This paper estimates trade misinvoicing in Zimbabwe from major trading partners using the Morgenstern (1963) methodology. It uses trade data from 1980 to 2014 from the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database. The results show that unrecorded capital outflows occur through trade with different countries including Italy, United States, Germany, and China, while unrecorded capital inflows into Zimbabwe are mainly from South Africa, Belgium, and Australia. Trade misinvoicing occurs mostly in exports of diamonds, gold, and nickel. Misinvoicing through imports is not rampant and occurs mostly through Germany, South Africa, and Zambia. The results show that capital flight increased during the period of macroeconomic and political instability. This indicates the need to ensure political and macroeconomic stability to reduce capital flight.

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This paper critically evaluates the role and performance of the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) with a focus on tariff investigations. The paper analyses ITAC’s poultry and paper tariff investigations. For both of these cases, we analyse the economic context, assess parties’ submissions and perceptions of the tariff investigation processes and outcomes, evaluate the duration of the investigation, consider the balancing of the various interests involved, and analyse ITAC’s recommendations. From these two important cases it appears that ITAC has changed its approach to tariffs in line with developments in South Africa’s trade policy. The findings also indicate that ITAC is not yet consistently meeting the stipulated tariff investigation timeframes. Possible policy implications arising from the analysis are discussed.

This article analyses the role and capacity of the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC), focusing on ITAC’s tariff investigation function. ITAC’s institutional setting is compared to that in other developing countries. An assessment of legal challenges to ITAC decisions shows that the proportion of ITAC’s decisions overturned by the courts has declined over time, suggesting increased robustness of these decisions. ITAC’s current human resources and capacity-building are reviewed. Key institutional issues are discussed and policy recommendations put forward concerning: the appropriate institutional location for tariff-investigations; the current positioning of ITAC under two departments; co-operation between ITAC and other institutions; the strengthening of reciprocity commitments; the role and capacity of part-time Commissioners; the duration of tariff investigations; joint capacity-building among the economic regulators; the extent to which research at ITAC should be undertaken in-house; economics and inspections capacity at ITAC; and the grading of positions at ITAC.

This paper reviews the evidence on the impact of institutions and credit market on development outcomes. The study uses panel data techniques and the data is from 1995 to 2013. The results shows that the better the institutions, the higher the credit extension to the private sector and higher the level of economic development. This applies also to credit market. If credit market functions well, development is bound to increase. This has important implications for policy in Africa. Governments should aim to improve their institutions to increase the economic development of their countries. Also, improvement in markets, especially, credit access will increase development.