Trade Policy Development - ADB

ADB and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) provide institutional and technical capacity building in line with the changing trade policy landscape and the proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs) in Asia. ADB and its Institute have provided regional, sub-regional and in-country training courses, seminars and policy dialogues on trade related issues. Topics include global value chains and regional production networks, economic corridors, investment and trade in services, trade facilitation (customs, e-commerce, logistics, sanitary and phytosanitary measures), connectivity, FTAs and regional agreements, and trade policy. Middle- to high-level officials and private sector representatives across Asia-Pacific have benefited from these capacity building and training programs.

ADB aims to provide effective manuals in various areas of trade which draw upon the Bank’s experience in regional trade policy capacity building for the Asia-Pacific region. Examples are: (i) How to Design, Negotiate, and Implement a Free Trade Agreement in Asia; (ii) Trade Facilitation Handbook: Bridging the Gap between Policy and Practice in Asia and the Pacific (jointly with UNESCAP); (iii) Risk Management Guide (jointly with the WCO); and GMS Cross-Border Trade Agreement Operations Manual.

ADB and ADBI conduct research in several areas of trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific, including megaregionals, FTAs, infrastructure and trade costs, connectivity, regional value chains, trade adjustment, foreign direct investment, and regional and subregional integration.

Recent books include ADB and ADBI (2015) Connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia; Wignaraja (2016) Production Networks and Enterprises in East Asia; Helble, Shepherd and Wan (2017, forthcoming) SDGs and Trade: Achieving Win-Wins.

ADB’s Asian Economic Integration Report (AEIR), an annual review of Asia’s regional cooperation and integration (RCI), also provides in-depth analysis of RCI-related issues, including trade and investment. The theme chapter for the 2015 issue of the AEIR investigates how to use special economic zones in catalyzing economic development while the 2016 issue examinesthe determinants of foreign direct investment in Asia and the Pacific.

There are also online working paper series and policy briefs which disseminate information and generate debate on the many facets of trade, including:

• ADB Economics Working Papers: www.adb.org/publications/series/economics-working-papers
• ADBI Working Paper Series: www.adbi.org
• ADB Briefs: www.adb.org/publications/series/adb-briefs
• ADBI Policy Brief Series: www.adb.org/publications/series/adbi-policy-briefs