Trading in Power: The Politics of Free Markets in Afghanistan

This briefing paper is based on the findings from a World Bank-funded study of markets related to three industries: construction materials, raisins, and carpets. The study found that a small group of businessmen with close links to political and military elites is increasingly dominating major trading activities in the country and squeezing out smaller competitors. It challenges policymakers not to focus solely on the economic benefits of market growth in Afghanistan, but to consider the political implications of growth that is neither free nor equitable.