IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/32365.html

FDI and regional economic integration in SAARC region: problems and prospects

Author

Listed:
  • Ansari, Nasim
  • Khan, Tamanna

Abstract

Regional integration has the potential to promote economic development in member countries irrespective of size and the level of growth. This potential can be exploited only through deeper cooperation. However, there are a number of challenges which restrict this region to tap its potential. As most of SAARC countries are underdeveloped economic integration is much needed for the development of this region. The process of economic integration in South Asia gathered momentum with the implementation of the South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) in 1995 under the broad framework of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). SAPTA has, however, comes to be viewed as an interim platform in the move towards economic integration in South Asia. It is argued that regional integration has the potential to promote FDI flows and economic development of the region. This will pave the way for the most efficient use of the region’s resources through additional economies of scale, value addition, employment and diffusion of technology. Though the regional integration has yet not boosted the SAARC share in world trade, but it has attracted more FDI inflows and its share has been rise in Asia and the world respectively. In 2008 the SAARC share of FDI inflows in Asia was 7.92 percent and 2.89 percent in world. The concept of regionalism and regionalisation is new for the economies of South Asia and there are several factors combine a negative case for a viable free trade agreement in the short-term. The objective of this paper is to analyze the role of regional integration in south Asia in the promotion of region’s trade and attracting FDI. It argues that there is need for deeper integration within the region.

Suggested Citation

  • Ansari, Nasim & Khan, Tamanna, 2011. "FDI and regional economic integration in SAARC region: problems and prospects," MPRA Paper 32365, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:32365
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/32365/6/MPRA_paper_32365.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Blomström, Magnus & Kokko, Ari, 1997. "Regional Integration and Foreign Direct Investment," CEPR Discussion Papers 1659, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Haider A. Khan & Zulfiqar Larik, 2007. "Globalization and Regional Co-operation in South Asia: A Political and Social Economy Approach," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-480, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    3. Blomstrom, Magnus & Kokko, Ari, 1997. "Regional integration and foreign direct investment : a conceptual framework and three cases," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1750, The World Bank.
    4. Bang Nam Jeon & Susan F. Stone, 2000. "Foreign Direct Investment and Trade in the Asia-Pacific Region: Complementarity, Distance and Regional Economic Integration," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 15, pages 460-485.
    5. Sachin Chaturvedi, 2007. "Trade Facilitation Measures in South Asian FTAs : An Overview of Initiatives and Policy Approaches," Trade Working Papers 22091, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    6. Aradhna Aggarwal, 2008. "Regional Economic Integration and FDI in South Asia - Prospects and Problems," Macroeconomics Working Papers 22141, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    7. Sachin Chaturvedi, 2007. "Trade Facilitation Measures in South Asian FTAs: An Overview of Initiatives and Policy Approaches," Working Papers 2807, Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), an initiative of UNESCAP and IDRC, Canada..
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alam, Arif & Malik, Ihtisham Abdul & Abdullah, Alias Bin & Hassan, Asmadi & Faridullah, & Awan, Usama & Ali, Ghulam & Zaman, Khalid & Naseem, Imran, 2015. "Does financial development contribute to SAARC׳S energy demand? From energy crisis to energy reforms," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 818-829.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aradhna Aggarwal, 2008. "Regional Economic Integration and FDI in South Asia - Prospects and Problems," Macroeconomics Working Papers 22141, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    2. Khalid Sekkat & Marie‐Ange Veganzones‐Varoudakis, 2007. "Openness, Investment Climate, and FDI in Developing Countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), pages 607-620, November.
    3. Piazolo, Daniel & Kokta, Robert M. & Buch, Claudia M., 2001. "Does the East Get What Would Otherwise Flow to the South? FDI Diversion in Europe," Kiel Working Papers 1061, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Mariam Camarero & Cecilio Tamarit, 2003. "Estimating exports and imports demand for Manufactured goods: The role of FDI," European Economy Group Working Papers 22, European Economy Group.
    5. Sánchez-Martín, Miguel Eduardo & de Arce, Rafael & Escribano, Gonzalo, 2014. "Do changes in the rules of the game affect FDI flows in Latin America? A look at the macroeconomic, institutional and regional integration determinants of FDI," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 279-299.
    6. Faiz Muhammad Shaikh & Nanik Ram & Anwar Ali Shah G. Syed & Abdul Sattar Shah, 2015. "Impact Of Trade Liberalization And South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) On Textile And Rice Export on Pakistan’s Economy," Romanian Statistical Review Supplement, Romanian Statistical Review, vol. 63(8), pages 74-83, August.
    7. Belem Vasquez, 2007. "A Dynamic Analysis of Some Instruments of Fiscal, Monetary and Commercial Policies in Mexico," EcoMod2007 23900089, EcoMod.
    8. Slavo Radosevic, 2003. "The emerging industrial architecture of the wider Europe: The co-evolution of industrial and political structures," UCL SSEES Economics and Business working paper series 29, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).
    9. Prabir De & Abdur Rob Khan & Sachin Chaturvedi, 2008. "Transit and Trade Barriers in Eastern South Asia: A Review of the Transit Regime and Performance of Strategic Border-Crossings," Working Papers 5608, Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), an initiative of UNESCAP and IDRC, Canada..
    10. Florian Mölders & Ulrich Volz, 2011. "Trade creation and the status of FTAs: empirical evidence from East Asia," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 147(3), pages 429-456, September.
    11. Li, Qiaomin & Scollay, Robert & Maani, Sholeh, 2016. "Effects on China and ASEAN of the ASEAN-China FTA: The FDI perspective," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 1-19.
    12. Hiroshi Mukunoki, 2017. "The welfare effect of a free trade agreement in the presence of foreign direct investment and rules of origin," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 733-759, September.
    13. Celine Azemar & Julia Darby & Rodolphe Desbordes & Ian Wooton, 2012. "Market Familiarity and the Location of South and North MNEs," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 307-345, November.
    14. Komlan Fiodendji & Kodjo Evlo, 2015. "Do Institutions Quality Affect FDI Inflows in Sub-Saharan African Countries?," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8.
    15. René Cabral & Jorge Alberto Alvarado, 2021. "The Role of FDI on Exports Performance: Evidence from the Mexican States," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 44(6), pages 684-708, November.
    16. Salim, Ali & Razavi, Mohammad Reza & Afshari-Mofrad, Masoud, 2017. "Foreign direct investment and technology spillover in Iran: The role of technological capabilities of subsidiaries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 207-214.
    17. Wilfried Altzinger & Peter Egger & Peter Huber & Kurt Kratena & Michael Pfaffermayr & Michael Wüger, 2000. "Teilprojekt 5: Transnationale Direktinvestitionen und Kooperationen," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 19587, October.
    18. Saade Chami & Selim Elekdag & Ivan Tchakarov, 2007. "What are the Potential Economic Benefits of Enlarging the Gulf Cooperation Council?," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 521-548.
    19. Kumar Gaurav & Nalin Bharti, 2019. "Some Common Lessons from Uncommon FTAs," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 20(1), pages 138-157, March.
    20. Christian Milelli & Alice Nicole Sindzingre, 2013. "Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment in Developed and Developing Countries: Converging Characteristics?," Working Papers hal-04141177, HAL.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:32365. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.