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The aim of this paper is to present empirical evidence of the determinants of Australian foreign direct investment using hypotheses drawn from an investment demand model, new trade theory and institutional economics. The findings suggest that countries which are open, have a large domestic market, and have a similar language and culture to Australia's attract most of its foreign investment. There is also evidence to suggest that countries in regional blocs tend to attract Australian investment, possibly opening up opportunities for investors to capture a large regional market. Although difficult to prove statistically, the findings also suggest that countries that are economically more stable and have strong institutional credibility tend to attract Australian investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over wide areas of the earth the railroad has been a decisive instrument in the creation of many of the most important patterns of human geography. Railroads are clearly phenomena of prime geographical interest, yet if it is true that "each means of transport has its own technological characteristics and its spatial layout, or network," it is equally true that their understanding of the inherent geographical implications of these characteristics and networks is far from satisfactory. The following paper attempts to add a further dimension to this common quest by focusing upon the comparative genetic character of two railroad networks.