“Special economic zones are defined as specially-demarcated geographic areas in which some aspect of the business environment, whether the quality of the infrastructure or the regulatory regime,
differs from the norms prevailing in the rest of the country. SEZs have been used as instruments for attracting foreign direct investment, alleviating large-scale unemployment, developing and diversifying
exports, and experimenting with new policies. There are now about 3 000 SEZs in 135 countries, accounting in 2008 for more than 68 million direct jobs and $500 billion of trade-related value-add. This report summarises the Round Table proceedings, and concludes with key insights and policy recommendations.”
