Science AI Journal
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Research topic

Open research questions in Global trade and economics

86 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 6,009 Global trade and economics papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Based on the above conclusions, given that the GDP of the partner country has a significant impact on trade, Albania's trade policy should be oriented towards: • Deepening relations with large and fast-growing economies. • Expanding presence in EU markets, which combine high economic size and relative geographical proximity (UNCTAD 2023). Identifying potential markets with high GDP, but currently with a low weight in Albanian trade. • Further investment in the capacities of Porto Romano and in new container terminals. At the same time, given that distance has a strong negative effect, it is recommended: • • Modernizing port infrastructure through the application of automation, robotization and artificial intelligence, in order to increase processing efficiency and reduce operational costs (Notteboom & Rodrigue 2005) (Wilmsmeier & Hofmann 2008). • Digitalizing customs and logistics processes to reduce transit time and costs. • Improving intermodal connections (road-rail-port) (Tinbergen 1962). All these measures contribute to reducing the “economic distance”, even when the geographical distance remains unchanged. Another important finding of the study is that proximity to key regional and European partners constitutes a structural advantage. Given this fact, Albania should: • Deepen regional economic integration (Western Balkans). • Make maximum use of existing trade agreements. • Negotiate agreements that reduce non-tariff barriers. In conclusion, this study provides clear evidence that Albania’s trade structure is in line with the fundamental principles of the gravity model: economic size attracts trade, while distance inhibits it. In a context where Albania is transforming its port infrastructure and increasing regional integration, the results of this paper provide a solid analytical basis for designing trade policies and strategic investments in the transport and logistics sector.

    Maritime Corridor Intensity and Trade Diversification: A Gravity-Based Assessment of Albania’s Strategic Maritime Partners · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite significant progress in leveraging FDI for gender development in ASEAN, much work remains to be done. Health care services vary widely among Member States.

    Analisis Determinan Perdagangan Intra-Industri Indonesia di Kawasan ASEAN · 2026 · DOI

  • The pooled OLS model shows a strong positive relationship between imports and production volumes but does not account for individual heterogeneity.

    Spatial Analysis and Assessment of the Impact of Critical Imports on the Sustainability of Regional Economic Growth · 2026 · DOI

  • Focusing on Cambodia as one of ASEAN ’s less-developed and relatively under-studied members in the RCEP literature, the study analyses the opportunities and constraints associated with leveraging RCEP ’s provisions three years after its entry into force.

    RCEP and Cambodia’s Path to Economic Growth · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on incorporating multi-country game theory models or more complex Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) frameworks to explore adaptive adjustment mechanisms across supply chain segments in response to policy shifts.

    Evolution of Global Soybean Trade Flows and Share Reconfiguration Amid Tariff Policy Fluctuations · 2026 · DOI

  • As many studies conducted, both in developing and developed countries, have yielded mixed results and the relationship varies across different nations, it is difficult to provide a definitive answer to the question of whether trade liberalization affects Tanzania’s export sector without first conducting an empirical analysis.

    THE IMPACT OF TRADE LIBERALIZATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF TANZANIA’S EXPORT SECTOR – A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS FROM 1980 TO 2019 · 2024 · DOI

  • This RBP improves the methodology of foreign trade analysis by providing a thorough basis for further research into both the effects and causes of protectionism; this paper presents initial explanations for the latter.

    HOW TO MEASURE PROTECTIONISM IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN XXI CENTURY? THE REGIONAL BAROMETER OF PROTECTIONISM – CASE OF POLAND · 2023 · DOI

  • However, given the simultaneous, moderate qualitative trade progress in the CEEC, the convergence between these two groups is insufficient to close the gap in the foreseeable future.

    Is there a trade convergence between South East European and Central European economies · 2021 · DOI

  • Using the international input–output tables from 1995 to 2011, we estimate the degree of servicification across 61 countries with a focus on Asian nations which have been rarely studied in previous research.

    Servicification in global value chains: Comparative analysis of selected Asian countries with OECD · 2018 · DOI

  • In literature researches are found to be aimed at choosing such non-financial indicators that would be able to predict a company’s insolvency, though a systematic approach to the use of certain indicators is scarce, especially which of them should be used to evaluate foreign customer’s reliability in the case of export.

    The Model to Evaluate Risk Factors of Exporter-Provided Trade Credit · 2011 · DOI

  • While there is some evidence that costs of exporting from Canada have increased as a result of post-9/11 border security developments, available econometric trade models offer contradictory evidence on whether or not the higher costs have reduced Canadian exports below what would otherwise be expected.

    Border Security and Canadian Exports to the United States: Evidence and Policy Implications · 2009 · DOI

  • Research limitations/implications One limitation of the study is the appropriateness of the ARDL modelling approach to examine the influence of exchange rate variability (which is stationary, I (0)) on trade behaviour such as export demand behaviour.

    The effects of exchange rate variability on Malaysia's disaggregated electrical exports · 2008 · DOI

  • While regulations on tax evasion via transfer pricing have been thoroughly explored in the literature, little is known about the effects of domestic tax policies under a Bilateral Advanced Price Agreement (hereafter BAPA) on production decisions of multinational companies.

    Inefficiencies of Bilateral Advanced Pricing Agreements (BAPA) in Taxing Multinational Companies · 2004 · DOI

  • Unlike West European countries where intra-industry specialization was found to prevail in trade flows (Balassa 1966; Grubel and Lloyd 1975), trade between centrally planned economies was generally not characterized by intra-industry specialization.

    Patterns of Intra-Industry Trade in Agricultural and Food Products During Transition · 2001 · DOI

  • While this is a significant accomplishment--and one that would have been unexpected just 18 months ago--the reality is that much remains to be done; 92 percent Y2K compliance is not compliant.

    The Global Challenge of Y2K: Y2K Disruptions Will Not Be Constrained by National Borders · 1999

  • Although AFTA is limited to the manufacturing sector, in the future the Philippines may find a niche in services requiring “knowledge workers” such as accountants and computer analysts.

    Implications of AFTA on Philippine Labor Export · 1993 · DOI

  • But while trade's positive impact on distribution may be the natural expectation when a country's exports are mainly labor-intensive manufactures, no such generalization is warranted when primary products dominate the export mix, even though one might still expect some loose tendency toward labor intensity.

    International Trade, Government, and Income Distribution in Peru Since 1870 · 1990 · DOI

  • Although the results for agricultural, raw material and intra- Comecon trade were inconclusive, it seems safe to suggest that in making statements about the group as a whole we can advance the hypothesis that communist exports are more stable than communist imports. Only for Poland, and then rather weakly, does it look as though the conventional hypothesis is true, for the results are inconclusive in the case of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, while East Germany is under-represented in the tests. The chronic shortage of foreign exchange, a lack of good import-planning models, the often temporary nature of imports, and the power relations underlying the various trade patterns all suggest that this was the result to be expected, and that the barter of residuals theory is insufficient to guarantee the converse.

    An empirical analysis of the structure and stability of communist foreign trade 1960–68 · 1974 · DOI

  • Industrial growth had slowed, job opportunities in industry for Latin America's rapidly growing urban population were scarce, income distribution had in many countries either remained unchanged or had become more concentrated than in the early post-World War II years, and most industrial goods produced within the region were priced so high that export possibilities were severely limited.

    Import Substitution and Industrialization in Latin America: Experiences and Interpretations · 1972 · DOI

  • It is less certain whether the shift in exports from semis to finished manu- factures also entailed a shift to goods with a higher income elasticity ; but, in the light of the increasing share of finished goods in world trade and of what little is known about the elasticities, it seems probable that it did.

    Income and Price Elasticities in World Trade: A Comment · 1970 · DOI

  • Never- theless a closer analysis of the post-war British position in terms of competitive power in world markets is not particularly hopeful and the long-run outlook remains uncertain. In addition to the points mentioned German trade returns for 1899 are insufficiently detailed for finished metal goods and leather manufactures which involves some over-rating of Gp.

    World Trade in Manufactured Commodities, 1899‐1950<sup>1</sup> · 1951 · DOI

  • ➢ Institutional Integration and Future Vision: Türkiye's existing "Strategic Partnership" status with the 3SI should not remain limited to a diplomatic framework, but should be deepened through tangible economic projects and operational cooperation.

    Transport Connectivity and Trade Integration between Türkiye and the Three Seas Initiative: A Gravity Model Perspective · 2026 · DOI

  • This finding implies that changes in exchange rate and trade liberalization variables alone were insufficient to independently drive economic growth in the short run.

    Exchange Rate and Trade Liberalization Effects on Economic Growth in Nigeria: Evidence from 1986–2025 · 2026 · DOI

  • The particular significance of low-technology sectors signals that, although the provisions enhance downstream GVCs’ participation, they are insufficient to upgrade across the chain.

    Competitiveness vs. Compliance: How Trade Provisions Affect Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Global Value Chains? · 2026 · DOI

  • What determines the success or failure of economic sanctions? Theoretical research emphasizes the anticipated costs to both sender and receiver countries, but empirical ndings remain inconclusive.

    Trade reliance and the success of economic sanctions · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Global trade and economics

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Global trade and economics sub-topic

This page shows what the Global trade and economics literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
161 open questions
Healthcare Policy and Management
115 open questions
Monetary Policy and Economic Impact
103 open questions
Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
102 open questions
Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis
102 open questions
Healthcare Systems and Reforms
102 open questions
Financial Markets and Investment Strategies
94 open questions
Microfinance and Financial Inclusion
88 open questions
86 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 6,009 Global trade and economics papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.