Strengthening Competitiveness In Bangladesh--Thematic Assessment
Subtitle: A Diagnostic Trade Integration Study
Contributors: Malouche, Mariem
Series: Directions in development. Trade; Directions in development (Washington, D.C.)
Publisher: World Bank Publications; World Bank Publications
Published: 2016
Place of publication: [Place of publication not identified]
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9781464808999; 9781464808982
Subjects: Competition; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS; International; Economics; General
Description: This is volume 2 of a three-volume publication on Bangladesh's trade prospects. Bangladesh's ambition is to build on its very solid growth and poverty reduction achievements, and accelerate growth to become a middle income country by 2021, and share prosperity more widely amongst its citizens. This includes one of its greatest development challenges: to provide gainful employment to the over 2 million people that will join the labor force each year over the next decade. Moreover, only 54.1 million of its 94 million working age people are employed. Bangladesh needs to use its labor endowment even more intensively to increase growth and, in turn, to absorb the incoming labor. The Diagnostic Trade Integration Study identifies the following actions centered around four pillars to sustain and accelerate export growth: (1) breaking into new markets through a) better trade logistics to reduce delivery lags ; as world markets become more competitive and newer products demand shorter lead times, to generate new sources of competitiveness and thereby enable market diversification; and b) better exploitation of regional trading opportunities in nearby growing and dynamic markets, especially East and South Asia; (2) breaking into new products through a) more neutral and rational trade policy and taxation and bonded warehouse schemes; b) concerted efforts to spur domestic investment and attract foreign direct investment, to contribute to export promotion and diversification, including by easing the energy and land constraints; and c) strategic development and promotion of services trade; (3) improving worker and consumer welfare by a) improving skills and literacy; b) implementing labor and work safety guidelines; and c) making safety nets more effective in dealing with trade shocks; and (4) building a supportive environment, including a) sustaining sound macroeconomic fundamentals; and b) strengthening the institutional capacity for strategic policy making aimed at the objective of international competitiveness to help bring focus and coherence to the government's reform efforts. This second volume provides in-depth analysis across seven cross-cutting themes that underpin most of the findings of pillars 1 and 2 above.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Front Cover; Contents; Foreword; Acknowledgments; About the Authors; Abbreviations; Key Messages; Chapter 1 Bangladesh's Trade Performance; Introduction; Bangladesh's Macroeconomic Performance; Bangladesh's Performance in Goods Trade; Dependence on Imports; Exporting Firms' Performance and Dynamics; Bangladesh's Trade in Services; Exports of Labor Services; Conclusion; Notes; References; Chapter 2 Trade Policy, Export Incentives, and Consumer Welfare; Introduction; Heavy Border Taxation; Distortionary Incentives; Tariffs Influenced Heavily by Revenue Considerations; Nontariff Measures.; title: Trade Policy and WelfareServices Trade Policy Restrictiveness; Conclusions; Annex 2A: Survey Data and Computations for ERP Analysis; Annex 2B: Analysis of Tariff Redundancy; Notes; References; Chapter 3 Market Access: From Preferences to Global Integration; Introduction; Preferential Access for Bangladesh in High-Income Economies; Increased Role of Regional Markets for Bangladeshi Exports; Integrating into Production-Sharing Networks; Export Promotion in Bangladesh; Recommendations; Annex 3A: Regression Results; Notes; References; Chapter 4 Leveraging Institutions for Trade Development.; title: IntroductionTrade Policy Institutions; Interagency Coordination and Consultation; Toward a New Trade Policy Framework; Building Institutional Capacity; Conclusion and Recommendations; Annex 4A: Details of Organizations in Bangladesh and Overseas; Notes; References; Chapter 5 Meeting the Quality Challenge: Technical Regulation, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and Quality Infrastructure; Introduction; Background; Meeting the Quality Challenge Abroad: How Bangladesh Manages Export Quality; Meeting the Quality Challenge at Home: How Bangladesh Manages Import Procedures.; title: Meeting the Quality Challenge Next Door: Regional Trade and QualityConclusions and Recommendations; Annex 5A: Current and Upcoming BSTI Projects; Notes; References; Chapter 6 Trade Facilitation and Logistics; Introduction; Logistics Performance; Customs and Border Management; Regional Integration and Trade Facilitation; Options for Improving Trade Facilitation and Logistics Performance in Bangladesh; Annex 6A: List of Goods That Can Be Cleared in Off-Dock Yards; Notes; References; Chapter 7 Constraints to Trade Finance; Introduction; Role of Trade Finance; Trade Finance in Bangladesh.; title: A Modern Approach to Trade FinancePolicy Options; Notes; References; Chapter 8 Attracting Foreign Direct Investment; Introduction; Constraints to Private Investment in Bangladesh; Poor Performance of FDI Inflows in Bangladesh: A Snapshot; Constraints to FDI; Is Bangladesh Really Open to FDI?; Uneven Playing Field for Multinational Firms; International Payments and Investments; Policy Recommendations; Notes; References; Boxes; Box 1.1 Vietnam Has Increased Its Export Basket Sophistication and Market Diversification; Box 1.2 Rana Plaza Momentum for Reforms: Implementation Will Be Key.