In this paper an attempt is made to evaluate the most efficient approach to regional economic integration in Asia. Given that ASEAN is an existing regional bloc in Asia, alternative approaches to the alignment of China, Japan, Korea and India with ASEAN for the formation of the ASEAN+4 trade...

This paper examines how prices, markups and marginal costs respond to trade liberalization. Multi-product firms are used in the study. [BREAD WP No. 418].

The study seeks to answer two very basic questions in the Indian context: first, are there economies of scale and scope in Indian banking? In other words, are bigger banks better for India? And, second, to what extent has the domestic impetus, i.e., financial-sector policy reforms during the...

A lively debate is taking place over the impact of free trade agreements (FTAs) on East Asia's business between those who view the agreements as a harmful Asian "noodle bowl"—i.e., overlapping regional trade agreements—of trade deals and others who see net beneficial effects in...

Do the short and medium term adjustment costs associated with trade liberalization influence schooling and child labor decisions? This question is examined in the context of India's 1991 tariff reforms. Overall, in the 1990s, rural India experienced a dramatic increase in schooling and decline...

This study attempts to provide an analysis of the gender concerns of the proposed EU India FTA in the field of agriculture and suggest policy changes both in the FTA text as well as in domestic policy. [Paper III].

A comprehensive inventory of bilateral FTAs on a global scale, with sections on Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It highlights the key points of each agreement, and details planned future developments. Background paper prepared for the...

This paper assesses the impact of India’s unilateral tariff reductions and lowering of quantitative restrictions since 1991. It then evaluates the WTO commitments on nonagricultural market access in the light of these reductions. This short paper based on hard quantitative analysis is a...

Much more than comparative advantage and free markets have been at play in shaping China's export success. Government policies have helped nurture domestic capabilities in consumer electronics and other advanced areas that would most likely not have developed in their absence. As a result, China...

This article analyses the importance of international commercial service transactions relating to both trade and investment, which form an essential element of analyzing production fragmentation and economic integration in Asia. Following an aggregative analysis the authors discusses data...