“Commercial Awareness Is Global.”
“Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.” – Benjamin Franklin Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has become a focal point in today’s global business landscape, attracting billions in capital and reshaping corporate priorities. Yet, there is a critical element often overlooked in this conversation—the economic dimension. While ESG inherently tied to economic outcomes, it
In today’s intricate web of global trade, understanding the nuances of trade agreements is not just a bureaucratic necessity but a strategic asset. At the core of this lies the concept of rules of origin (ROO) – a critical component that determines the economic nationality of a product. For businesses engaged in cross-border trade, mastering the complexities of ROO can
Government Procurement contracts is a very powerful, and yet often untapped, policy leaver to drive economic growth and development.
Countries enter agreements between each other all the time for a variety of things. A burning question businesses frequently ask is how do they impact (positive or negative) me? For an Economic Engagement Network: the value is in the connections. In order to leverage this network and create value or mitigate any negatives for your business requires a total mindset change. Rather than viewing these agreements in isolation and disconnected I invite you to start viewing these agreements as networks and platforms that support global value chains.
There are principally three reasons why Jamaica changed its Zone Regime from Free Zone to SEZ and these are 1.WTO compliance, 2. IMF Agreement and 3.Improving Jamaica’s global competitiveness.
In order for zone regimes and the investors they attract to set themselves up for the best success – have a go at it – much will depend on the regime’s design, the implementation of this design and its responsiveness to changing global investment and trade trends. What is more, both policymakers and investors alike in doing so have to make sure that their business models, physical designs and governance structures of their special economic zone are all aligned.
An Economic Engagement Network is about how nations can improve their competitiveness by finding and creating value through the complex interplay between the various agreements (e.g. trade, investment treaties, double taxation agreements, air service agreements, standards mutual recognition, etc.) that they enter between each other.
This is something I still firmly believe however what I have come to learn, understand and appreciate, thanks Lee Kuan Yew, is that that ‘proper role for government’ or as a private citizen has to be tempered with a degree of pragmatism. A part of this means putting your ideas out there and stimulating dialog.
The global economic governance system not only limits but at times directs policy choice/options of policy makers especially in the developing world. It will come as no surprise then that policy makers ands investors alike take a keen interest in this system.
Jamaica’s SEZ Regime, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic has become an island of calm in a turbulent ocean. The SEZ Regime represents for Jamaica’s economic independence a policy instrument that creates safe haven for near shore manufacturing, logistics, distribution, outsourcing services, etc ready to serve the 1-billion-person market in the Americas and beyond.