Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a very important role in enhancing economic development in Laos. However, SMEs in Laos are small and lack competitiveness. The inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade liberalization in Laos bring opportunities and challenges for SMEs in Laos. Moreover, issues of SMEs and assessment of SMEs promotion policy are not well understood for la...

The link between trade liberalization and poverty reduction has played a crucial role on economic policy in developing and least developed countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Academic research shows a remarkable lack of consensus and no clear effects in the direction of these linkages. This study presents an overview of the impact of trade liberalization on poverty in Sub-Saharan Afr...

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) which became operational on 1 January 1995 is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO provides the legal framework for world trade, and it has been given extensive regulatory and supervisory powers. Whereas the GATT was solely concerned with trade liberalization based on tariff concessions, the WTO’s approach embraces discus...

Financial liberalization has led to financial deepening and higher growth in several countries. However, it has also led to a greater incidence of financial crises. Here, we review the empirical evidence on these dual effects of financial liberalization across different groups of countries. We then present a conceptual framework that explains why there is a trade-off between growth and incidenc...

In recent years, it has been encouraging to watch the developmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) become more sophisticated in their thinking on the benefits of trade liberalization. NGOs such as Public Citizen that are against all forms of liberalization are now rare. Most NGOs including, for example, Oxfam, Christian Aid and Action Aid today agree that poor countries would benefit fro...