In recent years, the debate surrounding free trade versus protectionism has intensified, particularly as industrialized countries face increasing competition from emerging economies. This argument is of particular importance to Pakistan which faces…
Increased market access through trade liberalization can affect the markups, prices, and marginal costs of exporters. Understanding these dynamics is critical for firms and policymakers, particularly as they formulate export strategies. We examine…
This report explores the potential impact of a future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on services trade. It highlights the growing importance of services in global trade and examines Pakistan’s…
This study examines the self-selection and the learning-by-exporting hypotheses to determine the direction of causality between firm’s productivity and its export status for the textile manufacturers in Punjab, Pakistan. Using disaggregated product…
Pakistan has not been able to significantly increase exports or diversify its export base towards higher value-added products which has both contributed to its perpetual balance of payments problems and impeded growth. To address this, it is crucial…
Freelancers in Pakistan earned around $400 million in both FY21 and FY22, accounting for about 15% of the $2.6 Billion in ICT exports. To learn more about the landscape of freelancing in Pakistan, we scraped the data on Pakistan-based freelancers…
We examine the relationship between low-priced intermediate inputs (via input tariff reductions) and export performance indicators using panel data from 166 countries from the years 2000-2015. Employing an instrumental variable approach, we show…
In this chapter, the authors build on the conceptual understanding of the intersection between trade policies and women in developing economies by first clarifying the key points of discussion on whether trade policies help or harm women's interests…
The impact of trade agreements is not gender neutral, as women and men play different roles and enjoy different opportunities in society, markets and the economy. In order to minimize the unintended discriminatory impact of these agreements on women…
The purpose of this chapter is threefold: providing an overview and analysis of gender provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs), assessing what gender issues are not covered and why, and showing how PTAs can be used as a policymaking tool…