It is more than 50 years since the establishment of the first modern special economic zones (SEZs). Over this time, SEZs have been credited with underpinning the dramatic exportoriented growth of China and other East Asian countries. But their success has been uneven, and they have remained controversial from a trade, fiscal, and social policy perspective. Yet policy makers appear to be increasingly attracted to economic zones. Since the mid-1980s, the number of newly-established zones has grown rapidly in almost all regions, with dramatic expansion in developing countries. In parallel with this growth, and in the evolving global trade and investment context, zones are also undergoing significant change in both their form and function, with traditional export processing zones (EPZs) increasingly giving way to larger and more flexible SEZ models. This will bring opportunities for developing countries to better take advantage of the dynamic potential of zones, but will also raise new challenges to their successful design and development. This collection of papers aims to contribute to an improved understanding of the role and practice of SEZs in developing countries, in order to better equip policy makers in planning and implementing SEZ programs. Organized around three broad themes—attracting investment and creating jobs, facilitating dynamic benefits, and ensuring sustainability— this book addresses many of the emerging issues and challenges in SEZs with practical case examples from SEZ programs in developing countries, including China, the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Honduras, and Mauritius.
The World Bank’s International Trade Department produces and disseminates policyoriented knowledge products and forges partnerships on trade to advance an inclusive trade agenda for developing countries and to enhance developing countries’ trade competitiveness in global markets. Learn more about the World Bank’s trade portfolio at: www.worldbank.org/trade.
ISBN 978-0-8213-8763-4
SKU 18763