IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/jfasei/v4y2022i2p176-194.html

Trade Facilitation in Customs Environment: Measuring the Impact on Economic Integration in South Asia

Author

Listed:
  • Tanya Gandhi
  • Shahid Ahmed

Abstract

Customs is a complex arena in the domain of international trade facilitation in developing regions of the world like South Asia. Despite the establishment of a free trade area in South Asia, the countries in the region still uphold a significant level of customs barriers for each other. South Asia’s intra-regional trade is just 6.1% of its total trade, making it the least unified region of the world. This study measures the impact of trade facilitation in the customs environment on regional economic integration in South Asia through intra-regional trade. The study developed its index for customs environment and incorporated it into an augmented panel gravity model to conclude that an improved customs environment significantly increases trade flows within the region. The estimates of simulation analysis illustrate that South Asia has immense potential for expanding intra-regional trade if collective regional efforts are made in trade facilitation in the customs environment. By doing so, trade flows could increase by 41–143% in various scenarios, which could not be achieved otherwise, even by completely phasing out tariffs. India is the largest country in South Asia and therefore has a detrimental part to play in achieving this. JEL Codes: C23, F10, F15, F17

Suggested Citation

  • Tanya Gandhi & Shahid Ahmed, 2022. "Trade Facilitation in Customs Environment: Measuring the Impact on Economic Integration in South Asia," Journal of Asian Economic Integration, , vol. 4(2), pages 176-194, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jfasei:v:4:y:2022:i:2:p:176-194
    DOI: 10.1177/26316846221112227
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/26316846221112227
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/26316846221112227?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kao, Chihwa, 1999. "Spurious regression and residual-based tests for cointegration in panel data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 1-44, May.
    2. David M. Drukker, 2003. "Testing for serial correlation in linear panel-data models," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 3(2), pages 168-177, June.
    3. Im, Kyung So & Pesaran, M. Hashem & Shin, Yongcheol, 2003. "Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 53-74, July.
    4. Laszlo Matyas, 1997. "Proper Econometric Specification of the Gravity Model," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 363-368, May.
    5. Njinkeu, Dominique & S. Wilson, John & Powo Fosso, Bruno, 2008. "Expanding Trade within Africa: The Impact of Trade Facilitation," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4790, The World Bank.
    6. Evdokia Moïsé & Silvia Sorescu, 2013. "Trade Facilitation Indicators: The Potential Impact of Trade Facilitation on Developing Countries' Trade," OECD Trade Policy Papers 144, OECD Publishing.
    7. John S. Wilson & Catherine L. Mann & Tsunehiro Otsuki, 2003. "Trade Facilitation and Economic Development: A New Approach to Quantifying the Impact," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 17(3), pages 367-389, December.
    8. John S. Wilson & Catherine L. Mann & Tsunehiro Otsuki, 2005. "Assessing The Potential Benefit Of Trade Facilitation: A Global Perspective," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Philippa Dee & Michael Ferrantino (ed.), Quantitative Methods For Assessing The Effects Of Non-Tariff Measures And Trade Facilitation, chapter 8, pages 121-160, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    9. Levin, Andrew & Lin, Chien-Fu & James Chu, Chia-Shang, 2002. "Unit root tests in panel data: asymptotic and finite-sample properties," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 1-24, May.
    10. Norbert Wilson, 2007. "Examining the Trade Effect of Certain Customs and Administrative Procedures," OECD Trade Policy Papers 42, OECD Publishing.
    11. Peter Egger, 2002. "An Econometric View on the Estimation of Gravity Models and the Calculation of Trade Potentials," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 297-312, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cecilio R. Tamarit Escalona & Estrella Gómez, 2011. "The euro effect on trade: evidence in gravity equations using panel cointegration techniques," Working Papers. Serie EC 2011-07, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    2. Bredow, Sabrina Monique Schenato & Cunha, André Moreira & Lélis, Marcos Tadeo Caputi, 2022. "Effects of higher commodity prices on exports of manufactures: the case of Brazil," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), August.
    3. Güzin Bayar, 2018. "Estimating export equations: a survey of the literature," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 629-672, March.
    4. Hafner, Kurt A. & Mayer-Foulkes, David, 2013. "Fertility, economic growth, and human development causal determinants of the developed lifestyle," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 38(PA), pages 107-120.
    5. Ibrahim, Ridwan Lanre & Ajide, Kazeem Bello & Omokanmi, Olatunde Julius, 2021. "Non-renewable energy consumption and quality of life: Evidence from Sub-Saharan African economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    6. Michel Krah & Michael Kouadio & Fabrice Anzara, 2026. "Public debt and economic growth in WAEMU countries: evidence on the moderating effect of governance," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 1-22, March.
    7. Balázs Égert, 2018. "Regulation, Institutions and Aggregate Investment: New Evidence from OECD Countries," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 415-449, April.
    8. Bui Huy Nhuong & Ho Dinh Bao & Le Thanh Ha, 2024. "Embracing Green Foreign Direct Investment in a Journey toward Global Sustainable Economy: An Empirical Approach Using Statistical Analysis," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 14(5), pages 435-446, September.
    9. Polemis, Michail & Fotis, Panagiotis, 2011. "Gasoline price asymmetries in the Euro Zone," MPRA Paper 32755, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Emmanuel Anyigbah & Yusheng Kong & Bless Kofi Edziah & Ahotovi Thomas Ahoto & Wilhelmina Seyome Ahiaku, 2023. "Board Characteristics and Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
    11. Dongwon Lee & Yu-chin Chen, 2014. "What Makes a Commodity Currency?," Working Papers 201420, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics.
    12. Ciarlone, Alessio, 2011. "Housing wealth effect in emerging economies," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 399-417.
    13. Hosan, Shahadat & Rahman, Md Matiar & Karmaker, Shamal Chandra & Saha, Bidyut Baran, 2023. "Energy subsidies and energy technology innovation: Policies for polygeneration systems diffusion," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    14. Muhammad Shahbaz & Cem Işık & Serdar Ongan & Bekhzod Kuziboev, 2025. "Investigating resource curse/Blessing hypothesis in Central Asia: Do mineral resources matter for economic growth?," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 38(3), pages 625-638, September.
    15. Ronald MacDonald & Flávio Vieira, "undated". "A panel data investigation of real exchange rate misalignment and growth," Working Papers 2010_13, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    16. Win Chou & Dominica Lee, 2005. "Panel Cointegration Analysis of Audit Pricing Model," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 423-439, June.
    17. Chebli Mongi & Kais Saidi, 2024. "The Impact of Corruption, Government Effectiveness, FDI, and GFC on Economic Growth: New Evidence from Global Panel of 48 Middle-Income Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 10696-10721, September.
    18. Hussein Moghaddam & Robert M. Kunst, 2023. "The Role of Natural Gas in Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis for Major Gas-Producing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-20, February.
    19. Md. Shabbir Alam & Mustafa Raza Rabbani & Mohammad Rumzi Tausif & Joji Abey, 2021. "Banks’ Performance and Economic Growth in India: A Panel Cointegration Analysis," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, March.
    20. Dumitru Alexandru Bodislav & Liviu Cătălin Moraru & Raluca Iuliana Georgescu & George Eduard Grigore & Oana Vlăduț & Gabriel Ilie Staicu & Alina Ștefania Chenic, 2025. "Recyclable Consumption and Its Implications for Sustainable Development in the EU," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-36, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • F17 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Forecasting and Simulation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:jfasei:v:4:y:2022:i:2:p:176-194. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.