Macro-Micro Linkages in Trade: Does Trade Liberalization Lead to Improved Productivity in South African Manufacturing Firms

We begin by presenting an overview of manufacturing in the Durban area and report on the GDMA survey, highlighting the methodology and key objectives and findings of the survey. We then focus on the international trade issues, reporting on how firms in the GDMA are responding to trade liberalisation. We report here on three sets of issues: the export orientation of firms, the effects of volatility in exchange rates, and on a set of trade policy issues. Finally, we present some concluding remarks.