South Asia's Turn : Policies to Boost Competitiveness and Create the Next Export Powerhouse

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Overview -- With some exceptions, South Asia has reaped few benefits from global integration -- Productivity is the key to improved competitiveness -- Business environment challenges remain a constraint on firm performance -- Growth of the region's cities and clusters offers multiple opportunities to raise firm productivity -- Increasing prominence of global value chains provides a pathway to greater efficiency -- Improving firm capability and leveraging technology can substantially raise firm productivity -- Faster growth of exports and jobs is within reach if productivity improves -- Policies to boost competitiveness and productivity -- Reference -- Part 1 SOUTH ASIA'S COMPETITIVENESS CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY -- 1 The Region's Competitiveness Potential Remains Largely Unrealized -- Pockets of excellence are evidence of vast untapped potential -- Difficulties in attracting investment and penetrating global markets -- Little progress in diversifying the merchandise export basket -- Elusive sophistication and low quality of exports -- Annex 1A -- Notes -- References -- 2 Improving Competitiveness Requires Raising Productivity Rather Than Keeping Costs Low -- Macro challenge: Contribution of TFP to growth is low and declining -- Sectoral challenge: Slow pace of structural transformation -- Firm challenge: Firm growth is low and resources are trapped in small firms -- Four case studies of important industries in South Asia -- Annex 2A -- Notes -- References -- Part 2 PRODUCTIVITY PERFORMANCE: FIRMS AND LINKAGES -- 3 Business Environment Challenges Continue to Weigh on Firm Performance -- Industry Case Study A: Industry-specific business environment issues in agribusiness -- Note -- References