Bangladesh’s Services Trade and RCEP Accession
This paper assesses Bangladesh’s readiness to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnershi
Search & Filter Publications
Enter a keyword to search for a particular word/topic in the title, the author(s), or the abstract of the publication.
Sri Lanka’s Services Trade and RCEP Accession
This paper evaluates Sri Lanka’s readiness to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnershi
How important is human capital for services exports? Evidence from South Asia
Over the last three decades, South Asian economies have shown a continued upsurge in services exports, contributing to their external sector stability and economic growth. In this context, we examine the role of human capital in boosting services exports and revisit the other determinants of services exports by employing data from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka from 1980 to 2022. The findings reveal that human capital is a significant determinant of service exports. In addition, endowment factors such as financial and institutional development, telecom networks, broadband connections, and the quality of physical capital, along with other macroeconomic factors, are significant contributors to services exports. Our study distinctively establishes the role of human capital in augmenting services exports from the South Asian region. Removing supply-side bottlenecks in education, quality infrastructure, institutional governance, and broadband tele density, among others, to increase the competitiveness of the region’s service exports.
E-commerce in Trade Agreements: India’s Strategies and Options
The e-commerce sector is rapidly growing globally with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for 58 per cent of global retail e-commerce in 2022, and India, Singapore, China, and Japan leading this growth. The discussion on e-commerce and trade at the global level began in 1998 with the establishment of the Working Programme on E-commerce (WPEC) at the World Trade Organization (WTO), under which members agreed to a moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions. Progress on broader e-commerce trade rules within WPEC has been slow, which prompted the creation of the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce in 2019. On July 26, 2024, 80 member countries reached a consensus on trade rules in a “stabilized text.” Simultaneously, many nations have pursued standalone digital trade agreements or included digital trade chapters in broader trade agreements. India has not joined the JSI and opposes a permanent moratorium, citing evolving definitions of e-commerce and potential tariff revenue losses for developing countries. However, India has signed an agreement with a digital trade chapter with the United Arab Emirates and is negotiating similar chapters with other important trade partners. Given this background, the paper presents the discussions on e-commerce in the WPEC and the JSI. It presents India’s position in the WTO and trade agreements, its concerns, domestic regime and negotiating strategies and options. It provides data driven analysis of the impact of the moratorium on India’s e-commerce trade and suggests why digital taxation may be better than a tariff for revenue collection. It compares India’s autonomous regime (AR) with JSI obligations. It analyses trade agreements across parameters related to cross-border e-commerce trade, with a focus on agreements in the APAC region, in terms of their scope, coverage and depth of commitments. The paper concludes by providing a roadmap to move forward with discussions in the JSI and recommendations for India to find its stand in global negotiations.
Towards greater regulatory co-operation in the Asia-Pacific for boosting e-commerce trade
The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the world’s population and
Partial and general equilibrium impacts of trade digitalization using structural gravity model
The study estimates partial and general equilibrium impacts of trade digitalization on trade flow
Riding the Dragon: Ascent of China's Renminbi and the Decline of Dollar Dominance
Several commentaries are written about de-dollarization.
Assessing the Policy Environment for Digital Connectivity and Accessibility in the Asia-Pacific Region
The digital connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region is primarily shaped by the availability of IC
How does digital trade impact women traders?
This paper explores the potential opportunities and challenges digital trade poses for women trad
Does Internet expansion matter for export concentration?
Why do export sales increasingly concentrate among a few “superstars”?