Over the Horizon : A New Levant
The report is organized as follows. The report begins by providing an analytical basis for the evaluation of potential bilateral economic complementarities between Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and the Palestinian Territories (where...
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| Format: | Other Poverty Study |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2014
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/03/19705527/ http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20491 |
| Summary: | The report is organized as follows. The
report begins by providing an analytical basis for the
evaluation of potential bilateral economic complementarities
between Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and the
Palestinian Territories (where data is available) in chapter
one. The analysis goes beyond the aggregate level in order
to examine the scope for regional trade and investment in
particular industries or products. Building on an analysis
of economic complementarities and trade and investment
potentials in the sub-region, chapter two analyzes the
economic implications of a deeper regional integration. A
CGE model examines four scenarios emphasizing different
aspects of trade relations among possible members of a new
economic integration zone. Chapter three reviews and
compares the trade and investment regimes of the Levant
countries with a view to identifying the areas of reforms
needed to harmonize their policies in order to improve
competitiveness collectively and increase trade and
investment flows among them. Chapter four reviews the
services sectors and levels of regulatory restrictiveness in
the context of efforts at regional and global integration of
Levant economies. The chapter identifies existing and
potential barriers to integrating services markets of the
sample countries within the Levant region, and advances a
number of policy recommendations centered on the promotion
of closer regulatory ties in services markets and expanded
trade in services. Chapter five-eight focus on five sectors
for an in-depth analysis (financial services, energy, ICT
and air transport, and tourism) discussing how
liberalization of services trade under the framework of
deeper regional economic integration would help countries
take advantage of the regional opportunities, including an
overview for trade in services in the sub-region. Chapter
nine analyzes barriers to deeper regional integration in the
Levant, focusing on non-tariff measures, trade facilitation,
and logistics issues, and proposes policies to remove these
barriers. Finally, chapter ten reviews the current regional
agreements, identifies the weaknesses and proposes
recommendations for a possible economic zone in the medium
to long term. |
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