Trade Liberalisation and Poverty in South Asia (Routledge Studies in the Growth Economies of Asia)

The link between trade liberalisation and poverty has arguably been one of the most debated topics in development policy debate. Existing studies on the subject have primarily used multi-country cross-sectional data, and there is a growing concern about the limitations of this approach in providing a sound empirical basis for informing the policy debate. These limitations point to the need for undertaking in-depth analyses within individual countries over time.

In order to examine the connection between trade liberalisation and poverty, this book provides case studies of trade policy reforms and poverty reduction outcomes of seven countries in South Asia - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The South Asia region allows for an excellent comparative study given the widespread emphasis on liberalisation reforms in the region over the past two decades, as well as highlighting significant inter-country differences in terms of the timing and comprehensiveness of reforms, and the heavy concentration of world poverty in the region. This book is a useful contribution to studies on South Asia, as well as International Trade and Development Economics.

Prema-chandra Athkorala is Professor of Economics at the College of Asia and The Pacific, Australian National University and Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. He has published numerous books and articles on international trade and economic development.

Jayatilleke S. Bandara is an Associate Professor at the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Griffith University, Australia. He has published extensively in the areas of trade, development and economic modelling, particularly focusing on South Asian countries.

Saman Kelegama is the Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka and a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in Sri Lanka. He has written a number of books on Sri Lankan economy and South Asian economic issues.