Trade and Regional Integration in South Asia

Gathering contributions from leading academics and international trade experts from South Asia, this book is dedicated to the late Dr. Saman Kelegma, whose untimely death in June 2017 left a huge void in the field of regional economic cooperation. Keeping in mind his enduring legacy regarding regional cooperation in South Asia, it covers issues related to the challenges of deeper regional integration in South Asia and proposes strategies to address these challenges. 

It also offers an up-to-date, rigorous academic analysis of various issues related to low intra-regional trade in South Asia; prevalence of tariff barriers; incidence of a range of non-tariff measures; challenges of weak-trade-related infrastructure and the need for trade facilitation; the political economics of regional integration, highlighting how bilateral political relations affect the integration process; low level of intra-regional investment; South Asia’s pattern of integration with the global and regional value chains; pattern and dominance of informal trade; and alternative regional integration initiatives in South Asia, such as the bilateral, regional, and sub-regional trade agreements within and countries outside this region. 

Intended primarily for researchers and students of international trade, and policymakers from South Asia and beyond, the book is also a valuable supplementary reference resource for researchers and students. Furthermore, the pragmatic analysis of the policy options presented offers guidance for policymakers in South Asia wanting to implement effective policies and strategies for deeper regional integration. 

Selim Raihan is a Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Executive Director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, UK, Dr. Raihan has considerable expertise in empirical research on international trade, economic growth, poverty, labor markets, macroeconomic policies, political economies, and climate change issues. He has extensive teaching experience in international trade, economic modeling, quantitative economics, econometrics, development economics, and poverty dynamics. Moreover, he has 12 years of experience in conducting national and international training programs on economic modeling in various countries, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Mongolia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Dr. Raihan has published a number of journal articles, books, book chapters, and working papers. He is the editor of “Thinking Aloud” – a monthly digest from SANEM, and regularly writes columns in leading English and Bengali dailies in Bangladesh. Dr. Raihan has worked for several national and international organizations including the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, UNDP, UNESCAP, UNCTAD, IFPRI, the Commonwealth Secretariat, FAO, European Commission, ILO, IDRC, DFID, etc. He has led and participated in a number of regional and international research projects on trade and regional integration issues. 

Prabir De is a Professor at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, India. He is also the Coordinator of ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at the RIS. Prof. De works in the field of international economics, with research interests in international trade and development. He has been a Visiting Fellow to the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Tokyo; and a Visiting Senior Fellow to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Bangkok. He has conducted policy research for the Government of India and several international organizations. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, he has contributed several research papers to international journals and written books on trade and development. He is the Editor of South Asia Economic Journal.