The investment guide examines opportunities for investment in the machinery industry. At present, Kazakhstan’s machinery industry is closely linked to the revitalization process that is taking place in the agricultural and mining sectors. Notwithstanding the large endowment of mineral...

The study supports Government efforts to introduce reforms to the insurance industry and its negotiations for accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). It provides a consolidated perspective about insurance services in Laos, with particular reference to the impact of possible Government...

The study provides the Ministry of Finance (MOF) of the Government of Vietnam with quantitative tools to carry out industry-level assessments of tariff and subsidy reforms that will both support the country’s WTO accession negotiations and provide needed capacity for analyzing alternative...

The study examines the empirical evidence and options for decoupling Asia from the US and EU markets. First, it demonstrates that the strong linkages both within Asia and between Asia and the United States and Europe have not waned in the last 25 years, though the transmission channels have...

The study aims to calculate Egypt’s real effective exchange rate at both the bilateral and multilateral levels, estimates the effect of real cross-rate movements on trade in goods and services and on foreign direct investment, and determines the fundamental equilibrium exchange rate for...

This study examines the global linkages of selected ASEAN countries composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand (hereafter ASEAN-5). While economic growth of each country undoubtedly hinges on domestic developments, it also depends on foreign trade and capital movements...

The objective of this study is twofold: First, (a) it evaluates the outcomes and outputs of technical assistance to SEZs in Laos; (b) it assesses the relevance of those results to the objectives of sustainable economic growth and job creation; and (c) it identifies any shortcomings that still...

Provides analysis for a practical action planto implement pro-poor policies through macroeconomic initiatives. The study covers sequencing and implementation issues and provides estimates of both macro and significant microeconomic impacts. The major components of the study are (a) a general...

Laos benefits from the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA). The Agreement has eliminated tariffs on 90% of Australia’s and New Zealand’s imports, with the remaining tariff lines to be removed by 2020. For Laos, it provides for a much longer transition period for eliminating...

China is the second most important export destination of Laos, and export growth to that market has far outpaced exports to Thailand, the leading export destination. One of the major drivers of this growth is the comprehensive ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) under which Lao benefits in...