• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.67-96
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• 2012

Previous literature has looked merely into the effect of trade facilitation on aggregate trade, or analyzed trade growth using the extensive and intensive margins. This paper blends these two lines of research for a detailed analysis of the impact of trade facilitation on trade by using highly disaggregated trade data and a more composite index for measuring trade facilitation, also taking into account the export sectors and income levels of countries. As a result, this paper finds that developing countries with higher trade facilitation levels export a wider range of products, especially primary goods. While trade facilitation levels do not have a statistically significant association with trade at the intensive margin in general, further analysis shows that the impact of advanced trade facilitation is the largest for lower middle-income countries in primary goods trade at the intensive margin, and the largest for upper middle-income countries in manufactured goods trade at the intensive margin. More importantly, our policy simulation results suggest that trade facilitation-related policy reforms enable developing countries to benefit from increased trade in manufactured goods at the extensive margin.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.3-22
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• 2016

This study analyzed the pattern of Myanmar's trade with east asia countries, Korea, China and Japan. By using RCA index and TSI index, the comparative advantage and trade specialization of Myanmar are analyzed. UN COMTRADE data from 2012 to 2014 is analyzed. After the economic sanction against Myanmar was lifted, the volume of trade of Myanmar was increased sharply as well as the trade structure is changed. The volume of trade in primary industry is decreased while the manufactured industry takes more share of trade volume. The comparative advantage of manufactured industries took more steps while those of primary industries lose. In the trade with Korea, China and Japan, Myanmar exports labor intensive products and primary goods. Trade relationship beteen Korea and Myanmar is analyzed to be primary step, while China's and Japan's are going to be advanced. China and Japan are entering to the stage of international value chain system by using abundant labor of Myanmar.