Spotlight Archives
- ADB Working Paper Series on Regional Economic Integration No. 42: Regionalism Cycle in Asia (-Pacific)—A Game Theory Approach to the Rise and Fall of Asian Regional InstitutionsFebruary 2010Using a game theory approach, Shintaro Hamanaka develops a hypothesis of a "regionalism cycle" to explain the dynamic nature of Asian regionalism based on actual cases of regional institutions. He contends that the institutional outcome of regionalism in Asia has been cyclical because of the absence of a stable equilibrium in the game played by Japan and the United States. Download the paper.
- ADBI Working Paper - How Do FTAs Affect Exporting Firms in Thailand?January 2010Thailand, one of East Asia's most active users of free trade agreements (FTAs), had 11 concluded FTAs by December 2009. Although Thai trade negotiators have striven to secure market access via FTAs, little is known on how FTAs affect exporting firms. Using a survey of 221 Thai exporters, this study by G. Wignaraja, R. Olfindo, W. Pupphavesa, J. Panpiemras and S. Ongkittikul examines the business impact of FTA’s in Thailand. Specific recommendations on how to take better advantage of regional trade agreements are discussed. Download the paper.
- ADB Working Paper Series on Regional Economic Integration No. 40: Regulatory Reforms for Improving the Business Environment in Selected Asian Economies—How Monitoring and Comparative Benchmarking Can Provide Incentive for ReformJanuary 2010Lotte Schou-Zibell and Srinivasa Madhur examine the determinants of a business friendly environment that underpin rapid and sustained economic growth. The authors suggest that regular monitoring of relevant indicators and comparative benchmarking can provide incentive structures that serve as a starting point for dialogue between government and the private sector on improving the business environment. Read more.
- ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) Enters Into Force16 January 2010After being signed on February 2009 in Thailand, the AANZFTA entered into force on 1 January 2010. Starting on this date, tariffs will be gradually reduced, achieving free trade by 2015. The AANZFTA agreement covers a market of 600 million people with a combined GDP of US$2.7 trillion. It is a comprehensive economic agreement where the goods, services and investment components were negotiated simultaneously. Read the official press release of ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand. Follow AANZFTA on ARIC's website (resources include legal documents, studies and research, news, and more.
- ASEAN-China FTA Commences Tariff Reductions and Creates Large Trading Bloc6 January 2010A major component of a free-trade agreement covering trade in goods between China and ASEAN came into full force on Friday, 1 January 2010. It created a trade bloc comprised of 1.9 billion people in 6 ASEAN countries and China. The agreement creates the world's third largest free trade area and initially covers tariffs on 90% of goods and trade worth around $200 billion, but will eventually cover all goods and all ASEAN countries. The agreement has generated reaction from within the region. Follow this FTA on ARIC’s website (resources include legal documents, studies and research, news, and more).
- ADBI Working Paper - FTAs and Philippine Business: Evidence from Transport, Food, and Electronics Firms (January 2010)1 January 2010Within East Asia, the outward-oriented Philippine economy is a latecomer to using free trade agreements as a trade policy instrument. This study by Ganeshan Wignaraja, Dorothea Lazaro and Genevieve DeGuzman evaluates the impact of free trade agreements—particularly the 15-year-old ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement—on business activity in the Philippines. Using a survey of 155 manufactured goods exporters from three sectors, this study deals with three questions: (i) Do firms use AFTA and why?; (ii) What impedes firms from using FTAs?; and (iii) What can be done to improve FTA use at firm level? Download the paper. Read more about AFTA on ARIC's website.
- ADB Working Paper Series on Regional Economic Integration No. 41: Global Production Sharing, Trade Patterns and Determinants of Trade Flows in East AsiaJanuary 2010Prema–Chandra Athukorala and Jayant Menon examine in an environment of increased global production sharing, the extent and pattern of these flows in East Asia and probe its implications for the analysis of the determinants of trade flows. The paper draws implications on the role of exchange rate policy in the balance of payments adjustment, particularly in countries where component trade is high and growing. Download the paper.
- December 2009 Asia Economic Monitor 15 December 2009Emerging East Asian economies have performed better than anticipated this year thanks to swift policy responses and an improved external environment, according to the December issue of the Asia Economic Monitor. GDP is now expected to grow 4.2% in 2009 and 6.8% in 2010. Read news release. Download report.
- ADB Working Paper Series on Regional Economic Integration No. 37: Roads for Asian Integration: Measuring ADB’s Contribution to the Asian Highway NetworkNovember 2009Srinivasa Madhur, Ganeshan Wignaraja and Peter Darjes examine the link between regional roads and ADB's support in Asia between 1966 and 2008 and find that regional highways are a notable and growing part of ADB's road portfolio since the 1990's, and that ADB road investment has made a significant contribution to the Asian Highway. Read more.
- ADB Working Paper Series on Regional Economic Integration No. 38: The Financial Crisis and Money Markets in Emerging Asia November 2009Robert Rigg and Lotte Schou-Zibell examine recent money market developments and financial system liquidity in emerging Asia, and look at policy options and potential structural shifts to strengthen and develop the region's money markets as they emerge from the recent global financial turmoil. Read more.