During the 1970s and the 1980s, political risk analysis was increasingly undertaken by multinational corporations around the world. Recent developments in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, the Gulf and elsewhere have highlighted the need for multinational corporations to undertake such analysis and incorporate it into their decision-making. This book traces the emergence of the political risk assessment function in multinational corporations. From its genesis as an integral component of corporate environmental scanning, through its development as a distinct academic sub-discipline and separate corporate function, to its 'shake-out' phase of the late-1980s, this book critically examines the need for, and methodology of, corporate political risk assessment. Special attention is placed on the comparative analysis of political assessments in American, Canadian and West European corporations. Of particular interest are sections on country case-studies and corporate case-studies. The first highlights political risks as they were perceived by corporations doing business in Iran, Mexico, Poland, Portugal and South Korea, and reviews risk-management strategies adopted by particular corporations. The latter considers the organization and structure of the political risk assessment function in nine multinational corporations.