Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/103858
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
ARTNeT Working Paper Series No. 132
Publisher: 
Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), Bangkok
Abstract: 
This paper investigates whether trade facilitation measures benefit the poor and microenterprises in border provinces. It also explores the role of microfinance in supporting the utilization of the trade facilitation initiatives. The role of microfinance in this context is to complement trade facilitation measures in order to allow the poor to benefit from new market access or business opportunities resulting from trade facilitation measures. The focus of the study is the Economic Corridors and Cross Border Transportation Agreement (CBTA), two important initiatives for transport and trade facilitation under the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) programme of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Thailand has implemented several infrastructure and trade facilitation projects that complement these two GMS initiatives and which are also studied in this paper . These include: (a) The improvement of basic infrastructure around the border locations; (b) Establishment of distribution centres at border locations; (c) Realignment and expansion of roads and highways connected to economic corridors; (d) Construction of customs and immigration control points; (e) Implementation of an e-customs system; (f) Establishment of markets at the border locations; (g) Human resource development. In particular, the trade facilitation measures analysed here are the second and third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges, the East-West Economic Corridor and related trade facilitation projects. The areas in consideration are within north-eastern Thailand's Mukdahan and Nakhon Phanom provinces.
Subjects: 
Trade facilitation
Microfinance
Poverty reduction
The Greater Mekong Subregion
Thailand
JEL: 
F63
I32
I 38
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.