Special Economic Zones (Farole)

Special economic zones: What have we learned? by Thomas Farole published by The World Bank. “It has been more than 50 years since the establishment of the first modern special economic zones (SEZs). As SEZ programs continue to proliferate, particularly in developing countries, it is critical for policy makers to learn from past experiences and anticipate the implications of the emerging and potencial issues discussed in this note. Future SEZ programs success will require adopting a more flexible approach to use SEZ instruments effectively to leverage a country’s comparative advantage and ensure flexibility so that the zone program can evolve over time.”