Winner or Loser? A Post-Quota Case Study of Pakistan's Textiles and Clothing Exports

Textiles and Clothing (T&C) is a critically important sector of international trade for developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs). The T&C sector engages abundant labour resources and requires low investment threshold. The T&C sector has been a contentious area in multilateral trade negotiations. With the expiration of quotas in 2005, many T&C dependent countries are experiencing considerable adjustment challenges. Pakistan is one such country that is extensively reliant on T&C industries. This research note presents a brief case study which looks at post-quota developments in Pakistan's T&C trade and the trade and economic policy issues it raises