This dissertation investigates the economic cooperation between Korea and Bangladesh, explores the public policy needs to accelerate the trade, investment, and development cooperation in bilateral framework. An economic analysis of the bilateral merch...
This dissertation investigates the economic cooperation between Korea and Bangladesh, explores the public policy needs to accelerate the trade, investment, and development cooperation in bilateral framework. An economic analysis of the bilateral merchandize trade is conducted to analyze the determinants of trade cooperation. The gravity equation of bilateral trade involving South Korea and Bangladesh is found to possess good economic potentials of further trade cohesion and reciprocity. Irrespective of the difference in pace of economic development and geographical distance, the international trade between South Korea and Bangladesh shows more opportunities and prospects than obstacles, as is evidenced from the pattern and composition of bilateral commodity trade. The simple gravity model of trade in random and fixed effects forms demonstrates that bilateral trade flow is significantly related with the development of national economies irrespective of distances or non-contiguity of partners. The trade projection estimates and the trade potential data are explicitly suggestive of deeper economic cooperation including comprehensive trade partnership between South Korea and Bangladesh. The implication of trade growth, in particular, the export growth of both countries being significantly associated with the expansion of gross domestic products and trade projection estimates warrant increasing economic cooperation between these distant economies to harness untapped trade potentials.
The factors influencing the Korean FDI in Bangladesh are identified with a view to draw public policy implication for Bangladesh. Development cooperation trends are examined to draw imperatives for social development in Bangladesh and it found that urban advancement is a sine qua non for social progress but the one of the deficient factors is energy. The implication appeared that fruitful development co-operation requires technology collaboration in nuclear electricity in addition to co-operation in trade, finance, investment, human resource and exchange. Both constraints and prospects of public policy intervention for meaningful economic cooperation are presented with conclusion. Assuming trade, investment and development assistance as the principle instruments of bilateral economic cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh the dissertation investigated the basic themes of reciprocal cooperation both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to find out the public policy imperatives for Bangladesh which would generate increased collaboration and cohesion in attaining the desired objectives.
The increasing Korea-Bangladesh trade cooperation are found to be justified on the grounds of a large export market of Bangladesh and an export-driven economy of Korea. The quantitative merchandise trade analysis has demonstrated that Bangladesh can be a key export market for South Korea’s exports. The estimated coefficients are suggestive of closer bilateral trade between these distant economies. The fact that the growth of Korean exports is positively related with the growth of purchasing power of the rise national income of Bangladesh would imply Korea’s greater involvement in resolving Bangladesh’s development problems relating to international trade, such as human resources development and labor absorption. Specially, the large trade deficit which is the obvious offshoot of increasing Korean export vis-à-vis decreasing Bangladeshi exports, and which exacerbates current account shortage of Bangladesh can be redressed by Korea’s trade assistance and development support measures alongside trade expansion.
The estimated coefficients of FDI determinants in Bangladesh are indicative of the fact that output growth, exports promotion, and commitment of more public development expenditures in Bangladesh can attract mode FDI, especially the Korean foreign investments in this host country. As a low-cost production base attractive incentive packages Bangladesh can be a good destination for Korean investors and KEPZs. The obstacles in the FDI operation areas can not be overcome by the host government alone the construe being that the core public policy emphasis is be on expanding the production base of the country by industrial investment and by promoting the private sector to vanguard the industrial employment which may be aided by foreign trade and investment on mutual or multilateral basis. The absence of the problems of tax disincentives and transfer pricing make positive argument for increased Korean investment in Bangladesh.
The imperatives of the policy thrusts are found needing to be directed to acquire employment growth in labor-intensive and sme (small and medium sized enterprises) manufactures, development of human and production resources that come into contact with foreign technology and skills associated with foreign investment. Public policy grounds of unemployment in the economy open to international markets, administrative inflation arising not from an excess demand, and cumulative imbalance in external deficits have linkage with international economic cooperation which also makes a case for improved economic ties with South Korea that would enhance trade and foreign investment position in Bangladesh.
Like all impacting financial crisis the incidence of acute underdevelopments or poverty of education, income, employment, health or environment can not be checked by the national state alone. Cooperation is required for achieving social development in urban agglomerations following Korean model of growth. But engagement of co-operation directly in social development sphere like education, health, employment or employment can only be effective as long as capacity building in energy services through technology co-operation is attained. Therefore, economic co-operation in the field of either conventional use of energy (exploration of oil and gas in sea, for example) or nuclear infrastructure for electricity can ameliorate social development situations in Bangladesh. The development cooperation arena can be extended to incorporate HRD in Korean studies to redress the unemployment problem and human resource development shortfall of Bangladesh having MOU (memorandum of understanding) or cooperation agreement with the Republic of Korea regarding foreign workers under the EPS (employment permission system). Consequently, employment cooperation under the development assistance program can facilitate and promote the spread Korean literature, languages and studies for the foreign job pursuant and Korea, the receiver country may effectively use Korean-speaking foreign job-seekers to meet labor shortage and train sending country’s human resources.
The general public policy imperatives for Bangladesh would be to further expedite bilateral trade, investment and development cooperation with South Korea by tariff reduction, moving towards a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, fostering inter industry trade, synergizing cooperation in SME development and energy development by natural gas- coal-oil exploration and commercialization in inshore and offshore land of Bangladesh with South Korea’s proven comparative advantage in the development of natural resources. In addition to utilizing the cheap labor force in Korean owned export businesses in Bangladesh, South Korea can create more economic potentials by making use of the coastal Bangladesh as an export base in the SAARC. The cooperation imperatives from Bangladesh perspective are also to provide necessary conditions for development of Korean business by removing all obstacles in the way of international trade and investment. The economic cooperation is also suggested to be forged in fighting financial crisis in which Korea has transferrable experiences.
In conclusion, the specific policies for more economic cohesion are recommended to increase economic development cooperation fund for Bangladesh, to invite more Korean private export processing zones in Bangladesh, to engage Korean investment in energy-transportation- communications-industry and infrastructure sectors in Bangladesh, to further expand duty free coverage under APTA-WTO, to forge joint ventures investments between Bangladesh energy agencies and Korean energy consortium, to augment grant assistance for human resources development in Bangladesh, to raise quota for Bangladeshi workers in Korea, and to put a proposal for the establishment of the Korea – Bangladesh Economic Cooperation Forum.