Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa

Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa Review

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Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa Feature

"While very diverse in many respects, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries nevertheless also share some common characteristics, including a number of important shared challenges for policymakers." The Middle East and North Africa region has great potential for economic growth and prosperity in the 21st century. Yet, this potential will not be realized unless governments and private sector leaders in the region forge partnerships for development. An indispensable resource for all those working within the international development community, especially within the Middle East and North Africa region, Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa offers policy and institutional alternatives to help both parties achieve that goal. This volume describes and analyzes recent trade policy developments in the Middle East and North Africa. Contributors—almost all economists from the region—review recent trends in trade performance, assess current trade and investment regimes, and discuss some of the emerging microeconomic policy challenges that confront governments and firms seeking to export and trade. Topics addressed include the need and scope for using regional integration and economic free zones as a tool of development, mobilization of non-trade tax bases, efficient enforcement of product standards to ensure health and safety of citizens, and implementation of modern information technologies to facilitate customs clearance. This book is the second in a series from the Mediterranean Development Forum, a partnership of 10 Middle East and North Africa Region think tanks and the World Bank Institute. This volume will be of interest to development specialists, policymakers, and investors.

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Strengthening China's and India's Trade and Investment Ties to the Middle East and North Africa (Orientations in Development) (English and English Edition)

Strengthening China's and India's Trade and Investment Ties to the Middle East and North Africa (Orientations in Development) (English and English Edition) Review

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Strengthening China's and India's Trade and Investment Ties to the Middle East and North Africa (Orientations in Development) (English and English Edition) Feature

China and India's spectacular economic rise over the last two decades has accelerated their trade and investment flows with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), particularly with the oil-producing countries. And while these flows are still small, China and India's presence in the region is on the rise. This report focuses on the following questions: • what have been evolution and the impact of MENA's trade and investment relations with China and India? • what actions can be taken to maximize the benefits from these relations and to enhance MENA's international integration? The main findings indicate that the region as a whole has benefited from the rise of China and India in terms of better terms of trade, significant increases in oil and gas exports, and cheaper imports. However, producers of industrial goods have been negatively—and in a few cases severely—affected by competition with the two Asian countries in both third and domestic markets. While China and India are investing more in MENA, they are contributing very little to job creation or to the transfer and diffusion of technology. Faster growth in the two Asian countries—and the associated higher demand for energy—will increase revenues from oil and the difficult choices associated with their management. For the labor-abundant, non oil-producing countries, competition with China and India will increase. But the lack of competitive manufacturing industries and services, the insufficient attention given in the past to building technological capabilities and promoting openness and entrepreneurship are constraining their ability to respond to competition. They need to accelerate productivity to tackle unemployment, especially among youth. This may require the broader institutional changes seen in China and India— suggesting the importance of a pragmatic reform agenda that can accelerate productivity, trade, and investment in the region.

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Middle East and Arabic Countries Free Trade & Economic Zones Law and Regulations Handbook

Middle East and Arabic Countries Free Trade & Economic Zones Law and Regulations Handbook Review

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Middle East and Arabic Countries Free Trade & Economic Zones Law and Regulations Handbook Feature

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