Making Regional Cooperation Work for South Asia's Poor

South Asia has attracted global attention because it has experienced rapid GDP growth over the last two decades. What is not so well known is that South Asia is the least integrated region in the world. South Asia has opened its door to the rest of the world but it remains closed to its neighbors. Poor market integration, weak connectivity, and a history of friction and conflict have resulted in two South Asias. The first South Asia is dynamic, growing rapidly, highly urbanized, and is benefiting from global integration. The second South Asia is rural, land locked, full of poverty, and lagging. The divergence between the two South Asias is on the rise. Policy makers in South Asia have realized that countries and regions can not grow in isolation. The unique geography of South Asia-distance and density--has the potential to raise growth through increased flow of labor, capital, ideas, technology, goods and services within the region and with the rest of the world. Most lagging regions, in terms of both per capita income and poverty incidence, in South Asia are either land-locked or located in the border areas. Regional cooperation and market integration will unlock the development of these lagging regions in South Asia.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Ahmed, Sadiq, Ghani, Ejaz
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2008-09
Subjects:	AGGLOMERATION BENEFITS, AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY, AGRICULTURAL TRADE, AGRICULTURE, AIR, ANNUAL GROWTH, ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, ARBITRAGE, AVERAGE GROWTH, AVERAGE GROWTH RATE, BACKWARD REGIONS, BENCHMARKING, BETTER ACCESS TO MARKETS, BORDER CROSSINGS, BOTH SEXES, BRIDGE, CENTRAL BANK, CHRONIC POVERTY, CITIZEN, CITIZENS, CLIMATE CHANGE, COMPETITIVENESS, CONFLICT, COUNTRY LEVEL, DAMAGES, DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS, DEVELOPMENT REPORT, DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, DIMINISHING RETURNS, DIVIDENDS, DRIVERS, DRUG TRAFFICKING, EARTHQUAKE, ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, ECONOMIC COOPERATION, ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC INEQUALITY, ECONOMIC SIZE, ECONOMIES OF SCALE, ELASTICITY, EMPIRICAL STUDIES, EXPORT GROWTH, EXPORTS, EXTERNALITIES, EXTREME POVERTY, FARMERS, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FLOW OF PEOPLE, FREE TRADE, GDP, GDP PER CAPITA, GINI COEFFICIENT, GLOBAL ECONOMY, GLOBAL MARKETS, GLOBAL PUBLIC GOODS, GROWTH PERFORMANCE, GROWTH POLICIES, GROWTH POTENTIAL, GROWTH PROSPECTS, GROWTH RATE, GROWTH RATES, HIGH GROWTH, HIGH INCOME COUNTRIES, HIGH POPULATION DENSITY, HIGH TRANSPORTATION, HIGHWAY, HIGHWAY NETWORKS, HIGHWAYS, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN POVERTY, HUMAN POVERTY INDEX, IMMIGRATION, IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE, INCIDENCE OF POVERTY, INCOME DATA, INCOME GAP, INCOME GROWTH, INCOME INEQUALITY, INCOME LEVELS, INDIVIDUAL INEQUALITY, INDUSTRIALIZATION, INEQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, INTERNATIONAL GATEWAYS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, JOB CREATION, LABOR FORCE, LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES, LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT, LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, MACROECONOMIC MANAGEMENT, MARKET ECONOMIES, MATERIAL RESOURCES, MIDDLE EAST, MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES, MIGRATION, MOBILITY, MULTIPLIERS, NATIONAL LEVEL, NATIONAL POVERTY, NATIONAL POVERTY LINES, NATURAL DISASTER, NATURAL DISASTERS, NATURAL GAS, NATURAL RESOURCE, NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES, NORTH AFRICA, PEACE, PER CAPITA GROWTH, PER CAPITA INCOME, PER CAPITA INCOME LEVELS, PER CAPITA INCOMES, POLICY CHANGE, POLICY CHANGES, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLITICAL CONSTRAINTS, POOR, POOR AREAS, POOR INFRASTRUCTURE, POPULATION DATA, POPULATION DENSITY, PORT FACILITIES, POVERTY ESTIMATES, POVERTY HEADCOUNT RATE, POVERTY INCIDENCE, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY LINES, POVERTY RATE, POVERTY RATES, POVERTY REDUCTION, POWER OUTAGES, PRO-GROWTH POLICIES, PRODUCTIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES, PROGRESS, PROMOTING GROWTH, PUBLIC POLICY, PUBLIC SECTOR, PUBLIC SERVICE, PUBLIC SERVICES, PUBLIC UTILITIES, QUALITY OF TRANSPORT, RAPID GROWTH, REAL GDP, REDUCED POVERTY, REDUCING POVERTY, REGIONAL COOPERATION, REGIONAL DISPARITIES, REGIONAL INEQUALITY, REGIONAL POPULATION, REGIONAL TRANSPORT, REGULATORY BARRIERS, REMITTANCE, ROAD, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL ROADS, SEA LEVEL, SECTOR REFORMS, SERVICE DELIVERY, SMALL COUNTRIES, SOCIAL COHESION, SOCIAL CONFLICTS, SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, SOCIAL PROTECTION, SOUTH ASIAN, SPATIAL ECONOMICS, SPEEDS, SPILLOVER, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, TERTIARY EDUCATION, TOLL, TRADE BARRIERS, TRADE POLICIES, TRANSACTION COSTS, TRANSIT, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT COSTS, TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT NETWORK, TRANSPORTATION, TRANSPORTATION COSTS, TREATY, TRUCKS, TRUE, URBAN AREAS, URBAN BIAS, URBANIZATION, VALUE ADDED, VULNERABILITY, WARS, WATER AVAILABILITY, WATER FOR IRRIGATION, WATER MANAGEMENT, WATER RESOURCES, WORLD POPULATION,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/09/9892743/making-regional-cooperation-work-south-asias-poor https://hdl.handle.net/10986/6959
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