Regional economic integration through logistics, information network and connectivity improvement can increase the 'virtual size' of an economy as trade with neighboring countries increases. This leads to substantial benefits from scale, network, coordination and agglomeration economies. As is...

Realizing its importance, the South Asian region has also embarked upon various processes of regional economic integration. However, the South Asian regional integration process is fraught with difficulties, especially due to a lack of understanding about the very economics of regional economic...

This study aims to analyze the rationale, trends, and scope of development cooperation in connection with economic integration, especially among countries in East and South Asia. It reviews the development of multilateral, regional, and bilateral economic integration efforts and discusses the...

Recent developments in South Asian countries, especially the re-emergence of democratic governments, new growth momentum despite the global economic downturn and greater openness, warrant a fresh look at the region’s prospects for economic integration. On the basis of a thorough review of the...

The slow pace of progress of the South Asian regional trade integration process under SAARC has prompted many countries to seek bilateral agreements. Sri Lanka is a casein point with bilateral agreements with both India and Pakistan. While the former is acknowledged to have yielded positive...

The paper examines if the seven South Asian countries satisfy the criteria to form an optimal currency area. The empirical part of the paper reveals some positive attributes (such as the existence of positive shocks for major economies like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). The paper provides...

The slow pace of progress of the South Asian regional trade integration process under SAARC has prompted many countries to seek bilateral agreements. Sri Lanka is a casein point with bilateral agreements with both India and Pakistan. While the former is acknowledged to have yielded positive...

Regional cooperation arrangements (RCAs) have produced vastly dissimilar performances; some have spurred remarkable expansion in trade and cooperation among members, while several others have achieved little. Studies show that performances vary because RCAs differ from one another in important...