Description
Book SynopsisSouth Asian leaders have made it a priority to tackle key regional issues such as poverty, environment degradation, trade and investment barriers and food insecurity, among others. This book considers the leadership of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the interaction with civil society in the process of South Asian regional cooperation and integration, and discusses how the emerging urgency in the provision of regional public goods provides an excellent opportunity to add to the successes in South Asian regional integration.
The book explores civil society's role in regional and economic integration in South Asian industries, trade and services, and the importance of regional public goods such as food security for future integration efforts. It concludes that there are a few successes on which future cooperation and integration in South Asia can be built and where engagement with civil society could be productive, and that these success stories are sector specific - for instance, in industry and trade sectors where cross-border activities have been established within the framework of a South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). However, a greater number of success stories are required at the sector level to serve as building blocks for further regional cooperation and integration.
This highly original book will prove a fascinating read for academics, students and policy makers across a diverse range of fields including: Asian studies, development, economics and regional and urban studies.
Contributors: R. Amjad, Z. Bakht, N.C. Behera, D. de Mel, N. Hanif, M. Hossain, M. Iqbal, S. Jayaratne, K. Moinuddin, D. Premaratne, M. Quddus, N. Shinkai, S. Sohail, A. Wijesinha, M. Yunus
Table of ContentsContents: Foreword Sultan Hafeez Rahman Preface: Regional Integration for Shared Prosperity in South Asia PART I: CIVIL SOCIETY IN REGIONAL COOPERATION IN SOUTH ASIA 1. SAARC and Beyond: Civil Society and Regional Integration in South Asia Navnita Chadha Behera PART II: ECONOMIC INTEGRATION: INDUSTRIES 2. Vertical Integration of Industries in South Asia Deshal de Mel and Suwendrani Jayaratne 3. Integration of ICT Industries and its Impact on Market Access and Trade: The Case of Bangladesh and India Monzur Hossain, Naoko Shinkai, Mohammad Yunus and Zaid Bakht PART III: ECONOMIC INTEGRATION: TRADE AND TRADE IN SERVICES 4. Trade Facilitation Issues in South Asia Deshal de Mel, Suwendrani Jayaratne and Dharshani Premaratne 5. Liberalization of Air Services in South Asia: Prospects and Challenges Anushka Wijesinha and Deshal de Mel 6. Liberalization of Trade in Services under SAFTA: Prospects and Challenges for Pakistan Safdar Sohail, Noorulain Hanif and Maliha Quddus PART IV: REGIONAL PUBLIC GOODS FOR SOUTH ASIA 7. The Provision of Regional Public Goods in South Asia Khaja Moinuddin 8. Food Security in South Asia: Strategies and Programmes for Regional Collaboration Muhammad Iqbal and Rashid Amjad
