Publications List

Comprehensive listing of books, reports, and research on regional cooperation and integration (RCI) in South Asia and relevant global RCI publications, including publications on transport, trade facilitation, energy, and economic corridors in the SASEC region.

Selected Publication

Global Enabling Trade Report 2016

The Global Enabling Trade Report has been created to provide insight into trade policy and practice. It includes the Enabling Trade Index (ETI), which assesses the extent to which economies have in place institutions, policies, infrastructures and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders and to their destination. This edition highlights that while an increasingly globalized trading system has been lifting millions out of poverty, trade barriers and costs are still preventing millions of people around the world from engaging in international trade. It reports that all South Asian economies have improved their ETI score over the past two years, with Bhutan as the most improved country in the region, jumping 12 places to 92, followed by India at 102, Sri Lanka at 103, Nepal at 108, Pakistan at 122, and Bangladesh at 123, yet the region remains the most closed worldwide. While South Asia has improved its access to foreign markets and adoption of ICTs, it needs to improve access to its domestic market – on average, South Asian countries impose a tariff of 16.7% on imported products – and enhance its transport infrastructure, particularly in Bhutan and Nepal.

Author: Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation and the World Economic Forum

Year: 2016

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Tags: Trade, Trade Facilitation, Transport, Trade Policy, World Economic Forum, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan

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Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2025

South Asia underwent a slowdown, amid delays in public investment in India. South Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated at 6.0% in fiscal year (FY) 2025 and 6.2% in FY2026. Bangladesh’s GDP growth is estimated at 3.6% in FY2025, amid a projected improvement in manufacturing. In Bhutan, growth in 2025 will rise to 8.5% behind expansion in industry and hydroelectric production. India’s GDP will reach 6.7% in FY2025 amid a strong outlook for services and manufacturing. In Maldives, growth will moderate to 5.0% in FY2025 amid slowdowns in construction. GDP growth in Nepal in FY2025 will be at 4.4% with expansion expected in agriculture. Sri Lanka’s GDP will moderate to 3.9% in FY2025 as recovery in garments manufacturing continues. In Southeast Asia, Myanmar will experience modest GDP growth of 1.1% in 2025, premised on growth in industry and services.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2025

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Tags: ADB, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Services

Macroeconomic Update: Nepal (September 2024)

This issue of Macroeconomic Update: Nepal looks at the challenges that Nepal faces in terms of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, graduating from the least developed country category, and becoming a middle-income country. The report suggests that, to achieve upper middle-income country status by 2043, Nepal will need a robust strategy for efficient capital mobilization and sustainable growth.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2024

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Tags: Nepal, Export, Sustainable Development Goals, ADB

Action Plan For SASEC Initiatives (2024–2026)

The Action Plan For SASEC Initiatives (APSI) (2024–2026) was finalized following extensive discussions during the SASEC working group meetings on transport, trade facilitation, and energy, as well as the Senior Officials Meeting held in New Delhi, India in late 2023, with additional input from country consultations and SASEC meetings in Thimphu, Bhutan in 2024. A significant enhancement to this iteration is the introduction of a Progress Update Framework, through which ADB will provide periodic updates on the advancement of APSI projects and knowledge initiatives. The comprehensive list of projects and knowledge works scheduled for implementation during the 2024–2026 period emerged from these SASEC deliberations and subsequent consultations, receiving final endorsement at the SASEC meetings in Thimphu, Bhutan in November 2024. For reporting purposes and to demonstrate continuity, the APSI also incorporates a list of projects and knowledge works completed during the 2022–2024 period, highlighting their connections to initiatives planned for 2024–2026.

Author: SASEC

Year: 2024

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Tags: SASEC, Energy, Economic Corridor, Trade Facilitation, Transport

Powering Nepal: 5 Decades of ADB–Nepal Partnership in the Energy Sector

Among the projects transforming Nepal's energy sector in terms of energy sufficiency and regional cooperation is the SASEC Power System Expansion Project, which is the largest energy project implemented by ADB in Nepal. The project will construct transmission lines that could evacuate up to 2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from the Kali Gandaki and Marsyangdi river basins. It will also develop infrastructure to facilitate exports of at least 1.2 GW of power to India and scale up on- and off-grid renewable energy supply in Nepal. Another project, the SASEC Power Transmission and Distribution System Strengthening Project, will strengthen transmission substations to support electricity exports and upgrade medium-voltage and low-voltage distribution networks to provide quality and reliable electricity supply to 850,000 new and existing customers in Madhesh Province.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2024

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Tags: Renewable Energy, Nepal, ADB, SASEC, India

Basic Statistics 2024

Basic Statistics presents data on development indicators tracking progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The publication includes new data for development indicators for 46 economies in Asia and the Pacific, including those for the seven South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2024

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Tags: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sustainable Development Goals

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