Transport cost, a significant determinant of competitiveness. Due lack of regional connectivity in South Asia and poor trade facilitation at border crossing, logistic costs are 13-14% of the value compared to 8% in USA. Transport connectivities between South Asian countries continue to remain...

The paper describes the current decision-making structure for trade policy formulation in the Philippines and compares it with the systems in selected countries. It cites difficulties in the current set-up, such as : 1) turf mentality among government agencies that tend to paralyze inter-agency...

The paper describes the environment under which RP-US Agricultural trade currently operates. It also highlights key issues affecting current trade flows between the Philippines and the US, and provides background information vital for future bilateral agricultural negotiations with the U.S....

This paper explores the issue of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) exporting Korean jobs during 9862003. In the midst of an overall increase in employment in Korea, there was a temporally coincident increase in OFDI and a decline in manufacturing employment. An examination of the...

Two propositions appear to be gaining wide currency, given the revealed preference for preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the East Asian region and elsewhere. The first is that economic integration is a good way to promote economic growth. The second is that PTAs, particularly ones that go...

Trade policy has been a very contentious issue in the discourse on African development. Using panel data for 33 African countries spanning the period 1986-2000, we examine the relationship between trade liberalization and macroeconomic instability in Africa. We focus on instabilities in output,...

Some services directly produce outputs that are important for human development, such as basic human services. Many other services are important inputs into the production and distribution of goods that are necessary for human development purposes. A more efficient services sector should mean...

This paper reviews economic development and the regulatory environment of audiovisual services in the Republic of Korea (hereafter, Korea). The paper specifically examines motion pictures and broadcasting, and discusses what drives or hinders the sector’s trade potential. Korean...

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has emerged as a major player in the global economy and considers free trade agreements (FTAs) an important part of its global trading strategy. The PRC’s export industries are embedded in existing regional and global production networks and are...

Price hike of essential commodities has been one of the major challenges facing the incumbent Caretaker Government (CTG) of Bangladesh. Figure 1.1 evince that the economy has been experiencing a creeping inflation over the recent past. Two most distinctive features of this inflationary trend had...