| Summary/Abstract |
Development of peripheries has always been a major challenge for large states. One of the drivers of the underdevelopment of the peripheries has been the traditional state-centric security perception. As a result, state-led development suffers from a built-in bias against the peripheries. Market signals emanating from the operation of the national economy are not strong enough to bring the resources of the peripheries into immediate use. This is the theoretical rationale to look beyond the framework of the national economy and the state-centric mindset while formulating the development strategy for border areas. Sub-regional cooperation like Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation (BCIM) has the potential to promote growth in southwest China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and northeast India by way of utilising the complementarities of these regions. The mobilisation of cross-border synergies is destined to make the BCIM one of the economically vibrant zones that may develop the cross-border connectivity among the land-linked areas.
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