South East Asia Projects
7Up2 project 'Promoting effective markets through competition policy and law in Asia'
The 7up2 project is a research and advocacy project focusing on the challenges facing Southern countries in developing an adequate competition policy. 7Up2 takes place in Bangladesh, India and Nepal as well as three countries in the Mekong Region, Cambodia, Laos PDR and Vietnam. The project’s aim is to accelerate the process towards a well-suited competition law and policy in the project countries; and to advance the environment in which the law and policy can be enforced for better results. The project runs between January 2004 and June 2006. The project is supported by
the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Swiss agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and UK Department for International Development (DfID).
Mekong Ganga 'South-South Economic Cooperation: Exploring the Mekong-Ganga relationship'
The project aimed to strengthen regional trade and cooperation between India and the three countries of the Greater Mekong region (Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR). Regional trade and investment is an effective way for developing countries to accelerate their economic development, without exposing themselves to the risks and fluctuations inherent in the global economy. Future state of affairs were explored keeping in mind the historical ties and geographical proximity between these countries and recent attempts to forge closer trade and investment cooperation. This was done by analysing the present volume and composition of trade and investment as well as the perceptions of diverse stakeholders, especially business and civil society. The project was concluded in December 2005 and was supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
TDP 'Linkages between Trade, Development and Poverty reduction'
International trade is widely perceived as a means to reduce poverty, not an end in itself. Linkages between trade and economic growth, and economic growth and poverty reduction are well established in the economic literature. Yet, despite the existence of theoretical literature explaining these linkages, insufficient empirical evidence exists to prove the robustness of this linkage.
Through background research, a wide range of national and international dialogues and output based advocacy, the TDP project aims to promote more effective linkages between trade, and efforts aimed at development and poverty reduction in 13 developing countries in Asia and Africa, and two European countries (the UK and Netherlands). This is a four year project, which started in March 2005. TDP is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DfID) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
NB: For further details on all projects implemented by other CUTS offices, please see CUTS International website.
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