出口加工区的催化剂作用外文翻译.docVIP

外文翻译 原文 Export Processing Zones as Catalysts Material Source: world development,Vol.25,No.12,pp.2115-2128,1997 Author:Helena Johansson,Lars Nilsson For several reasons, non-traditional exports could play an important role in the development and industrialization process in the Third World. For instance, exports may generate the scarce foreign exchange needed to finance imports of industrial inputs and capital goods, help to realize economies of scale and also be a source of employment and GNP growth. A common policy instrument aimed at stimulating exports has been the establishment of export processing zones (EPZs). EPZs are geographically or juridically bounded areas in which free trade, including duty-free import of intermediate goods, is permitted provided that all goods produced within the zone are exported. The objective is to lure export-oriented enterprises to the EPZs. In addition to free trade status, various incentives such as tax rebates are commonly offered. Economists over the years have argued that EPZs have a negative or, at best, a very limited positive effect on the host country. Still, EPZs are an increasingly popular trade instrument all over the world, and there are reasons to believe that an important beneficial effect of EPZs has been overlooked in most previous studies. Recently, several authors, in particular Romer, have discussed in various contexts the presence of idea gaps in development and emphasized the role of multinational enterprises and foreign direct investment in diffusing ideas among countries. Many indigenous firms in developing countries lack “export know-how” that is, the knowledge that would enable them to master the production, marketing, distribution and selling of export goods. Since one purpose of EPZs is to attract foreign direct investment and use foreign knowledge and capital to create an export base, local firms may be stimulated to enter the export market by learning from the experience of foreign affiliates. That is