trends. The report’s findings will help provide policy makers and businesses with an updated picture of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on MNEs and the global outlook for foreign investment. The report’s findings will help provide policy makers and businesses with an updated picture of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on MNEs and the global outlook for foreign investment.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Foreign Investors: Evidence from the Quarterly Global MNE Pulse Survey for the Third Quarter of 2020
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-12) Saurav, Abhishek; Kusek, Peter; Kuo, Ryan; Viney, Brody
As the COVID-19 crisis extends into the second half of 2020, the outlook for both the pandemic and the associated economic crisis remains highly uncertain. In this environment, multinational enterprises (MNEs) need to weather a prolonged economic downturn while also navigating government policy responses to the pandemic and updating investment plans for an uncertain future. Given the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the crisis and recovery, especially for developing countries, the World Bank Group’s Global Investment Climate Unit is conducting quarterly pulse surveys of MNE affiliates throughout 2020 to gauge the pandemic’s effect on foreign investors. According to previous rounds of the survey, four in five MNE affiliates experienced reduced revenue and profits, and three in four experienced a decline in supply chain reliability in the first quarter of 2020 (Saurav, Kusek, and Kuo, April 2020). The adverse impacts became near-universal in the second quarter of 2020, with over 90 percent of MNEs experiencing adverse effects (Saurav, Kusek, Kuo, and Viney, September 2020). A third round of the quarterly pulse survey, reflecting the third quarter of 2020, was administered in October and November 2020. The survey results show that the pandemic’s adverse effects remained widespread for MNE affiliates in the third quarter, with only limited improvements expected in the fourth quarter. While these survey results may not be generalizable to all developing countries, they are directionally indicative of MNEs’ experiences in developing countries.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Foreign Investors: Evidence from the Second Round of a Global Pulse Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-09) Saurav, Abhishek; Kusek, Peter; Kuo, Ryan; Viney, Brody
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global economy, triggering the deepest global recession of the past eight decades. Together, the crisis and public health response have caused both a severe supply shock in the form of reduced worker availability and supply chaindisruptions, and a massive demand shock as consumption became restricted and confidence fell. The World Bank forecasts a 5.2 percent contraction in global GDP in 2020, including a 2.5 percent decline in emerging markets and developing economies (World Bank 2020).
The Impact of COVID-19 on Foreign Investors: Early Evidence from a Global Pulse Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-04) Saurav, Abhishek; Kusek, Peter; Kuo, Ryan
To assess the impact of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic on multinational enterprises affiliates in developing countries, the World Bank Group conducted a foreign investor pulse survey in March 2020. The survey covered three components: the actual effect of the pandemic on businesses in the past three months (January - March 2020), the likely effect of the pandemic in the next three months (forward-looking for April - June 2020), and areas for policy support measures. This analytical note reports the results of the survey.