Production and export diversification expose firms to domestic and international competition, which enhances productivity and ultimately drives a country's structural transformation from agriculture to industry to services. This structural transformation is accompanied by a spatial transformation seen in the increasing role of leading cities and their hinterlands in production and trade. As Central Asian countries cope with the effects of the global crisis, there is a need to think strategically about how to strengthen their export competitiveness in the medium- to long-term. This is...