The present state of multinational corporations (MNC) in North America and Europe is described and commented upon in this study. Specifically, it reviews serious research and policy thinking by private and official bodies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and on the continent of Europe. It concentrates on the major issues arising from the operations of MNCs in developed countries only, acting either as parent or host countries. In reality, MNCs are few (about 300), distinguished by size, foreign operations, and locus of decision-making. In practice, great variety exists and includes companies, firms, corporations, and enterprises that are multinational, interational, supranational, and transnational. American interests have studied the nature and behavior of MNCs, the interaction of MNCs with governments, and the economic impact of U.S. MNCs on the United States. Canada, in contrast, has developed a host-country perspective, measuring MNCs by the degree of foreign ownership and control of major industrial sectors. The United Kingdom, however, has been both a host and parent country and the scale of inward and outward private investment has fluctuated periodically. Lastly, MNCs in Europe have not appeared to pose problems for any nation-state at the present time. (BL)