Special Economic Zones in South Asia: Structural Change, Competitiveness and Growth

Growth‑enhancing structural change—a relocation of labour from low‑ to high‑productivity sectors—is increasingly perceived as inextricably linked with the sustainable development agenda. In the pursuit of structural change, policymakers have pinned their hopes on targeted policy tools such as special economic zones (SEZs). These geographically demarcated spaces designed to attract investment with a wide set of advantages have become de rigueur; however, a systematic evaluation of evidence‑i...