Market Building


Robust and functioning markets are key for states and their citizens, particularly those in the midst of reform and transition. Market building consists of setting rules for commercial activity, supporting the growth of private business, and intervening during times of crisis. Understanding this framework, expanded market opportunities also allow governments to more effectively spend their resources and leverage capital to deliver on their mandates for sustainable change. ISE’s work focuses on developing the tools and frameworks for building integrated markets and identifying assets to support inclusive growth and development.

Nepal: Overcoming Distrust in the Market

Despite Nepal’s economic potential, disagreement on forming an enabling environment for business is entrenching informal and corrupt rules. This impedes licit businesses, restricting trade and investment. This article proposes how the government should partner with…

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Gujarat: The Transition to a West Indian Tiger

Stagnating agriculture and a declining textiles sector characterized the Gujarati economy on its 1960 creation. Poor quality infrastructure compounded the challenge. We look at the five major market-building strategies it adopted to combine investment focus…

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The Case of Finnish Transformation: Balancing Growth with Equity

One of the most interesting characteristics of Finland’s long-term ascent of many of the world economic and governance indicators has been how, instead of focusing on problems, it tended to adopt a pragmatic, solution-based approach.…

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Karnataka: Understanding State Level Transition in India

We explain why Karnataka is an instructive case study, containing both positive and negative lessons. In the last decade income growth has been spectacular; self-interested policy making have led it to be branded India’s most…

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The Development of Frameworks for Effective Policy-Making in Chile

Why is Chile now considered a model of good governance and free-market reform? How has it moved to an open, prosperous and stable democracy and how successful has it been in moving beyond the faction…

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Turkey: Constructing a Modern State 1918 to 1938

The creation of modern Turkey was characterized by a remarkable set of internally driven reforms. We break this complicated process into its key components. What were the key political steps? What were the key economic…

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