Estimating the Constraints to Trade of Developing Countries

Abstract

The severity of binding constraints to trade expansion in developing countries and the importance of the complementary policies that will maximize the impact of trade reforms on trade and economic growth are identified and quantified in this report. As trade-related needs of developing countries are numerous, such quantification is needed to identify the most binding constraints to guide the sequencing of reforms and aid-for-trade interventions. The constraints to trade expansion are largely country specific. However, countries which share important characteristics may face similar binding constraints. An econometric analysis is undertaken for as many partner countries as possible to produce an unrestricted sample. that can be used as a benchmark against which special country groupings can be assessed. The econometric work relies on experimentation to identify and rank (based on their relative severity) the most binding constraints for each country grouping. Two case studies, on Azerbaijan and Uganda, illustrate the mechanisms of the econometric work and the importance of several variables not captured because of data limitations.

Keywords: Binding constraints, trade expansion, developing countries trade, taxonomy of constraints, aid for trade, landlocked countries, small and vulnerable economies, resource rich countries

JEL Classification: F1