Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/161577 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2017/15
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
Firms tend to cluster in close geographic proximity to each other to benefit from reduced transport costs, shared inputs, and productivity spillovers due to learning and technology transfers. Evidence from low-income countries suggests that such agglomeration economies may be substantial in endogenously formed clusters. This raises the question of whether spatial industrial policies can be designed to facilitate clustering. In this paper, we consider the case for creating Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Africa. We document at the country level the state of current SEZ programmes and the policy measures in place for their promotion. We give an overview of the evidence on their success and provide a set of policy recommendations to improve SEZs performance.
Subjects: 
agglomeration
Special Economic Zones
spatial industrial policy
Africa
JEL: 
O14
O25
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9256-239-7
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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