Early career research paper: Understanding trade efficiency in Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation countries and its determinants

This paper uses a stochastic frontier gravity model to study bilateral trade efficiency and its influencing factors in Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation countries. The results reveal that bilateral trade efficiency is generally low and exhibit a downward trend from 2001 to 2022. The main inhibiting factors identified are trade barriers from export countries and disparities in informatization or the extent to which their economies are information-based. Accordingly, market forces should be further liberated to enhance trade efficiency, and the informatization differences expanded by the Covid-19 pandemic should be considered in particular to enhance trade facilitation in the region.