Border Economies in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region

A group of internationally recognised experts examine the recent trends of cross-border movements of people, goods and economic activity at fifteen major borders in the Greater Mekong Sub-region with the aim of predicting the long terms future for this region. In the after math of the IndoChina war this region has been in the process of liberalising cross-border movements, the book illustrates that cross-border movements of goods and people have shown upward trend. The activities categorized into manufacturing industries located at border areas, border trade activities like warehouses and transhipment, and casino and tourism also prosper. However, the authors forecast that border trade activities and manufacturing industries at border areas can decline in the long run when tariff is liberalized and when labor forces move to metropolises in searching for better wages, respectively. However, they suggest that such development can continue in the mid-run with some political intentions of the governments to develop border areas.