Intra-regional trade and investment among the ASEAN+3 countriesand the entire East Asiahas been progressing at a robust pace over the past 25 years. The process of economic integration could be aptly described as regionalization or marketdriven integration. In contrast, the European Union has...

Striking a balance between trade facilitation and preventing trade deflection is the single most difficult challenge with regard to the issue of rules of origin (ROO). ASEAN ROO is already considered as among the simplest in the world and still, in practice, results fall short of expectations....

Trade and financial policies in ASEAN-member countries have contributed to the goal of economic integration. One important feature of this process is the need to narrow the development gap in the region in order to make economic integration more effective and meaningful. This paper examines the...

One of the objectives of the evolving ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is to promote free investment flows and freer capital flows. By deepening economic integration among them, ASEAN Member Countries can establish a region-wide production base that will attract more foreign direct investment and...

During the past five years or so, most East Asian economies including the Philippines experienced a rising level of foreign exchange reserves and rapidly appreciating currencies both in nominal and real terms. One cause has been the resurgence of capital flows, which makes the issue of how to...

In response to the 1997 East Asian financial crisis many schemes were initiated to reform the international financial architecture. The proposed reforms had two wideranging objectives : (i) to prevent currency and banking crises and better manage them when they occur; and (ii) to support...

Over the past sixty years, the concept of development has expanded from economic growth and investment, to poverty reduction, human development, sustainable development, and more recently to institutional development. There has also been a fresh look at industrial policy and the role of the...

Monitoring the behavior of potential output helps policymakers implement appropriate policies in response to an economic crisis. In the short-run, estimates of the output gap will guide the timing of implementation and withdrawal of stimulus measures. In the medium- to long-term, these estimates...

One of the objectives of the evolving ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is to promote free investment flows and freer capital flows. By deepening economic integration among them, ASEAN Member Countries can establish a region-wide production base that will attract more foreign direct investment and...

One reason a developing country with a relatively open economy would be hesitant to devalue its currency is the effect of the change in the official exchange rate on the government budget items related to the external debt overhang. It is shown that in an economy characterized by mark-up pricing...