Achieving WTO Compliance for Special Economic Zones in Developing Countries

Creskoff, Stephen ; Walkenhorst, Peter

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ADVERSE EFFECTS;    AGREEMENT ON SUBSIDIES;    COUNTERVAILING MEASURES;    CREDIT SUBSIDIES;    CURRENCY;   

RP-ID  :  48379

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Many developing countries operategeographically delineated economic areas in the form ofexport processing zones, special industrial zones, or freetrade zones. They experiment in these special economic zones(SEZs) with infrastructure, regulatory, and fiscal policiesthat are different from those implemented in the rest of thedomestic economy with the aim of attracting foreigninvestment, creating employment opportunities, and boostingexports. Special incentives for zone-based firms play aprominent role in most countries programs. This noteprovides an overview of the application of World TradeOrganization (WTO) disciplines to incentive programstypically employed by developing countries in connectionwith SEZ programs. It is intended to inform policy makers,zone administrators, and the development community about theWTO consistency of such incentive measures. The analysis isconcerned exclusively with multilateral law and leaveseconomic aspects concerning beneficial or adverse effects ofsuch fiscal incentives aside. As in all legal analysis,different interpretations of particular provisions might bepossible and the ultimate decision on the legality of aparticular measure remains subject to the authoritativeinterpretation of the WTO and its members.