International Trade Research Articles

Evolution and Elements of Collaborative Governance Theory

With the advancement of globalization and the formation and development of a network society, there have been governance issues that cross departments, organizations, regions, and national borders, including environmental protection, immigration, international trade disputes, and digital government construction. Such a “thorny” problem is difficult to solve by a single organization, so cross-border collaborative governance has become increasingly important. In such an interdependent world, collaborative governance has begun to be widely concerned by academic circles. The attention to the theory of collaborative governance reached its first peak at the third Minobrook Conference and has gradually become a hot topic in the field of public administration in the last ten years. This paper focuses on the historical background of the evolution and development of collaborative governance theory, sorts out the definitions of collaborative governance by scholars at home and abroad, and introduces the main components of collaborative governance in the initial stage, process stage, and result stage. These achievements have certain reference significance for understanding collaborative governance.

Intellectual Property Risks and Countermeasures in Cross-Border E-Commerce

Cross-border e-commerce has experienced rapid development driven by globalization trends, emerging as a significant force propelling international trade and economic growth. However, with the intensification of legal, cultural differences, and technological changes across nations, intellectual property issues in the cross-border e-commerce sector have become increasingly prominent. Intellectual property serves as the core of business innovation and market competition; any infringement thereof can lead to substantial financial losses for enterprises and erode market trust and brand reputation. Cross-border e-commerce enterprises face multifaceted intellectual property risks, including infringement, brand theft, and data leakage, particularly within differing legal systems, complicating these issues further. The protection of intellectual property is not only crucial for safeguarding corporate interests but also a necessary prerequisite for ensuring the healthy development of the global market. In response, cross-border e-commerce enterprises must adopt proactive measures, ranging from institutional construction to enhancing user awareness, to comprehensively address intellectual property risks and ensure their competitiveness and sustainable development in the international market.

Bulkiness of goods and the gravity of international trade: Differential impact of trade barriers

This study investigates how the trade elasticity to trade barriers, or the lack thereof, varies with the bulkiness of goods, measured as the value-to-weight ratio (V/W ratio). The empirical analysis presented herein offers compelling evidence that lighter goods, characterized by higher V/W ratios, demonstrate reduced trade elasticity to distance, contiguity, and colonial relationships but heightened trade sensitivity to language. These findings emphasize the importance of accounting for the variations in V/W ratios when applying gravity models and reveal noteworthy heterogeneity in trade elasticity at the country and trade-pair levels.

Blue Economics in Islamic Economics Perspective: Fiqh Bi’ah Approach

This research explores the implementation of the blue economy in various Islamic countries, focusing on marine resource production and environmental conservation efforts. Conceptually, the blue economy aligns with the principles of fiqh bi'ah, which emphasize preserving natural resources while ensuring their sustainable use. The study employs an exploratory qualitative approach, using a comprehensive literature review of sources from predominantly Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, and the Maldives. Sources were selected based on their relevance to blue economy practices, Islamic environmental ethics, and sustainable development in fisheries and aquaculture. The findings indicate that the fisheries sector significantly contributes to economic growth but needs to be balanced with marine ecosystem conservation. Both capture fisheries and aquaculture production have the potential to enhance economic growth, while improvements in international fisheries trade are also crucial. By applying the principles of fiqh bi'ah, these countries can balance economic growth while ensuring marine environmental sustainability and compliance with Islamic values. The study concludes that integrating Islamic environmental principles into blue economy strategies can support long-term sustainability while fostering economic resilience.

Cross‐retaliation and international dispute settlement

AbstractAlthough politicians and the popular press often express the desire to link retaliation in trade agreements to non‐trade issues, the WTO discourages and usually disallows cross‐retaliation even among its own agreements. In this paper, we analyze the welfare implications of cross‐retaliation. We compare two different mechanisms in a two‐country two‐sector tariff‐setting political‐economy model with incomplete information. A country may temporarily raise trade barriers in response to political pressure and the extent of this pressure is private information. In a same‐sector retaliation mechanism a safeguard action, or other limited violation of the international trade agreement, is punished by an equivalent suspension of concessions in the sector where the initial deviation takes place. In a linked, or cross‐sector, retaliation mechanism retaliatory actions may be taken in another sector or agreement. We next consider less‐than‐equivalent suspensions of concessions whereby the probability of retaliation is less than unity. We then endogenize this probability and derive its optimal level separately for same‐ and cross‐sector retaliation. We also consider the long‐run viability of these self‐enforcing trade agreements. We show that whether retaliation is certain or probabilistic a cross‐sector retaliation mechanism can generate greater welfare and self‐enforcement capability than a same‐sector mechanism unless export‐oriented political pressure in the cross‐sector targeted for retaliation is high. Although cross‐sector retaliation is usually welfare improving, there may be little additional benefit to extending retaliation to a different agreement.

Containerized Freight Index Prediction Integrating Deep Learning and Time Series Analysis

In the context of globalization, the shipping industry, as a core pillar of international trade, is crucial for global economic stability. This study focuses on the China Containerized Freight Index (CCFI) and proposes a composite deep learning model combining CEEMDAN, CNN, LSTM, and SENet for CCFI analysis and prediction. Initially, the CEEMDAN algorithm is used to decompose the CCFI time series, extracting useful signals from noise. Then, CNN extracts features, LSTM model sequences, and SENet enhances feature representation. The CEEMDAN-CNN-LSTM-SENet model achieves superior predictive performance with MAE of 29.5171, RMSE of 33.7638, and MAPE of 1.56%. Compared to other models like ECL (MAE 77.0951, RMSE 57.3559, MAPE 3.25%), our model shows approximately 61.7% improvement in MAE. This research offers a robust tool for shipping market analysis and policy-making, providing new perspectives for handling complex economic data.

HOW DOES TRADE IN DIGITALLY DELIVERED SERVICES AFFECT EMPLOYMENT IN AFRICA?

The rapid advancement of technology and the increasing accessibility of the Internet are driving changes in various economic activities, including international trade. This study explores the relationship between digital trade and employment across 30 African countries from 2009 to 2020, with a particular focus on the role of digitally delivered services as a proxy for digital trade. Utilizing panel data and employing PCSE and IV-2SLS estimation techniques, the findings reveal that while the expansion of digitally delivered services may contribute to a reduction in formal employment, it also fosters growth in the industrial and services sectors, while exerting downward pressure on employment in agriculture. These results are robust and highlight the sector-specific dynamics of digital trade’s impact on labor markets.

Brexit and the Services Trade—A Longitudinal Analysis

This study investigates the impact of Brexit uncertainty on the UK's services sector trade from 2016 to 2019 revealing a statistically significant negative impact that varied across sectors and destinations. Using the OECD-WTO Balanced Trade in Services dataset and synthetic difference in differences methodology, the findings indicate an annual shortfall of US$23.7/£18.5 billion in UK services exports compared to a scenario where the UK remained in the EU, translating to a 5.65 percent reduction. The bilateral data suggests an 8.5 percent average decline, with larger exports to countries like Germany and the US being less affected than smaller bilateral exports. The UK bilateral exports to the EU declined by 6.21 percent, while Ireland’s exports expanded by 21.4 percent. The study highlights that small firms were disproportionately impacted, leading to a decline in trade openness and export activities. Methodological sensitivity is underscored, with various approaches estimating Brexit’s impact differently. Sectoral analysis shows significant declines in Travel, Insurance, Finance, Telecom, Business and Cultural Services. Ireland notably benefited post-Brexit, experiencing a 14.75 percent annual increase in services exports due to business relocations. The study emphasizes the critical yet underexplored consequences of economic disintegration on international trade in services, providing essential evidence for future UK-EU trade relations post-Brexit.

Trade Wars and Tariff Policies: Long-Term effects on Global Trade and Economic Relationship

Trade wars and Tariff policies have become serious concerns defining and affecting global trade and economic relations in the 21st century. These policies characterized by the use of tariffs and other trade barriers have impacted the world beyond just the economic or financial effect between countries involved. The paper focuses on the long-term effect of trade wars and tariff policies on global trade and economic relationship between countries. Using historical and modern trade war scenarios such as USA-China trade war, the study indicates that disruption of global supply chain, volatility of financial market, and impact on specific sectors of the country economy such as agriculture are some of the long-term impacts of these policies on global trade. In terms of the impact on economic relationship between countries, the study highlights creation of new trade agreements and diversification of trade partnership as possible effects on economic relationship between countries. It is therefore imperative for countries to diversify their trade relationship by adopting initiatives against the effects of trade war. The study concludes that while national measures could bring some political and economic results in the short term, it is important to note that global prosperity cannot be long-lasting without cooperative and stable international trade policies.

Commercialized "Smudge Sticks" Used as Incense in the Netherlands: An Inventory of Plants and Trends Behind a New Age Fashion.

Incense is essential in religious ceremonies, even in relatively new religious and spiritual movements such as New Age and Neopaganism. These garner little attention from ethnobotanists, although they trigger an international trade in wild-harvested plants. In this paper, we studied the botanical ingredients of smudge sticks (dried plant bundles burned for purification) in the Netherlands, and people's motivations to use them posing the following questions: what plant species are included in smudge sticks? what are they used for? and are exotic plants preferred over native Dutch plant species? We visited online and physical shops in Dutch cities, acquiring a total of 29 different smudge sticks containing at least 15 species. We held semi-structured interviews with 11 users, vendors, and herbal experts, and collected data from 33 questionnaires. Salvia apiana L. was most frequently found, along with North American species of the genus Artemisia. The rise of the New Age movement resulted in North American ritual plant species being easily available in (online) shops in the Netherlands and smudge sticks being used for personal protection and cleansing. Despite the smudge sticks' commercial demand, there is no data regarding the pressure on wild populations of species used in these bundles. For the preservation of these species it is crucial that scientific monitoring of their harvest is undertaken in the future.

Effect of Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICMS) on Customs Duty Performance in Nairobi County, Kenya

Purpose: Tax is an important stream of revenue for government’s development projects and therefore all efforts must be made by governments to ensure that it is accurately and efficiently collected to facilitate the government’s operations. This study sought to determine the of integrated customs management system on factors affecting customs duty performance Nairobi County, Kenya. The theories supporting the study is comparative theory of international trade. Methodology: The study employed explanatory research design. The target population of this study was 438 respondents comprising customs heads of departments, customs officers and customs agents at Embakasi Inland Depot, Nairobi. with a sample size of 209, out of which 173 respondents correctly filled the questionnaires and submitted them accordingly. The data collected was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. A linear regression model was used. Results: The coefficient study showed that a unit change in ICMS increases customs duty performance significantly β =0.205 p-value =0.000<0.05. Conclusion: The study recommends that the KRA and the government of Kenya prioritize the continuous improvement of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS). Customs management should ensure full utilization of the ICMS by training customs officials and stakeholders, given its positive impact on duty performance. Future research may be carried out on the effects of tax incentives on Customs duty performance

Research on International Trade Development Path of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Context of E-commerce Trade

With the rapid development of Internet technology and the advancement of globalization, e-commerce has become an important part of international trade activities. In this context, how to expand the international market and enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises with the help of e-commerce trading platform has become a hot issue in current research. This paper first summarizes the development of e-commerce trade and its impact on the international trade of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and then analyzes the current situation and main problems of the international trade of small and medium-sized enterprises. On this basis, it puts forward the development path and strategy of SMEs' international trade under the background of e-commerce trade, including establishing e-commerce trade platform, strengthening supply chain management, utilizing cross-border e-commerce, strengthening brand building, and innovating service mode. This paper aims to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for SMEs to carry out international trade under the background of e-commerce trade.

China's International Trade of Parrots from 1981 to 2022 Based on the CITES Trade Database.

Parrots are popular with pet consumers and are one of the most traded groups of live birds around the world. China has been considered as an important country in bird trades, but we know little about China's import and export of parrots. Using the latest data available from the CITES Trade Database, we analyzed China's import and export of CITES-listed live parrots from 1981-2022 to better understand the patterns and dynamics of these trades. China imported 155,339 parrots of 173 species and exported 608,987 parrots of 42 species during the study period with an annual average of about 18,500 individuals, accounting for c. 5% of the global average number. The most imported parrots to China were Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) and Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), while the most exported ones were Fisher's Lovebirds (Agapornis fischeri), Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis), and Yellow-collared Lovebird (Agapornis personatus). Since the early 21st century, China's imports of parrots gradually increased, but exports decreased more pronouncedly, making China's international parrot trade volume declining in the past 20 years. China's international parrot trade routes also changed over time, with the destination of parrot exports shifting from Europe to Africa and the Arabian region, while more parrots being gradually imported from countries in South America and Africa. The vast majority of parrots exported from China were captive-bred non-native species like Fisher's Lovebirds, while a substantial proportion of imported parrots were wild-sourced and the proportion has been increasing in the last decade. The fact that China exported much more parrots than imported suggests existence of large-scale parrot farming and domestic parrot trade in China. Attention needs to be paid to monitoring China's import of increasing proportion of wild-sourced parrots from South America countries and its potential impacts on their wild populations. Close monitoring of and more studies on domestic and illegal parrot trade are essential to fully understand the role China plays in the international trade of parrots.

Gold Price Inflation and Its Implications for Financial Markets: Strategies for Mitigation

Abstract: Gold prices are among the most important indicators in the global financial market. The international gold price has continued to rise in recent years, repeatedly setting new records, accompanied by a boom in gold consumption and investment. The rapid rise in gold prices is due to a combination of factors. Supply and demand, economic conditions, and geopolitical events can lead to price fluctuations. Among them, economic conditions depend on monetary policy, inflation expectations, and market volatility, which may affect the trend of gold prices. The rise in gold prices has exacerbated market volatility and put higher demands on risk management for financial institutions. At the same time, the rise in gold prices has also affected the entire financial industry and changed traditional asset allocation strategies. This article examines the influence of increasing gold prices on the financial market and proposes potential preventive measures or solutions through a survey of literatures, theoretical analysis and logical reasoning. At the same time, this can help financial traders plan their funds reasonably, reduce the impact of inflation and currency devaluation, and better cope with changes in international trade and exchange rates, thus allowing the financial market to operate better.

Analysis of the Competitiveness of Digital Service Trade Between China and RCEP Partner Countries

Abstract: Based on the digital service trade data from China and RCEP partner countries from 2008 to 2022, this study analyzes the current status of digital service trade, including export scale, structure, and policies. It calculates the international market share and trade competitiveness index, and provides an in-depth analysis of the overall competitiveness of digital service trade and the competitiveness levels by industry within RCEP countries. The study finds that while the international competitiveness of digital service trade between China and RCEP partner countries is relatively weak, the development speed is relatively fast. In response, China should increase efforts in digital infrastructure construction with RCEP partners, promote digital technology research and innovation; enhance digital security and privacy protection, and improve relevant laws and policies; reduce barriers to digital service trade, and increase the influence in formulating digital trade rules; strengthen political mutual trust among RCEP countries, and deepen cooperation in digital service trade.

Collaborative Development of Cross-border E-commerce and Agricultural Product Supply Chain: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions

Abstract: The development of science and technology and the deepening of globalisation have opened up new directions for developing the agricultural industry. With the gradual expansion of the scope of Internet +, traditional trade has gradually evolved into e-commerce, and relatively simple domestic trade has gradually expanded into cross-border transactions. With the help of e-commerce platforms, sales channels can be expanded, and the share of agricultural exports can be increased. The development of cross-border e-commerce is highly valued and mutually supportive of the agricultural product supply chain (APSC), which promotes the international trade of agricultural products. Optimised APSC provide high-quality produce to meet consumer demand. Technological innovations such as big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) bring smart and efficient optimisation solutions to APSC, improving the efficiency of product distribution. This paper reviews the research on cross-border e-commerce and APSC by some scholars in recent years, summarises the current development of cross-border e-commerce, describes the problems of APSC, and proposes solutions. Reviewing and summarising the relevant research literature aims to help scholars understand the development of cross-border e-commerce and APSC more systematically and comprehensively, and to provide strong support for future research and practice.

Resilience assessment of the aircraft manufacturing core products supply chain: the international trade network perspective

Resilience assessment of the aircraft manufacturing core products supply chain: the international trade network perspective

Territory flows and trade flows between 1870 and 2008

Countries gain and lose territories over time, generating territory flows that represent the transfer of territorial sovereignty. Countries also export and import goods, creating trade flows that represent the transfer of merchandise ownership. We find a substitution between these two international flows during the years 1870 and 2008; that is, country pairs with greater trade flows have smaller territory flows. This indicates how international trade enhances international security: reciprocal goods transactions discourage irreciprocal territorial exchanges.

Recognising foreign solvent proceedings under the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency: the Singaporean approach in Ascentra Holdings, Inc v SPGK Pte Ltd [2023] 2 SLR 421

To promote cooperation among stakeholders in different jurisdictions to facilitate coordinated insolvency proceedings, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) adopted the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency (MLCBI) in 1997. The MLCBI harmonises certain procedural aspects of the cross-border insolvency process, though states may choose to make modifications when adopting the MLCBI in their own legal systems. This was completed in Singapore in 2017, and the Singapore Model Law (SML) can now be found in the Third Schedule to the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (2020 Rev Ed) (IRDA 2018). One topic that has been the subject of much debate internationally is whether foreign solvent proceedings can be recognised under the MLCBI or the corresponding provisions in various jurisdictions: the Nevada Bankruptcy Court first answered this question in the affirmative, but this was explicitly rejected by the High Court of England and Wales (EWHC) in Re Sturgeon Central Asia Balanced Fund Ltd (in liquidation) (No 2) (Re Sturgeon). In Ascentra Holdings, Inc (in official liquidation) v SPGK Pte Ltd (Ascentra), the Singapore Court of Appeal (SGCA) held that foreign proceedings concerning solvent companies may be recognised under the SML. This commentary addresses the salient points of the SGCA's judgment and highlights the positive impact of this gradual harmonisation of the approaches taken in different jurisdictions to the MLCBI. Through a comparative analysis of the conflicting Re Sturgeon decision, three additional justifications based on the preparatory documents pertaining to the MLCBI, relevant authorities in the UK and a purposive reading of the MLCBI are provided for the approach in Ascentra. It is contended in closing that these reasons support the argument for definitively overruling the Re Sturgeon decision in the UK.

PENYAKIT MULUT DAN KUKU DI INDONESIA DANKEBIJAKAN PERDAGANGAN INTERNATIONAL;APA YANG DAPAT DIPELAJARI DARI WABAH TERAKHIR?

The statement letter from the World Health Agency "Office Internationale Des Epizoties (OIE)," started in OIE Resolution Number XI in 1990, has been a new independence for Indonesia to rebuild the livestock and animal health sector. However, the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in mid-May 2022 in Indonesia and the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan in early January 2022 proves that the importance of the role and influence of international trade, both formal and informal trade, directly or indirectly on government policies in exporting animals and its products to prevent the spread of FMD disease through commodity trading. In addition, the lack of supervision of trade in animal commodities and animal products from export and import activities will impact the emergence of other new infectious diseases that will occur in the future. Therefore, world health organizations, international trade organizations, and governments must review policies related to international trade to prevent repeated transmission and other new diseases in the future by evaluating the causes of FMD transmission in countries declared free of FMD, such as Indonesia. This paper attempts to analyze this problem through the history of FMD in Indonesia and the FMD-free zone from the perspective of international trade. This paper can provide information and contribute to the future prevention of FMD through international trade in Indonesia.