Self-regulation is also a harder sell when it comes to global trade, which involves trusting a long line of unknown participants from far-flung places(talk to parents who buy Chinese-made toys).
One way countries are stressing how investor-friendly they are is to quash any talkof nationalisation, which during the recent boom in commodities surfaced in certain places.
"There aren't a lot ofplaces which invite people with ideas across the full range to come together and talk about what makes sense for the future, " says Van Houweling.
But there are a rare few places where writers can find people like Jonathan Abrams talk about such things like losing control of Friendster, one of the first social networks.