Regional Economic Organizations Research Articles

Land Transportation Infrastructure and Economic Growth: An Assessment of the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan

This Southern African Development Community (SADC), as a regional economic integration organization in Africa, has 16 member countries with rich natural resources and tourism resources, attracting the attention of global investors. Although the region's transport infrastructure is among the leading in Africa, it still lags far behind global standards. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of transport infrastructure in SADC, with a particular focus on road transport facilities within the region. Based on SADC's official "SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan Transport Sector Plan, 2012", this paper evaluates the current situation of its road transport infrastructure and conducts an in-depth analysis of the future road development plan in the plan. This research aims to reveal the challenges faced by SADC at the infrastructure level, and provide a comprehensive and in-depth perspective for policy makers, investors and other relevant stakeholders. At the same time, this study can provide some new ideas for future research and provide new solutions to the problems of transportation infrastructure in the SADC region.

Main drivers of regional value chains in CAFTA: Does trade facilitation matter?

In the last decades, economic globalisation and the progress of ICT have promoted the international division of labour and optimisation of the global value chain. Moreover, improvements in incentives such as lower tariffs and more efficient border crossings have boosted international trade. Under this background, regional and sub-regional economic cooperation organizations, such as free trade area (FTA), have been developing rapidly and attracting many academic attentions. As the fastest growing FTA in the world, CAFTA is now the largest FTA in developing countries. This study focuses on the value-added network of various industries in the trade process inside CAFTA, and tries to explore the impact of trade facilitation on the DVA trade network of CAFTA. The results show that in the trade network of CAFTA, the proportion of added value of domestic trade in total exports keeps increasing, and the returned added value (RDV) increases significantly. Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand hold relatively high positions in the production network, while China has a relatively low position. On the other hand, China and Thailand become the main beneficiaries after the establishment of CAFTA, while Singapore and Malaysia play a lesser role in trading networks. The results also show that trade facilitation has a significant positive effect on the DVA-INTrex and RDV trade networks, indicating that trade facilitation can significantly increase the domestic indirect value added and returned value added in the trade process. Moreover, the business environment (bus) is the most important factor, with efficiency and transparency of border administration (cus), availability, and use of ICTs (ict) contributing to the improvement.

Innovativeness of the economy and forms of local government support for entrepreneurship on the example of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland

The innovation index of the economies of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland did not exceed the EU average in 2022. The highest rate - 92.6% of the EU average was achieved by the Czech Republic, while the lowest - 60.5% by Poland. At the beginning of the economic and social transformation in the 1990s, then Czechoslovakia and Poland were on an equal footing in many areas. For over 35 years, the economy of Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic and Slovakia, has become more innovative than the Polish one. The main reason for the success of the Czech economy, in particular, should be sought in the innovativeness of products and processes of small and medium-sized enterprises. Also noteworthy is the fact of statutory support for economic development in this country at the level of regional and local governments, which is not so clearly seen in Slovakia or Poland. Therefore, it can be argued that in the Czech Republic, apart from national and regional economic organizations, a positive climate for the economy is also created at the local government level, which accelerates the country's economic development. The authors realize that proving this thesis exceeds the size of the article. Nevertheless, it may be an important element in the search for additional reasons for the economic success of the Czech Republic.

How can regional integration promote corporate innovation? A peer effect study of R&D expenditure

Literature on how regional integration within a country affects corporate innovation is limited. This study proposes a dynamic mechanism for integration of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) to promote corporate innovation based on the peer effect among enterprises. It constructs a panel regression econometric model and a difference-in-differences (DID) model for empirical analysis using Chinese A-share listed manufacturing companies from 2007 to 2021. The study's results show that corporate innovation has a peer effect in the same industry and same region. The peer effect among enterprises in the same industry in the YRD is more significant than that in other regions, and YRD integration has a greater effect on the corporate innovation of cities with close economic ties in the YRD region. The study's findings indicate that regional integration and innovation-driven strategies adopted by China are highly synergistic. Therefore, accelerating the regional integration of each city cluster, establishing regional economic coordination organizations, and increasing the peer effect of firms in the same city are necessary to promote corporate innovation in China.

‘Insight unlocked’: Applying a collective intelligence approach to engage employers in informing local skills improvement planning

This paper demonstrates how the innovative application of a Collective Intelligence approach enhanced Local Skills Improvement Planning information for employers, education and skills training organisations and regional economic policy organisations. This took place within a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between a Chamber of Commerce and a University. This aimed to develop and deploy regional business intelligence for enhanced policy and decision-making in enterprise and economic development. The project converged knowledge from several research centres including economics, entrepreneurship and innovation, data science, and Artificial Intelligence. The paper presents a project case study which provides two contributions to applied knowledge. Firstly, it demonstrates how a Collective Intelligence (CI) approach can be applied to achieve rapid results in resolving the real-world problem of local skills information availability. Useful real-time data was gathered from employers in three sectors on skills requirements, supply and training. This was analysed using Artificial Intelligence tools, then shared publicly via an automated Internet portal, providing a scalable model for wider use. Secondly, it explores and evaluates how the knowledge exchange (KE) process can function effectively and quickly in applying CI-based innovation in practical ways which create new value, within a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between a University and Chamber of Commerce.environment.

South Sudan and the cultural politics of East Africa

South Sudan joined the East African Community (EAC), a regional economic and political organization in 2016. It 2011, it became the newest nation-state in the world when it seceded from Sudan. As a result, the new state of South Sudan is at a crossroads of multiple processes of unification and fragmentation. I analyze this moment of accession as one characterized by both substantive practices of political institution-building and intimate ideas about cultural belonging. In this context, a trans-border cultural imagination has become entangled with technocratic expertise committed to harmonious regional integration. The process of accession represents a broader socio-political formation that contains ideas about family, the colonial legacy, cultural continuity, and geopolitical relationships that are primarily narrated and experienced as transnational. Regional integration has therefore become a site of desire, frustration, futurity, and the production of normative ideals. To address these intersecting processes and ideas, the author develops region-craft and geopolitical intimacy to make sense of how they take shape on multiple scales of social and political life. The broader stakes of this process are making sense of the unequal dynamics of power that I argue emerge as intra-African discourses of asymmetrical competency and paternalism.

One mission, two sets of tools: West Central Initiative, a case study

ABSTRACT This article examines three waves of innovation at West Central Initiative (WCI) across its thirty-six-year history. West Central Initiative is a community foundation and a regional economic development organization. The organization has integrated its two approaches to community development, philanthropy, and planning, into a model for globally conscious local development that balances the needs of today with those out seven generations into the future. This model suggests the following hypotheses about how place-based philanthropy concerned with local development will evolve: 1. Sustainability will replace growth as the enduring objective of economic development. 2. Sustainable development is the common goal of both philanthropy and economic development. 3. Equity, as a principle, is core to the concept of sustainability and essential to a future-proof understanding of prosperity.

THE EFFECT OF CUSTOMS POLICY OF AZERBAIJAN ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN TRADE RELATIONS

The country’s foreign trade policy is one of the most important elements of the concept of economic security, and it is considered as one of the factors that most influence the social welfare of the population. Therefore, the development of international trade is supported both at the level of individual states and within the framework of regional and global economic organizations. Special customs mechanisms that encourage the development of foreign trade are accepted as one of the main directions of the economic policy strategy, and relevant state policy is implemented in order to regulate it according to the demand of the national economy and national interests. Purpose-it consists of analyzing the impact of the customs policy of Azerbaijan on the development dynamics of the country’s foreign trade relations by studying the normative-legal base and the main principles of the organization of foreign economic relations. Methodology-during the research, general scientific research methods such as analysis, synthesis, comparison and generalization were used by referring to official state documents and works of local and foreign scientists Study Findings–the purposeful economic policy and effective customs regulation implemented in Azerbaijan had a positive effect on the structural changes of foreign trade relations and gave impetus to its dynamic development. In particular, in the years 2021-2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic, the dynamics of the development of Azerbaijan’s foreign trade has accelerated and the volume of exports has increased significantly.

The Influence of Economic Policy Uncertainty on Export Trade between China and ASEAN

Facing with the complicated global situation, many countries change the economic policies at any time. The uncertainty of economic policies will increase, and the uncertainty risk will increase accordingly. The trade share between China and ASEAN was the largest in recent years, which showed the closeness and importance of the economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN. The macro-economy policies, trade policies and regional cooperation of China and ASEAN, will affect interests of both parties. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the impact of the uncertainty of China's economic policy on the export trade between China and ASEAN. By using the uncertainty index of China's economic policy measured by Baker et al (2016)^[1] in 2003-2020, this paper makes an empirical analysis of the impact of the uncertainty of China's economic policy on the export volume of China to ASEAN. The results show that, the uncertainty of China's economic policy has a negative impact on China's export trade to ASEAN. Therefore, to better safeguard the export trade between China and ASEAN, methods such as joining the regional economic integration organization, optimizing the export industry structure, enhancing the innovation ability, and improving the institutional environment should be adopted to reduce the losses caused by the uncertainty risks of economic policies.

Closed Economies, Autarchy – Failure and Economic Disaster

Autarchy is an economic system in which the state refuses any commercial connection with the outside, solely relying on its own resources. In an autarchic economy, the state does not participate in the international economic life, is not part of any regional and/or global economic organization and does not export or import goods. The characteristics of a closed, autarchic economy are: 1). the state does not take into account the progress of the world economy, 2). the state lacks involvement in the international economy, 3). economic independence is pursued by drastically reducing or canceling imports and exports, 4). the state solely relies on its own resources. This economic system can lead to: a). a pronounced economic decline, due to the impossibility of the state to provide the necessary goods and services for the population’s livelihood, b). a decrease in national incomes, considerable decrease in GDP, c). an increase in the state’s access to domestic natural resources, which in turn leads to an increased chance of their depletion, d). social instability.

Tele-connection of global agricultural land network: Incorporating complex network approach with multi-regional input-output analysis

The geographical distribution imbalance of global agricultural land has been reduced as a result of increasing globalization, which accelerates land redistribution through global supply networks. In turn, interregional trade extends the control of land resources beyond of local borders. However, the specific structural features of agricultural land flow patterns embodied in international trade remain unclear from the perspective of a complex network. In this paper, we integrate multi-regional input-output model and complex network theory to reveal the structural characteristics of the global embodied land flow network (GELFN) in multiple dimensions. Globally, GELFN exhibits small-world nature, indicating that embodied land transfer interconnects economies at a high level. Regionally, GELFN has a basic community structure of seven groups, and economies in the same regional economic cooperation organizations, such as NAFTA, EU and AU, are more likely to cluster in the same community, implying that GELFN embodies the characteristics of multi-polarization and intra-region aggregation. Nationally, by introducing resource endowments and network-based measurements, we classify seven groups of key economies (‘connection clusters’) to identify different land use patterns. Moreover, the core-periphery structure of GELFN confirms that a few economies act as hubs associated with a large amount of land transfer. The results emphasize the importance of multi-regional cooperation on global agricultural land management and well-targeted policies in key economies and sectors.

Strategic responses of regional economic organizations to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative: the cases of ASEAN, EAEU, and EU

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to undertake a systematic comparative analysis of how regional economic organizations (REOs) in the wider Eurasian region have strategically responded to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. The theoretical framework is based on the external actorness literature, comparative regionalism, and foreign policy analysis. The analysis links the distinctive features of the REOs to the shape and impact of their strategic responses to the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, it shows the extent to which REOs play a functional role vis-à-vis their member states and large firms in a macro-regional strategic context.

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative: strategic responses of governments and multinational companies

ABSTRACT This introductory article to this special issue presents a brief review of the emerging literature on the strategic responses of multinational companies, governments and regional economic organizations towards the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. It also shows how the articles included in this special issue speak to the literature and how they add to our understanding of the implications of this geo-economic and geo-political mega-project for businesses and public policy actors.

Impact of Green Logistics Performance on China’s Export Trade to Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Countries

Based on the logistics performance index proposed by the World Bank, this study uses the entropy method to construct the green logistics performance index and empirically analyzes the impact of the green logistics performance of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries on China’s export trade using the expanded trade gravity model. The results show that the green logistics performance of RCEP countries can significantly promote China’s export trade to RCEP countries, and various measures to improve green logistics performance have different impacts on China’s export trade. The order of influence degree is the efficiency of a customs clearance procedure, the convenience of arranging freight with a competitive price, the timeliness of cargo transportation, the ability and quality of logistics service, and the intensity of CO2 and N2O emission. To promote China’s export trade, we should give full play to the functions of the customs of various countries and improve the efficiency of regulatory procedures. The regression results reveal that GLPI has a significant and positive impact on export trade RCEP countries, as indicated by the coefficient value of 2.887 at a 1% level of significance. The component factors of GLPI also positively and significantly influence the export trade, but carbon emissions and nitrogen emissions proved to be negative. This study establish with RCEP countries, promote the layout of logistics transport routes among RCEP members, and enhance the popularity of green logistics services; Give full play to the positive role of regional economic organizations and mechanisms, and promote green logistics cooperation between RCEP member countries with high and low GLPI; Through logistics planning, logistics policy and advanced low-carbon logistics technology, promote sustainable development of green logistics.

The Temple and the Town at Early Bronze Age I Megiddo: Faunal Evidence for the Emergence of Complexity

The Early Bronze Age is considered to be the period when complex and hierarchical societies first developed in the southern Levant. The appearance of specialization and social complexity is manifested through different aspects of the production stages of animal economy. In this paper, we examine faunal assemblages from two interconnected contemporaneous neighboring sites of differing characters in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: Megiddo, a cult site, and Tel Megiddo East, a town site. Both assemblages are dated to the Early Bronze Age IB (EB IB; 3090–2950 b.c.e.), at the dawn of urbanization in the Near East. The connection between sites, revealed in previous studies of other aspects, is supported by the analysis of faunal remains that reveals intriguing overlaps and divergences. The results of the current study show that the control of resources by the Great Temple in Megiddo also included access to animals and their products, and that it impacted the animal economy in settlements in its hinterland. The impact of this system demonstrates the Great Temple at the center of a larger regional economic organization in the late EB IB that would presage the urban developments of the EB II–III.

LEGAL REGULATION OF THE RESEARCH AREA: ACTUAL TENDENCIES OF DEVELOPMENT

Further development of legislation ensuring the development of Russian education in line with global trends means the need for a supra-sectoral approach to the legal regulation of this sphere. Harmonization of the educational space provided by the Bologna Accord, development of new forms of interaction between universities, implementation of new educational models, including project training, work in interdisciplinary teams, determine the need for new formats of international scientific research as well. Educational legislation no longer provides an answer to many challenges of the time, a significant breakthrough is required in the legal regulation of scientific interaction of an interethnic nature, including the state level. In the context of globalization processes, the concept of scientific space, which has several definitions, is becoming increasingly common. The main characteristics that can be distinguished are "interaction of research centers and schools", "environment for ensuring the functioning and development of science and technology", in a more general perspective – "mobile system". Scientific cooperation involves interaction at several levels: interstate, regional and interregional, interdepartmental, at the level of relations between scientific organizations, research teams, educational institutions, scientists. Based on previous research on the structure of the scientific space, the authors attempted to develop an idea of scientific and technical space in terms of its legal regulation on the example of various regional economic cooperation organizations (EU, SCO, ASEAN). Among common challenges that are a logical consequence of scientific cooperation, the authors' research interest is also attracted by the problems of intellectual property rights protection and digitalization of relations in modern society. It is noted that a comprehensive legal entity, known in legal circulation as digital (information) law is becoming the instrument of regulation in the new conditions.the new conditions.

Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of Regionalism: Problems of Interaction of Border Regions

The scientific literature presents various definitions of the concepts of ‘regionalism’, ‘regionalization’ and ‘interregional interaction’. The processes associated with globalization and integration manifest themselves in the form of consolidation of macro-regional ties. The formation of big macroeconomic zones of priority cooperation covers neighbouring and geographically close countries. The consolidation of large economic spaces is accompanied by the creation of regional economic organizations and integration communities aimed at deepening trade, economic cooperation and regional division of labour.
 In parallel with the formation of large economic and political regional associations at the macro level, globalization has accelerated the process of diversification of territorial administration functions within individual states. The redistribution of power within individual countries is seen as a parallel process of regionalization at the grassroots level. The signs of regionalism at the micro level include the increasing role of subnational territorial communities, the growth of their interest in establishing closer cooperation with the border territories of neighboring countries.
 In the most general sense, the author considers regionalism as a dynamic feature of international political and economic processes, indicated by the diversification of management functions at different levels of socio-political organization. The methodology of political science distinguishes the manifestations of regionalisms at the macro and micro levels. Various manifestations of regionalism are embodied in the design of large economic spaces, the redistribution of power within individual countries, increasing the level of regional self-government, development of interregional contacts and interregional integration ties between neighbouring and/or geographically close countries.
 The practice of interregional cooperation is most successfully applied within the framework of multilateral integration associations, primarily in the EU and in the wider European space covered by the scope of European conventions and decisions in the field of spatial cooperation of territorial communities and authorities, including local and regional self-government. Interaction between subnational regions includes the conclusion of agreements between territorial communities of neighbouring countries, the creation of interregional associations and contractual networks of interregional cooperation.

Logistics Efficiency of APEC Economies: Diagnosis, Interconnections and Digital Experience for Russia

The Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum is one of the largest regional economic organizations. APEC unites the economies of several parts of the world with very different levels of economic development. The functioning of transport and logistics systems should be focused on minimizing the problem areas which cause difficulties with the reliability, timeliness, transportation efficiency. Transportation is one of the key issues in APEC, and they are included in the agenda and discussed at meetings of the Transportation Working Group. Considering the degree of uneven economic development within APEC and the need to eliminate it, the assessment of logistics efficiency as a factor of this development and the search for best practices to improve it is one of the urgent scientific tasks.

중력모형을 통한 국경 간 전자상거래 무역패턴 분석

This study examines the applicability of the gravity model of conventional trade to an analysis of the trade patterns of cross-border e-commerce. As a result of the analysis, the amount of trade between trading countries increased as the national income increased, while the trade amount decreased as the distance between the capitals increased, as in the existing gravity model. In addition, the increase of the consumer price index and the number of Internet users were found to have a very significant effect on the increase in trade volume. The analysis shows that the FTA has a more significant effect on the increase of trade volume than other regional economic cooperation organizations. Based on the results, it is essential to provide official development assistance (ODA), including Internet infrastructure, and to include convenience terms for the increase of e-commerce trade volume when resigning or renegotiating the FTA in order to secure a competitive edge in cross-border e-commerce trade in the future.

The Analysis of Indonesia’s International Business

International Business is a business whose activities pass the borders of the country. This definition includes not only international trade and overseas manufacturing, but also a thriving service industry in areas such as transportation, tourism, banking, advertising, construction, retail trade, large trade and mass communications. International marketing is different from International Business, International Trade is an inter-state transaction usually done by traditional way that is by way of export and import. With the export and import transactions, there will be a balance of tread, while international marketing which is the state of a company can be involved in a business transaction with other countries, other companies or the general public abroad. This international business transaction is generally an attempt to market overseas production. Stages in entering into international business: Incidental exports, Active Exports, License Sales, Franchising, Marketing outside the country, Production and Marketing Abroad. The obstacles in conducting international business are: Different Foreign Currencies, Low Resource Quality, Difficult State Payments and Great Risks, The existence of Import Policy of a State, The War, The existence of Regional Economic Organizations.