 Given the complexity of modern supply chains and global sourcing arrangements, the role of technology and also infrastructure are increasingly important in regard to trade costs and facilitation. The availability and quality of an economy’s physical and technological infrastructure, as well as the level of competition in infrastructure-related sectors, therefore have a significant impact on the price that end users pay for traded goods.
The diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) plays an important role in this respect. Research has shown that communication costs have a direct correlation to trade costs and bilateral trade flows. When customs- and market-related information is more accessible, for example, potential exporters and importers are more likely to realize beneficial partnerships in terms of product preferences and prices.
Upcoming research in these areas will focus on better understanding the ways in which infrastructure influences trade performance, including through cross-country spillovers. Work will also focus on the use of ICT in areas such as: standards and technical regulations affecting private firms, and border and customs control procedures. The impact of ICT in regard to factors which influence successful diffusion and adoption of these technologies will also be considered, as they relate to overall technology strategies at the country and regional level.
Below, is a list of related research, the majority of which has been carried out as part of the Trade Costs and Facilitation Project at the World Bank.
Publications:
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Cutting Through Red Tape: New Directions for APEC’s Trade Facilitation Agenda
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Institutional Quality, Infrastructure, and the Propensity to Export, Joseph Francois, Miriam Manchin, The World Bank, January 2006
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Last updated on Feb 25, 2009
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