Abstract
Foreign direct ivestment (FDI) is an essential source of capital for underdeveloped and developing countries with its positive effects on employment, technological knowledge diffusion, capital accumulation, integration into international markets, and economic growth. In addition to economic and social characteristics, institutional factors such as country risk, corruption and geopolitical risk are also noteworthy in foreign investors' country preference. According to the Kearney’s FDI Confidence Index Report (2022), the most likely risks for investors in recent years are political instability and geopolitical risks. UNCTAD (2017) report states that geopolitical risks, which are on the list of international investment threats, will have negative consequences on FDI due to their effects that reduce international cooperation. This study aims to determine the effects of geopolitical risks and control of corruption on foreign direct investments in Turkey, which is located in the geography where geopolitical risk is high. In the analysis conducted for the period 2003.Q1-2020.Q4, the Geopolitical Risk Index created by Caldara and Iacoviello (2019) and the control of corruption index, which is a country-specific institutional risk indicator, were used. According to the findings obtained by using the ARDL method, it is observed that while the control of corruption and real gross domestic product affect foreign direct investment inflows positively, geopolitical risk and inflation have a reducing effect on foreign investments.