Qadri, Hussain Mohi-ud-Din (2012) An analysis of trade flows among ECO member countries and potential for a free trade area. PhD thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

This thesis analyses the trade flows among the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member countries themselves, and with the major trade partners of each ECO member country under reference (Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan). This research seeks to identify the potential for expansion of trade flows and the potential for a Free Trade Area (FTA) among the ECO countries. The movement towards greater policy openness in the ECO region provides the context for this, under various ECO agreements. The thesis reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on regional economic integration with special focus on the experience of regional integration arrangements in Europe and North America. It then undertakes a discussion of the economic structure and the trade patterns of Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan, the four major countries of ECO, which constitute the focus of this thesis. This discussion leads to an examination of economic and political factors, which influence the potential for greater regional integration.

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