Trade and Investment in South Asia

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows started gaining traction in South Asia from the late 20th century onwards, when nations from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) began moving away from highly controlled regimes and adopting liberal and open economic policies.

In the context of surplus labour and capital scarcity faced by South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, to varying degrees, the economic reform process has provided an opportunity to actively promote inward FDI flows, with the goal of providing the much-needed capital for the growth of this region. Several policy initiatives were undertaken to attract FDI and incentives were announced to fascinate investors, resulting in the inflow of FDI across the region.

This book examines FDI inflows in SAARC nations in the light of regional policy changes in the 21st century. It investigates the relationship between trade and FDI in the region, and also provides insights into the ease of doing business in the SAARC region.
Contents: ForewordList of AbbreviationsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionEase and Difficulty of Doing Business in South AsiaImpact of FDI on the Host and Home Country Trends of Trade and Investment in SAARC CountriesRelationship between Trade and Investment in the SAARC RegionCausal Relation between Trade and Investment in the SAARC RegionA SUR Analysis of Investment and Institutional VariablesSummary and Conclusion
Readership: Undergraduate and graduate students of South Asian economies, trade flows and investment, and South Asian policy studies. South Asia;Foreign Direct Investment;South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation;SAARC;South Asian Free Trade Area;SAFTA;FDI;Ease of Doing Business;South Asian Policy0Key Features:It will be one of the few studies providing comparative picture pertaining the policies towards FDI in the SAARC regionIt will bring forth the policies gap that exist among the countries in the SAARC The book will also highlight the differences in the quality of FDI in the SAARC region