Despite the high level of movement of people and goods among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, laws governing cross-border movements neither accord preferential treatment to residents of bordering regions nor provide institutional structures that would foster cross-border...

The stabilization and association process launched by the European Union in the aftermath of the Kosovo war in 1999 has created a new policy environment for five South East European countries (SEE-5). In exchange for EU assistance, the prospect of EU accession, and the continuation of...

Despite strong protectionist sentiments, trade regimes have remained open in Central European countries invited to negotiate their accession to the European Union. Regional disciplines (the EU factor), combined with the legacy of low tariffs under GATT commitments, appear to have offset domestic...

June 1999 - Can Hungarian firms cope with competitive pressures and market forces within the European Union market (a criterion for joining)? The empirical evidence suggests that Hungary can withstand such competitive pressures without suppressing the real incomes of Hungary's citizens. Hungary...

Sri Lanka's external performance defies global trends on two counts. First, the level of openness as measured by the ratio of trade in goods and services, after a strong increase in 1987-95 and stagnation in 1996-2004, sharply fell in 2005-10 to the levels experienced during the era of import...