The Impact of Special Economic Zones on Economic Development: Evidence from Nightlight Analysis in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
| Autor: | NILAPHY PHOMMACHANH |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2024 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Asian Development Review, Vol 41, Iss 02, Pp 81-105 (2024) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 01161105 1996-7241 0116-1105 |
| DOI: | 10.1142/S0116110524400109 |
| Popis: | Over the past few decades, special economic zones (SEZs) have become a widely used industrial policy tool to support structural transformation and economic development. Yet their impact on the economy remains inconclusive, especially in developing countries where the lack of data presents a challenge. This study examines the potentially causal effect of SEZs on the economy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic using harmonized nightlight satellite data as a proxy for annual economic activity in 148 districts from 1992 to 2021. Using counterfactual estimators for causal inference with time-series, cross-sectional data, SEZ establishment appears to result in a statistically significant increase in the economic activity of the host districts. Heterogeneity tests show that (i) SEZs in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic seem to have had a greater impact on economic activity after 2010, coinciding with the establishment of dedicated SEZ agencies; and (ii) industrial zones appear to have a higher impact than tourism zones. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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