Quantifying the Barriers to Services Trade in the Commonwealth
A Focus on Kenya and Rwanda

Major data limitations arise within the realm of assessing services trade restrictiveness measures among Commonwealth countries, many of which overwhelmingly depend on this sector for growth and jobs.
Quantifying the Barriers to Services Trade in the Commonwealth focuses on addressing policy barriers within services sectors in Kenya and Rwanda, including commercial banking, distribution and road transportation, which are key enablers of trade.
Our findings suggest many policy barriers are crosscutting issues, rather than sector specific. Moreover, there is a degree of regulatory convergence with other Commonwealth countries included in the OECD’s trade restrictiveness database, which helps to reduce trade costs.
Contents
Forewords
Acknowledgements
List of figures
List of tables
Acronyms and abbreviations
1. Introduction
References
2. Services Production and Trade in Kenya and Rwanda
2.1 Recent trajectory of the services sector
2.2 Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth partnerships in services trade
2.3 Services and market integration: The regional dimension
Note
References
3. The STRI Methodology: From Regulations to Impacts
3.1 Measuring policy restrictiveness in services
3.2 Selection of services sectors in this report
3.3 Data collection methodology
References
4. Kenya and Rwanda STRIs: Overview of Results
4.1 Commercial banking
4.2 Distribution
4.3 Road freight transport 35
4.4 Regulatory heterogeneity with Commonwealth partners
Notes
Reference
5. Complementing the STRI: Data on de facto Constraints Affecting Services Firms in Kenya and Rwanda
6. Conclusion and Policy Implications
6.1 Key findings
6.2 Recommendations
References
Appendix 1. STRI Scores and Components.
Appendix 2. Laws Consulted in Kenya
Appendix 3. Laws Consulted In Rwanda
Appendix 4. Regulatory Heterogeneity Scores by Partner and by Sector, for Kenya and Rwanda
Browse subjects
- Agriculture Expand or collapse me
- Democracy and elections Expand or collapse me
- Debt and finance policy
- Economic development Expand or collapse me
- Education, gender and health Expand or collapse me
- Law and human rights Expand or collapse me
- Oceans and natural resources Expand or collapse me
- Public administration and governance Expand or collapse me
- Small states Expand or collapse me
- Sport for development and peace
- Taxation
- Trade Expand or collapse me
- Youth policy