纺织品行业及贸易外文文献翻译资料Word格式.docx

纺织品行业及贸易外文文献翻译资料Word格式.docx

《纺织品行业及贸易外文文献翻译资料Word格式.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《纺织品行业及贸易外文文献翻译资料Word格式.docx（15页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

作者:

Altaf,Saba

期刊名称:

JournalofEconomicCooperation&

Development；

卷:

35；

期:

4；

页:

113-133；

年份:

2014

RevealedComparativeAdvantageofCarpetsandTextileFloorCoveringIndustryinPakistan,IndiaandChina

1.Introduction

Theglobaltradepatternhasbeenchangedinthepursuanceoftradeliberalizationpoliciesintheformofremovaloftariffandnon-tariffbarriers,reductioninquotasandtechnologicaladvancementonthepartofworldeconomies.SouthAsianeconomiessuchasChinaandIndiaareseekingafavorablepositionfromthetradecompositionperspectiveintheinternationalmarkets.Thesecountriespossesscomparativeadvantageintextilesectorandshowanoteworthygrowthinchangingtradepatternsacrosstheworld.Pakistanhasagreatpotentialtostandoutinthissectorintheregionasaprospectiveandoverwhelmingproportionoflaborforceisengagedinthissector.Itisexpectedthatexport-ledgrowthstrategycauseasignificantboostinproduction,employmentandtheproductivityoflaboralongwiththeimprovementsinoveralleconomicstatusbutthepoliticalandsocio-economicconditionsinadditiontoprimitivetypesoftechnologyusemayhinderthewaytorapidprogress.

Pakistan'

scurrentexportstructurerequiresstructuraltransformationandchangesinitsexportdiversificationandprototypespecialization.TheindustrialsectorinPakistanhasbeenplayingapivotalroleinthenationaleconomyintermsofitsshareinGDP,exports,employment,foreignexchangeearnings,investmentanditscontributiontothevalueaddedindustry.Chinaisoneoftheworld'

slargesttextilesexporters,accountingforonethirdoftheglobaltextiletradevolume.Althoughtheprolongedanti-dumpinginvestigationshitthecountry'

stextileexport,stilltextileindustryinChinahasremainedakeypillarofdevelopmentinthecountry.Ithasplayedavitalroleinproliferationofvarioussectorsoftheeconomy.Duetoitslargecontributionintheeconomicgrowth,Chinesegovernmenthasremainedverymuchfocusedtoupgradethissector.India,anothermajorexporteroftextilegoodsisself-reliantandindependentwithlotsofversatilityanddiversificationintextilesector.Apartfromprovidingoneofthebasicnecessitiesoflifei.e.cloth,thetextileindustrycontributesabout14%tothecountry'

sindustrialoutputandabout17%toexportearnings.Thissectorstandsatsecondintheprovisionofjobstopeopleafteragriculturalsector.

ThereiscontinuingdebateandemergingconcernaboutthepositionofthesecountriesintheworldmarketandtheresultingedgeofChinaforintensifiedcompetitioninthelabor-intensivemanufacturedgoods.Thissignifiestheimportanceofthestructureofcomparativeadvantageinselectedcountries;

China,IndiaandPakistanandtofindouttheextentofcompetitionamongthesecountriesinthemarketofselectedsubsectori.e.,textile.

Thisstudyfocusesononeoftheimportantsub-sectoroftextileindustryi.e.CarpetsandothertextilefloorCoverings（underthecategoryofcode57asperHarmonizedSystemofclassification,HS）.ThecarpetindustryplaysafundamentalroleindeterminingtheexportbearingofPakistan.TherehasbeenaneverincreasingdemandforcarpetsandfloorcoveringsbothinPakistanandaroundtheglobe.Carpetshavealwaysbeenavaluableassetsinceagesandthereforeremainedinvogue.ThiswasgraduallycommercializedinPakistanbecauseofthedevelopmentofexportmarket.Commercializationgavenewdimensionstothisindustryanditstartedexpandinginruralareasduetotheavailabilityofcheaplabor.Thisisoneofthesectorsthatgrewtremendouslyduring1970sand80s.Amongthevalueaddedgoodsitremainedonthetopofthelist（AwanandKhan,1992）.

Thissectorstartedgettingasetbackaftertheissueofchildlaborraisedbyinternationalorganizations.AsmajorityofthecarpetweaversinPakistanwereestimatedtobechildrenlessthan15yearsofage.Although,dataonthePakistanlaborforceandchildlaborisvulnerable.Nevertheless,thereislittledoubtthatchildlaborhasassumedmassiveproportionsinPakistan.TheactualtotalnumberofworkingchildreninPakistanisprobablysomewherebetween2and19million.2

Primarily,thepromotionofcarpetindustrydependsuponavailabilityofrawmaterial,presenceofskilledweaversandthetraditionofweavingart,etc.Theskillandproductivityofworkersincarpetindustryalongwiththeavailabilityofsocio-economicinfrastructureaffectsthecompetitivenessofthissector.Despitethepresenceofweaknessesinfewareas,thecarpetindustryservesasabackbonefortheeconomyofPakistan.Ithasbeenamajorsourceofforeignexchangeearningsandcontributesalotinreliefofpoverty,especiallyinruralareas.Presentlythisindustryisnotrevealingasignificantexportgrowthandthereisadireneedtofocusontheprovisionofinfrastructuretosupportthegrowthofthisindustry.

AUNICEF-Punjabreport（1992）assertedthat"

accordingtoconservativeestimates,onemillionoutof1.5millionworkersinthecarpetindustryinPakistanwerechildren.Aseparate1992UNICEF/GovemmentofPakistanstudyreportedthat90percentoftheonemillionworkersinthecarpetindustryarechildren,manyofwhombeganworkingintheindustrybefore10yearsofage.TheHumanRightsCommissionofPakistanfoundthatweavingthrivesinself-containedhomesteads,wherelaborischeapandreadilyavailable"

.

Differenttechniqueshavebeenusedinliteraturetodeterminecountry'

scompetitivenessinselectedindustry.OneofthemostwidelyusedmethodsinvolvestheconceptofRevealedComparativeAdvantage（RCA）developedbyBalassa（1965）.Revealedcomparativeadvantage（RCA）,ameasureofinternationalcompetitivenessspecifiesthatacountryisdefinedasbeingspecializedinexportsofacertainproductifitsmarketshareinthatproductishigherthantheaverage.

AnumberofstudiesareavailableonmeasuringcompetitivenessinvarioussectorsofPakistan,butthereisnoempiricalworkdoneonRCAofPakistanincarpetandothertextilefloorcoveringsindustrytilltheyearofthisstudyconducted.Forsmallaswellasgrowingeconomies,competitivenessisessentialforpromotingeconomicdevelopmentandtosurviveintheglobalizedworldwherecarpetindustryholdsitsownworth.

Fromtheabovegivenperspective,theobjectiveofthisstudyistoanalyzethecomparativeadvantageofthecarpetindustryinPakistanandcompareitwithselectedSouthAsiancountries.i.e.ChinaandIndia.ThesecountrieswereselectedformeasuringandcomparingRCAwithPakistan'

sbecausetheyaresimilarinsizeandfactorendowmentsandcorecompetitorofPakistanintheworldmarket.ThestudyenablesustofindoutthecompetitivenessofthissectorintheworldmarketandcanprobeatthefuturepotentialofgrowthinthecarpetindustryofPakistan.TheBalassaIndex（1965）isusedtofindoutthecomparativeadvantageat2-digitand4-digitlevelofHarmonizedSystemofClassification.

Therestofthepaperisorganizedasfollows.Nextsectionprovidestheliteraturesurveyfollowedbythemethodologyanddatadescription.Theempiricalresultsofthestudyarereportedanddiscussedinsection4.Lastsectionconcludesthestudywithsomepolicyrecommendations.

2.ReviewofLiterature

AnumberofstudieshavebeenconductedtofindoutRevealedComparativeAdvantage（RCA）usingBalassaIndex（1965）.ThissectionprovidesabriefliteraturereviewthatcangiveabetterknowledgeandunderstandingofthepatternofRCAindifferentcountriesfordifferentsectors.

Balassa（1977）hasundertakenananalysisofthepatternofcomparativeadvantageofindustrialcountriesfortheperiod1953to1971.TheempiricalfindingsofthisstudysuggestarenewaloftheproductcycleforUSthatpossessaneverincreasingtechnicallead.BasedonthestandarddeviationoftheRCAindicesfordifferentcountriesanassociationisalsoseentoholdbetweensizeanddiversificationofexports.Furthermore,Balassa'

sresultsshowthattheextentofexportdiversificationtendstoincreasewiththedegreeoftechnologicaldevelopmentandareversaltakesplaceathigherlevelsinthetradepatterns.

Leishmanetal.（1999）empiricallyanalyzedtheinternationalcompetitivenessforagriculturalcommoditiesbyapplyingRevealedComparativeAdvantage（RCA）forwool-exportingcountries.AnumberofsixwoolproducingcountriesareselectedformeasuringRCAoverthetimeperiodof37years.RCAindexforAustralia,Argentina,Newzeland,SouthAfrica,UnitedKingdomandUruguayindicatesthatGATTUruguayRoundhaschangedtheRCA'

sofcountriessignificantly.

Mehmood（2005）analyzedtheexportspecializationandcomparativeadvantage/disadvantageofPakistan'

snonagricultureproductionsectorsinthecontextofon-goingmultilateraltradenegotiations.ThestudyusesRCAapproachatHS-4digitlevelfortheperiod1990-2000.ThedatasethasbeendrawnfromInternationalTradeStatisticscompiledbytheAustralianNationalUniversity（AND）.Thedatasetcomprises16productcategoriesmadeupof978productlines.FindingsshowthatPakistan'

stop-rankingexportsbelongtotextilesandclothingsector,consistentwiththenaturalandhumanfactorendowmentshoweverPakistanhasfailedtomovefromlowvalueaddedtotechnicallyintensivehighvalueaddedmanufacturing.Pakistan'

seconomicwell-beingdependsontheextenttowhichthenon-agriculturalsectorremainscompetitiveandcontributestoeconomicgrowth,exports,investmentandemployment.

BatraandKhan（2005）examinedthestructureofco