Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa

Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Bernard M. Hoekman
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821346143
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
"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.

Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa

Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Bernard M. Hoekman
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821346143
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Get Book

Book Description
"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.

Trade, Investment, and Development in the Middle East and North Africa

Trade, Investment, and Development in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Dipak Das Gupta
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821355749
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
There is a large potential for expanding trade in the Middle East and North Africa region. This work discusses ways forward for trade integration, capturing the diversity of country experiences within the region without losing the generality of principles involved.

Trade Policy and Economic Integration in the Middle East and North Africa

Trade Policy and Economic Integration in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Hassan Hakimian
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415360296
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
This important book examines the impact of recent changes in the world economy on trade policy within the MENA region and its economic relations with the rest of the world.

International Trade with the Middle East and North Africa

International Trade with the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Hossein Esmaeili
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040039596
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
This book provides an interdisciplinary analysis of trade relations with the Middle East and Arab countries from the perspectives of law, business, policy and culture in the Middle East and the Arab world and their interaction with the wider world, particularly Western countries. The rapidly evolving economy of the Middle East and the Arab region is undergoing significant change, and establishing modern foreign ownership law, robust company, business and investment regulations, modern legal professions while keeping its basic traditional and Islamic principles. This book covers a number of important theoretical and practical aspects of commercial and trade relationships and law. It examines case studies of trade and investment relations between Arab and Middle Eastern countries and Western Countries, such as Australia, UK and US, touching on such topics as corporation law, arbitration and foreign judgments, future mobility and disruptive technology law, financial services law, charity law, trusts and cultural law. Exploring emerging trade and investment ties between Arab and Middle Eastern countries and Western countries, it will be of interest to students, academics and practitioners with an interest in international trade and investment law.

Trade Competitiveness of the Middle East and North Africa

Trade Competitiveness of the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Jos R. L pez-C lix
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821380758
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
Over the past decade, four major developments in global economic integration have shaped trade policy and the economic performance of countries within the Middle East and North Africa region: the emergence of global supply chains, the growth of trade in services, the rise of China and India as major international trading powers, and regional integration. These developments, along with the labor and natural resource endowments of particular countries (some are resource-poor but labor-abundant, some resource-rich and labor-abundant, and some resource-rich and labor-importing), have influenced export diversification outcomes across the region. Yet these countries may not be taking full advantage of all of the opportunities the four new trends offer to them. 'Trade Competitiveness of the Middle East and North Africa: Policies for Export Diversification' examines the region's trade policy agendas and their results by focusing on the countries' response to these four key developments in international trade. As the region recovers from the global financial and economic crises, the book identifies reforms that could allow countries to further strengthen global production networks, benefit more from trade in services, better compete in external markets to face the rise of China and India, and reach the full potential of regional integration. If thoroughly implemented, especially by oil exporters, all of these reforms could help boost growth and job creation in the region.

An Economic History of the Middle East and North Africa

An Economic History of the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Charles Issawi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134560516
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
The economic history of the Middle East and North Africa is quite extraordinary. This is an axiomatic statement, but the very nature of the economic changes that have stemmed directly from the effects of oil resources in these areas has tended to obscure longterm patterns of economic change and the fundamental transformation of Middle Eastern and North African economies and societies over the past two hundred years. In this study Professor Issawi examines and explains the development of these economies since 1800, focusing particularly on the challenge posed by the use and subsequent decline of Western economic and political domination and the Middle Eastern response to it. The book beg ins with an analysis of the effects of foreign intervention in the area: the expansion of trade, the development of transport networks, the influx of foreign capital and resulting integration into international commercial and financial networks. It goes on to examine the local response to these external forces: migration within, to and from the region, population growth, urbanization and changes in living standards, shifts in agricultural production and land tenure and the development of an industrial sector. Professor Issawi discusses the crucial effects of the growth of oil and oil-related industries in a separate chapter, and finally assesses the likely gains and losses in this long period for both the countries in the area and the Western powers. He has drawn on long experience and an immense amount of material in surveying the period, and provides a clear and penetrating survey of an extraordinarily complex area.

U. S. Trade and Investment in the Middle East and North Africa: Overview and Issues for Congress

U. S. Trade and Investment in the Middle East and North Africa: Overview and Issues for Congress PDF Author: Rebecca M. Nelson
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781482765106
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
U.S. interest in deepening economic ties with certain countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has increased in light of the political unrest and transitions that have swept the region since early 2011. Policymakers in Congress and the Obama Administration are discussing ways that U.S. trade and investment can bolster long-term economic growth in the region. In May 2011, President Obama announced the MENA “Trade and Investment Partnership Initiative” (MENA-TIP), through which various federal government agencies are engaged in efforts to enhance trade and investment with the region. Such activities are in line with longstanding U.S. trade policy goals and measures. Some Members of Congress have called for deeper economic ties with MENA countries undergoing political change. However, continued political uncertainty and changing security environments in the region have prompted greater scrutiny of U.S. engagement. This report analyzes policy approaches that the Congress might consider concerning U.S.-MENA trade and investment. MENA Economies and Integration in the Global Economy - Economic performance in the MENA as a whole lags behind other regions in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (living standards), employment, and economic diversification, despite the fact that several MENA countries are major producers of oil and natural gas. Limited integration in the global economy is frequently cited as an obstacle to the region's overall economic development. MENA's trade with the world is concentrated in a small number of products (oil exports and imports of manufactured goods) and among a small number of trading partners (particularly the European Union). Tariffs also remain high in some MENA countries and intra-regional trade and investment flows are relatively low. With regard to the United States, the MENA region accounts for less than 5% of U.S. total trade and 1% of U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows. U.S. businesses face a number of non-tariff barriers, such as lack of transparency, bureaucratic red tape, corruption, weak rule of law, and differences in business cultures. Policy Approaches and Challenges - Current U.S. trade and investment policies with MENA countries are quite varied. The United States has free trade agreements (FTAs) with five MENA countries (Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, and Oman), but more limited ties with other countries, such as Libya, which is not a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Important exceptions to overall U.S. trade policy objectives in the region are Iran and Syria, which are both subject to trade sanctions. Analysts disagree about the merits of deepening U.S. trade and investment ties with the MENA region. Some analysts maintain that new trade and investment agreements help anchor domestic reforms, such as in governance and rule of law; support sound economic growth; are a costeffective way to support transitioning countries in an environment of budgetary constraints; and could promote U.S. exports and investment. Others argue that the empirical record between economic openness and democracy is weak and that it is unclear whether protesters in various Arab countries favor more economic liberalization, which they sometimes associate with corruption, inflation, and inequality. They also argue that political uncertainty in the region, such as the fluidity of Egypt's political transition, merits a “wait-and-see” approach before proceeding with substantial policy changes.

Regional Economic Integration in the Middle East and North Africa

Regional Economic Integration in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Mustapha Rouis
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 082139729X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
This book summarizes the constraints to and opportunities for deepening economic integration within the MENA region and beyond. Trade and investment reform are discussed together with physical connectivity, cross-border trade facilitation, infrastructure networks, and the vital role of logistics.

Challenges of Growth and Globalization in the Middle East and North Africa

Challenges of Growth and Globalization in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Mr.Hamid R Davoodi
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 9781589062290
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an economically diverse region. Despite undertaking economic reforms in many countries, and having considerable success in avoiding crises and achieving macroeconomic stability, the region’s economic performance in the past 30 years has been below potential. This paper takes stock of the region’s relatively weak performance, explores the reasons for this out come, and proposes an agenda for urgent reforms.

Agricultural Trade and Rural Development in the Middle East and North Africa

Agricultural Trade and Rural Development in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Dean A. DeRosa
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Africa, North
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description