Trade Expansion, International Competitiveness and the Pursuit of Export Diversification in Bangladesh

Abstract

While export diversification has been central to many policy dialogues in Bangladesh, little effort has been made to investigate international competitiveness of major export sectors using longitudinal data. This paper contributes to the export diversification literature by measuring and comparing international export competitiveness of five major export sectors in Bangladesh employing data from 1980 to 2013. The expansion of readymade garments export from Bangladesh has been phenomenal. Exports of fish and seafood also increased slowly. The exports of other three sectors, however, declined. While three of the five sectors considered in this study enjoyed international competitiveness, the export competitiveness of only two sectors increased over time. These results underscore export diversification challenges faced by Bangladesh and possible pathways.