Customs Modernization Handbook

327 pages. Trade integration contributes substantially to economic development and pover ty alleviation. In recent years much progress was made to liberalize the trade r egime, but customs procedures are often still complex, costly and non-transparen t. This situation leads to misallocation of resources. 'Customs Modernization Ha ndbook' provides an overview of the key elements of a successful customs moderni zation strategy and draws lessons from a number of successful customs reforms as well as from customs reform projects that have been undertaken by the World Ban k. It describes a number of key import procedures, that have proved particularly troublesome for customs administrations and traders, and provides practical gui delines to enhance their efficiency. The Handbook also reviews the appropriate l egal framework for customs operations as well as strategies to combat corruption .