1. Unlocking Central America's Export Potential : Export Performance
- Author
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World Bank
- Subjects
BILATERAL RELATIONSHIPS ,FOREIGN TRADE ,TRADE LIBERALIZATION ,CUSTOMS ,EXPORT PATTERNS ,MARKET ACCESS ,PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT ,PROTECTIONIST MEASURES ,PREFERENTIAL MARKET ACCESS ,GLOBAL MARKET ,APPAREL SECTOR ,PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT ,VALUE ADDED ,WORLD TRADE ,EXPORT SECTOR ,GLOBAL COMPETITION ,EXCHANGE RATES ,TRUST FUND ,FREE ZONES ,TERMS OF TRADE ,TRADE CENTER ,EXPORT MARKETS ,DOMESTIC MARKET ,TECHNICAL BARRIERS ,MISSING MARKETS ,CUSTOMS TERRITORY ,INCOME ,INPUT PRICES ,CAPACITY OF FIRMS ,EXPORT GROWTH ,INSTRUMENT ,FINISHED PRODUCTS ,APPAREL EXPORTS ,TRADE PATTERNS ,TRADE OPENNESS ,ECONOMIC CRISIS ,FINANCIAL CRISIS ,COMPETITIVENESS ,TRADE FACILITATION ,TRADE PERFORMANCE ,PER CAPITA INCOME ,COMMON MARKET ,TRADE DEFICITS ,EXPORT SHARES ,TARIFF REDUCTIONS ,TRADE DATA ,TREATY ,REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS ,IMPORT DATA ,NEGATIVE SHOCKS ,OUTSOURCING ,WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION ,EMERGING MARKETS ,MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS ,WELFARE GAINS ,EMERGING ECONOMIES ,EXPORT MARKET ,FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT ,MARGINAL COSTS ,ECONOMIC SECTORS ,INTERMEDIATE GOODS ,REMITTANCE ,INTRAREGIONAL TRADE ,EXPORTERS ,INTERNATIONAL MARKETS ,TRADE DEFICIT ,GLOBAL ECONOMY ,PREFERENTIAL RULES ,NET EXPORTS ,APPAREL ,EXPORTER ,LABOR MARKET ,TARIFF REDUCTION ,OPENNESS ,TRADE AGREEMENT ,INFORMATION SYSTEM ,TRADE INTEGRATION ,SUPPLIER ,GDP PER CAPITA ,APPAREL INDUSTRY ,TRADE SURPLUS ,INCOME LEVELS ,IMPORT LICENSING ,FREE ZONE ,MARKET DIVERSIFICATION ,TRADE PARTNER ,PROTECTIONIST ,BARRIERS TO TRADE ,FREE TRADE AGREEMENT ,PREFERENTIAL TARIFFS ,ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ,EXPORT BASKETS ,LOCAL MARKET ,PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENTS ,FREE ACCESS ,FREE TRADE ,PRICE CONTROLS ,CONSUMERS ,GRAVITY MODEL ,ECONOMIC INTEGRATION ,INVESTMENT PROJECTS ,WTO ,GDP ,TARIFF PREFERENCE LEVEL ,FREE TRADE ZONE ,TRADE BALANCE ,REGIONAL TRADE ,EXTERNAL TARIFFS ,FOREIGN SUPPLIERS ,IMPORT SHARE ,SPECIALIZATION ,EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION ,EXPORTS ,FOREIGN MARKETS ,INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION ,TRADE RELATIONSHIP ,REMITTANCES ,BENCHMARK ,INTERNATIONAL TRADE ,BENCHMARKS ,DOMESTIC PRODUCERS ,HOST COUNTRY ,REGIONAL INTEGRATION ,HUMAN CAPITAL ,EQUIPMENT ,INSURANCE ,QUOTA SYSTEM ,SUPPLY CHAIN ,TURNOVER ,EXPORT BASKET ,TRADE FLOWS ,FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS ,INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ,EXPORT SHARE ,BILATERAL TRADE ,AVERAGE TARIFF ,GROSS EXPORTS ,TRADE MORE ,MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES ,DOMESTIC INDUSTRIES ,EXPORT ORIENTATION ,EXPORT VOLUMES ,IMPORTS ,GROWTH RATE ,DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ,FOREIGN MARKET ,LOW TARIFFS ,MARKET INFORMATION ,TRADE BALANCES ,MARKET SHARE ,TRADE COSTS ,MARKET FAILURES ,PREFERENTIAL TRADE ,GLOBALIZATION ,SALES ,EXPORT SECTORS ,FOREIGN INVESTMENT ,INVESTMENT BANK ,TRADE-RELATED INVESTMENT ,AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ,EXPORT CAPACITY ,TRADE RESTRICTIONS ,FOREIGN FIRMS ,TRADING ,STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ,COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE ,EXPORT VALUE ,LOCAL ECONOMY ,FINANCIAL SUPPORT ,LOCAL BUSINESS ,TRADE RELATIONSHIPS ,DOMESTIC SUPPLIERS ,KNOWLEDGE SPILLOVERS ,AGGREGATE EXPORTS ,MARKET SHARES ,EXPORT COMPETITIVENESS ,BENCHMARKING ,COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES ,EXPORT PERFORMANCE ,VOLATILITY - Abstract
The Central America region is a small market. The region contains around 43 million inhabitants (0.6 percent of total world population) who generate around 0.25 percent of the world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While the region has successfully embarked on a regional integration agenda and has strong commercial links with the US, extra-regional trade-mainly with large fast-growing emerging economies-remains a challenge. Export performance is analyzed along three dimensions that, together, give a fairly comprehensive picture of competitiveness: 1) the composition, orientation and growth of the export basket; 2) the degree of export diversification across products and markets; and 3) the level of sophistication and quality of their main exports. This analysis allows exports dynamics at the different margins of trade (intensive, extensive, and quality) to be evaluated and individual countries' to be benchmarked with peers in the Central American region. The results of this report allow policy makers to identify key areas to explore in the overall discussion of export competitiveness in the Central American region. This paper relates to the literature on challenges and opportunities that trade liberalization can bring to the Central American region. Much of the recent literature focuses on the role of the free trade agreement negotiated by Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, with the US.
- Published
- 2012