This study empirically examines the causal relationship between trade openness and economic prosperity in South Africa with quarterly data from 1970 to 2017. The analysis is disaggregated into pre-1994 and post-1994 to capture the economic situation…
In Africa’s efforts to achieve economic growth and enhance integration, the focus on intra-regional trade has intensified, fuelled by geographical proximity, and interconnected market dynamics. However, significant obstacles remain, one of which…
Orientation: Agriculture is key to South Africa’s economy, but exports face high transport costs, logistical bottlenecks, and infrastructure constraints, limiting competitiveness.
Research purpose: To examine how transport costs and logistical…
Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have reduced trade costs providing enterprises greater opportunity to access international markets. Using the World Bank's enterprise survey data covering more than 180 000 enterprises from…
The impact of trade agreements can vary between different groups of people, mainly because they play different roles in society, markets, and the economy, and they enjoy different opportunities. Hence, if trade agreements are designed without taking…
This research paper explores the dynamic relationship between trade openness, financial development, and economic growth in Lesotho. The study utilizes quarterly time series data spanning from 1970 to 2021, obtained from the Central Bank of Lesotho.…
Health pandemics affect women and men differently, and they can make the existing gender inequalities much worse. COVID-19 is one such pandemic, which can have substantial gender implications both during and in the post-pandemic world. Its economic…
This chapter provides an overview of the growing influence of both labour standards and gender equality concerns in contemporary trade debates, and in particular how existing FTAs have increasingly accommodated both types of issues. In the following…
In recent years, more and more countries have included different kinds of gender considerations in their trade agreements. Yet many countries have still not signed their very first agreement with a gender equality-related provision. Though most of…
The increasing trend of the inclusion of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment concerns in the negotiation of trade agreements creates a need to strengthen informed dialogue between the public and private sectors. Trade negotiators are…