Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/267525 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of African Trade [ISSN:] 2214-8523 [Volume:] 6 [Issue:] 1/2 [Publisher:] Atlantis Press [Place:] Paris [Year:] 2019 [Pages:] 1-15
Publisher: 
Atlantis Press, Paris
Abstract: 
Institutional trade barriers constitute substantial constraints for a number of exporters and importers. These barriers are multidimensional and they impede trade flows and trade performance of many developing countries, including African countries. In particular, the International Trade Centre through its series of business surveys has identified that a myriad number of businesses within Africa are affected by these barriers. Notwithstanding, there is little empirical knowledge on how they interact and affect trade flows within Africa. In this paper, we assess the effects of trade facilitation measures and their combined effect (using principal component analysis) on trade performance in a sample of 52 African countries within a structural gravity model framework for the period 2006-2015. The results suggest that trade facilitation improves trade performance in Africa; the better the level of trade facilitation, the larger the extent of trade flows. From a policy perspective, reducing trade costs across borders remains key to improve trade performance in Africa.
Subjects: 
Africa
gravity model
trade facilitation
trade flows
JEL: 
C23
F10
F43
O47
O55
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc Logo
Document Type: 
Article
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