The ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangement: Some Problems, Ex ante Results, and a Multipronged Approach to Future Intra-ASEAN Trade Development

The ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangement (PTA) was an early effort at regionalized growth in the face of divergent growth strategies of individual member countries. This article attempts to shed some light on the potential of the PTA as currently structured, following the findings of a comparative static ex ante analysis. On the basis of the results found, this research attempts to diagnose how the PTA could be enhanced to make it a more effective tool for greater intra-ASEAN trade. Additional ly, other areas such as the ASEAN Industrial Scheme, harmonization policies, and the case of primary commodities are examined in the context of existing problems.