Motivation and macroeconomic context -- Trade trends and patterns and labor competitiveness -- Deepening integration -- Services as an engine of growth : the regional dimension of trade in services -- Attracting private investment

China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to improve connectivity and cooperation on a transcontinental scale. This study, by a team of World Bank Group economists led by Michele Ruta, analyzes the economics of the initiative. It assesses the connectivity gaps between economies along...