For many developing nations, foreign direct investment inflows remain crucial for economic development. The levels of FDI inflows in Zimbabwe, have remained relatively low as compared to other developing nations. The study seeks to analyse the impact of various Ease of Doing Business Indicators...

There has been virtually no liberalization under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to date. Most existing commitments are confined to guaranteeing the levels of access that existed in the mid-1990s, when the Agreement entered into force, in a limited number of sectors. The only...

The number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have increased markedly over the last decade, with many addressing market openness and rule-making for services trade. Recent RTAs are breaking down existing barriers: on average, removing between 10% and 40% of services restrictions present in the...

Im November 2020 wurde das RCEP-Abkommen als größtes Freihandelsabkommen der Welt von Brunei, Kambodscha, Indonesien, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, den Philippinen, Singapur, Thailand, Vietnam sowie Australien, China, Japan, Neuseeland und Südkorea unterzeichnet. Bis Ende 2022 soll das Abkommen...

As Japan's longest serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe brought political stability to Japan and regional and global leadership on trade and economic diplomacy at a time of great uncertainty. Japan navigated a more assertive China and a USA in retreat from global leadership. Abe led the conclusion...

The Whitehall Briefing (leaked in January but only officially released this month) is not the last word on the potential long-term economic impact of Brexit, despite claims from others that it ‘proves’ GDP will be lower in ‘all’ scenarios. As the report itself says, it is only ‘draft...

The EU has confirmed that phase 2 of the Brexit talks, covering the future relationship, can now begin. However, there are still no clear answers to the challenges posed by the unique position of Ireland. The UK has committed, subject to specific conditions, to maintain ‘full alignment’ with...

The Brexit ‘divorce bill’ is supposed to settle existing obligations, rather than cover the cost of any future agreements. Some therefore argue that it is simply a matter of honouring past debts and the UK should just pay up. The problem with this approach is that there is no legal certainty...

Much of the discussion of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit has focussed on a chaotic outcome where talks break up without any agreements on the future relationship. However, this outcome would be so bad for all parties that it is highly unlikely. A more credible scenario would involve the UK leaving the...

A ‘no deal’ scenario, in which the UK simply leaves the Single Market and Customs Union in 2019, does not have to be the ‘catastrophe’ that many fear. There would be some new barriers to trade with the EU, but these should be manageable. On the upside, the UK would be able to crack on...