This article examines the key aspects of the legal infrastructure design of special economic zones (SEZs), with reference to the best practice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR) under “One Country, Two Systems” and the Basic Law. It discusses some recent...

Zoning has a significant impact on our built environment. Overlay zoning, an additional form of restrictive zoning, is a tool that municipalities utilize to control development. This study analyzes the impact that historic district (H-1) and neighborhood character (ND-1) overlays have on single...

All countries, especially facing a posit COVID-19 disrupted world, are keen to promote economic development that will be resilient to future external shocks. Over the years many different forms of “development structure” have been attempted including Export Processing Zones, Special Economic...

This study examines the socio-economic impact of special economic zones (SEZs) in Cambodia---a prominent place-based policy established in 2005. The paper employs a database on existing and future SEZs in Cambodia with matched household surveys at the district level and documents stylized facts...

This paper compares how Ethiopia and Vietnam, two rising stars actively employing industrial policies as catalysts of structural change, have learned from East Asian countries’ experiences in developing their own special economic zones (SEZs). Based on an extensive literature review, a...

Developing countries are faced with several shortages and limitations in achieving economic development; meanwhile, they possess certain advantages and facilities. A Free Zone acts as a tool, which can relatively compensate for the shortages and it converts the potential facilities and...

The world’s largest place-based economic development policy operating within a single legal and institutional architecture is the regional and urban policy of the European Union (EU). In this paper we analyse how this policy is related to the promotion of regional well-being. In order to do...

This paper examines the economic efficiency of Russian special economic zones (SEZs) established by federal authorities since 2005. The results are mixed: the payback of SEZs is low, but they continue to attract residents; SEZs have greater attractiveness for foreign investment, but their...

Many governments in developing countries have pursued policies targeting specific geographic areas over the past several decades. However, only a few have rigorously evaluated the causal impact of these interventions. This paper examines the effectiveness of a prominent place-based policy in...