Impact of High Trade Costs and Uncertain Time to Trade on Exports from Five Central Asian Countries

Abstract

This paper analyzes how trade costs affect exports from five Central Asian countries. It highlights how improving logistics and procedures and boosting digitalization can streamline regional trade. The paper estimates how the time needed to export goods, the monetary cost of doing so, and uncertain time frames impact exports from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It finds that the uncertainty and the high monetary costs traders face hold back exports from the five countries, along with remoteness from ports and global markets.