Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan    Volume 24 Nomor 1, April 2023  

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Article Type: Research Paper 
  

The impact of logistic performance on intra-
ASEAN trade 
 
Vedy Ardine1, Mohamad Dian Revindo2, Jahen F. Rezki1*, and Calista E. Dewi1 

 
Abstract: ASEAN has gone a long way in deepening its regional economic 
cooperation, particularly its trade liberalization. However, ASEAN has 
comparatively less intraregional trade than the European Union, whose economic 
integration model they aspire to emulate. As reducing tariffs was no longer an 
efficient way to increase trade, this study analyzes logistics performance as another 
factor that may affect trade. Using the gravity model with bilateral trade data from 
10 ASEAN member states from 2007 to 2018 with gaps, the results show that the 
majority of improvements in logistics performance, by both the private sector and 
government alike, have positive and significant impacts on export value. This 
finding implies that the collaboration between the private sector and government 
agencies to improve logistics performance in each ASEAN member state is 
imperative to foster ASEAN intra-regional trade further. 
Keywords: Logistics; Export Value; Gravity Model; ASEAN; Trade 
JEL Classification: F13; F15; R41; R42 

 

 
 

Introduction 
 
Growing studies have shown that open economies, measured using trade 
shares, are proven to grow faster than closed economies. Trade promotes 
growth through technology transfers, scale economies, and comparative 
advantage (Raghutla, 2020; Yanikkaya, 2003). In 2001, a vast majority of 
countries around the world opened their economies and focused on trade-
centered reforms and outward-oriented development, in which increasing 
export was their main strategy. As a result, those countries are proven to 
have a higher annual growth of per capita GDP, physical capital investment, 
and GDP (Wacziarg & Welch, 2008).  
 
In 1993, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) established 
ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). Its main goal was to foster ASEAN intra-
regional trade through trade liberalization to be a competitive region facing 
global trade liberalization. AFTA successfully eliminated tariffs in its intra-
regional trade, an important achievement in terms of ASEAN economic 
integration. However, AFTA has been criticized due to ASEAN’s low intra-
regional trade ratio, for example, to the intra-regional trade of the 
European Union (EU), which has been regarded as a model for economic 
integration (Ishikawa, 2021).  

AFFILIATION: 
1 Institute for Economic and Social 
Research, Faculty of Economics 
and Business, Universitas 
Indonesia (LPEM-FEB UI) 
 
2 School of Strategic and Global 
Studies, Universitas Indonesia 
 
*CORRESPONDENCE: 
jahen.fr@ui.ac.id 
 
THIS ARTICLE IS AVALILABLE IN: 
http://journal.umy.ac.id/index.php/esp  

 
DOI: 10.18196/jesp.v24i1.16546 
 
CITATION: 
Ardine, V., Revindo, M. D., Rezki, J. 
F., & Dewi, C. E. (2023). The impact 
of logistic performance on intra-
ASEAN trade. Jurnal Ekonomi & 
Studi Pembangunan, 24(1), 32-53. 
 
ARTICLE HISTORY 
Received: 
18 Oct 2022 
Revised: 
16 Jan 2023 
08 Feb 2023 
03 Mar 2023 
Accepted: 
09 Mar 2023 

 

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Ardine, Revindo, Rezki, & Dewi 
The impact of logistic performance on intra-ASEAN trade 

 

 

Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 33 

ASEAN’s commitment and vision on trade should provide potential economic benefits in 
the future. However, ASEAN’s intra-regional trade is relatively lower than its extra-
regional trade, which implies that ASEAN member states have been trading more with 
non-member states. Table 1 shows the share of good exports to fellow ASEAN member 
states from 2012 to 2021. Only Lao PDR of the 10 ASEAN members has a greater intra-
regional trade share than extra-regional trade share (ASEAN, 2019; Eurostats, 2021). 
Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT), which supposedly increases ASEAN intra-
regional trade, has been of relatively small impact (Debaere & Mostashari, 2010; Okabe 
& Urata, 2014). By contrast, the EU member states have a relatively larger intra-regional 
trade than their extra-regional trade, implying that they trade more with other EU 
member states than non-member states. 
 
Table 1 Intra-ASEAN Export of Goods as % of Total Export in each ASEAN Member 
Countries 
Exporters 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 

 ASEAN (aggregated) 26.0 26.5 25.6 24.3 23.8 23.8 24.2 23.3 21.4 21.6 
Brunei Darussalam 14.7 23.2 19.8 19.5 25.7 32.1 28.2 34.3 40.2 39.6 
Cambodia 8.9 7.9 5.3 9.0 8.7 10.0 7.5 9.0 21.7 6.7 
Indonesia 22.0 22.3 22.5 22.3 23.0 23.3 23.4 24.7 22.4 20.6 
Lao People's  
Democratic Republic 

56.6 45.0 54.1 52.9 49.6 63.7 64.1 54.9 60.8 50.8 

Malaysia 26.8 28.0 27.9 28.1 29.4 29.2 28.6 28.8 27.8 27.7 
Myanmar 36.4 49.2 41.5 37.5 30.1 28.0 25.2 23.9 25.9 30.1 
Philippines 18.9 15.6 14.9 14.6 14.9 15.4 16.0 15.3 16.0 16.3 
Singapore 32.2 32.8 31.3 29.6 29.0 29.0 29.6 28.7 25.1 26.5 
Thailand 24.7 26.0 26.1 25.7 25.3 25.2 27.1 25.5 24.0 24.0 
Viet Nam 15.2 14.1 12.7 11.2 9.9 10.1 10.1 9.4 8.2 8.6 

(ASEANStats, 2022) 
 
There are multiple reasons why the intra-ASEAN trade remains low. First, to a certain 
extent, this can be explained by the existence of other trade costs in addition to tariffs 
that are encountered by exporters that act as Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs), including 
sanitary measurement, pre-shipment inspection, and rules of origin (Ing et al., 2016). 
Those factors contributed to high trade costs, resulting in potential drawbacks to 
economic growth (Anderson & van Wincoop, 2004; Cadot et al., 2017; Plummer et al., 
2016). Second, the intra-ASEAN trade is hindered by logistics, customs procedures, and 
other trade facilitation issues. Okabe and Urata (2014) suggest improving both trades' 
hard and soft infrastructure to overcome such barriers, commonly referred to as ‘trade 
facilitation’ (Cadot et al., 2017). The gains from trade facilitation were proven to be larger 
than those from tariff reduction (Shepherd & Wilson, 2009). 
 
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), trade facilitation is a simplified, 
modernized, and harmonized process of export and import to tackle the problem of 
bureaucratic delays faced by exporters and importers. Trade facilitation focuses on 
simplifying documents required for a trade, modernizing customs procedures required, 



Ardine, Revindo, Rezki, & Dewi 
The impact of logistic performance on intra-ASEAN trade 

 

 

Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 34 

and reducing days and costs for exporting and importing goods across borders.1 Figure 1 
shows the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI), one of the trade facilitation 
measures for the ASEAN Member States. Singapore is the leading country in ASEAN with 
the best logistics performance. Since LPI’s establishment in 2007, Singapore has always 
been in the top 10 performers in the world, with an average nearly excellent score of 4. 
However, the rest of the ASEAN member states barely catch up, which should raise 
concerns over the region’s connectivity and integration in the future. 
 

 
Note: Range “very low” (1) to “very high” (5). Source: World Bank. Author’s Compilation. 
2021. 

Figure 1 ASEAN Member States’ LPI Score (2007–2018) 
 
Given the background mentioned above, this study aims to investigate how logistics 
performance affects export value within the ASEAN region. This study mainly refers to the 
works by Gani (2017), Martí et al., (2014), and Sy et al., (2020) that used the gravity model 
to estimate the effect of logistics performance on trade in several countries, including 
several ASEAN countries. However, the contributions of this study are twofold. First, we 
added the World Bank’s four components of Trading Across Borders to the World Bank’s 
six components of LPI previously used by those three studies to measure logistics 
performance. Beyond the ASEAN context, to the best of our knowledge, our study is also 
the first to employ those extensive logistics performance measures in the gravity model. 
Second, our study also develops the analytical framework of those three main references 
by separating the government and private sector’s domain and role in improving logistics 
performance. This study, thereby, will contribute to the literature regarding ASEAN 
studies, international trade, and trade facilitation, while also shedding light on trade-
related improvement areas prioritization for the private sector and government and 
explaining the magnitude of the impact of enhancing logistical performance. 
 

 
1 https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/brief_tradefa_e.htm 

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

2007 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

Brunei Darussalam

Indonesia

Cambodia

Lao PDR

Myanmar

Malaysia

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam



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The impact of logistic performance on intra-ASEAN trade 

 

 

Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 35 

The remainder of this article is organized as follows. The next section discusses the extant 
literature on the gravity model, trade costs, and logistics performance. The third section 
explains the research methodology, including the data and estimation strategy. The 
fourth section discusses the results, and the final section concludes.  
 
Many studies have used gravity models to capture trade patterns and development. The 
gravity model was pioneered by Tinbergen in 1962, followed by Anderson and van 
Wincoop (2003), who developed the estimation method for the gravity equation. The idea 
of the gravity model is that bilateral trade is proportional to the economic size of two 
countries, which GDP and the inverse of the geographical distance between them show. 
In its basic form, the larger the economic size of both exporter and importer countries, 
the more significant the impact on the increase of trade is, and vice versa. As for distance, 
the greater the distance between two countries, the lower their trade. 
 
The reason why ASEAN intra-trade is lower than extra-trade can be explained by one 
component of the gravity model, which is their member states’ differences in economic 
size and income level. ASEAN has low similarity in terms of economic sizes within member 
states, as it has a combination of high, upper, and lower-middle-income member states. 
By contrast, in the case of the EU, most of its member states are in the high-income group.  
The distance component of the gravity model can be widely interpreted. For example, 
geographical distance between two countries can take the form of either traditional or 
physical approaches. Hence, the other proxy for distance can also refer to non-physical 
barriers such as differences in language, borders, or colonizers. All of the variables 
mentioned above are then used as control variables before adding variables of interest, 
to control for changes in trade due to other usual factors rather than the variable of 
interest (Anderson & van Wincoop, 2003; Moïsé & Le Bris, 2013). 
 
Therefore, distance can also refer to all factors contributing to trade costs. However, 
measuring real trade costs from one country to another is hard (Anderson & van Wincoop, 
2004). Khan and Kalirajan (2011) help to define those costs into ‘behind the border costs’ 
and ‘beyond the border costs. Behind-the-border costs are something that an exporting 
country can change, while beyond-the-border costs are something that an exporting 
country has no control to change. This study focuses on the former, behind-the-border 
barriers for the exporting side, which are cost factors that affect goods before they reach 
the border, including institutional inefficiency, poor informational institutions, poor 
infrastructure, and bureaucratic problems. These issues are considered more important 
than direct policy instruments such as tariffs. Improving convergency among ASEAN 
member states in those areas is expected to improve connectivity and shorten distance 
barriers. Summarizing, efficient connectivity, improved logistics performance, and 
effective trade policy are expected to reduce fixed trade costs between two trading 
countries (Anderson & van Wincoop, 2004; Khan & Kalirajan, 2011; Lawless, 2010; Moïsé 
& Le Bris, 2013). 
 
Figure 2 illustrates the channel of improvement in logistics performance based on the 
gravity model. The highlight of studies in logistics performance is that each country differs 
in terms of which component is more significantly affecting trade, but the overall 



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Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 36 

improvement in any component should lead to an increase in export performance (Felipe 
& Kumar, 2012; Portugal-Perez & Wilson, 2012; Feenstra & Ma, 2014; Martí et al., 2014; 
Halaszovich & Kinra, 2020). 
 
The private sector performs most of the operational work in logistics in a country. 
Meanwhile, institutional, or regulatory support is mostly a supporting factor and is 
performed by the government. The whole process is defined by supply chain connectivity, 
where both the private sector and government work together to move goods across 
borders, starting from producers in one country until they safely arrive at the consumer 
in another (Gani, 2017; Arvis et al., 2018). 
 
The government area is prone to change and requires excessive agency coordination. In 
addition, customs, infrastructure, and compliances are policy and stimulus sensitive. 
Customs are usually time-consuming, need unnecessary paperwork, and require 
coordination among several customs agencies (Gani, 2017). These problems result in long 
transit delays that can significantly lower exports of goods in a country (Hummels & 
Schaur, 2013). Typically, developing countries have higher trade costs than developed 
countries, a part of which is prone to corruption. Unexpected costs such as bribery or 
corruption are quite a problem in trade cost regulation, resulting in a welfare loss that can 
reduce trade (Gani, 2017; Hornok & Koren, 2015).  
 

 
 

Figure 2 Conceptual Framework of the Study 
 
Customs is one of the cores of the government’s area of logistics performance and is 
considered a necessity. Further, it may fall to a short-term policy because cutting down 
on custom procedures is considered fast relative to infrastructure improvement. 
Therefore, the modernization of customs procedures starts with good governance. A 

Expected 

increase in 

ASEAN 

member 

states’ 

export 

value 
Gravity Model 

Private Sector: 

Tracking and 

Tracing, Logistics 

Services, 

Competitive Price 

for Shipment, 

Timeliness 

 
Government: 

Efficiency of 

Customs, 

Infrastructures, 

Time and Cost for 

Documentary and 

Border 

Compliances 

 

Economic 

Sizes: 

GDP, 

Income 

Level, 

Advance

ment 

Level 

Distance 

Geographical: 

Distance 

between 2 

capitals 

Non-physical: 

Language, 

Border Trade cost: 

Traditional 

(tariffs), Non-

Tariff 

Measures 

(logistics 

performance 

connectivity, 

institutions, 

regulations) 

Behind 

the 

Border 

Beyond 

the 

Border 



Ardine, Revindo, Rezki, & Dewi 
The impact of logistic performance on intra-ASEAN trade 

 

 

Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 37 

modernized customs procedure makes delivering goods across borders more efficient in 
both cost and time. Improving cost efficiency and time to trade can directly impact exports, 
thus creating a more competitive business to participate in the global value chain (Shujie 
& Shilu, 2009). 
 
The last but equally and usually considered the most important factor in increasing export 
value in the government’s area of improvement is infrastructure (Feenstra & Ma, 2014; 
Felipe & Kumar, 2012; Halaszovich & Kinra, 2020; Martí et al., 2014; Portugal-Perez & 
Wilson, 2012). Infrastructure is more of a long-term investment. It is also prone to change 
since it depends on the budget the government is willing to spend in a given period on 
infrastructure. Infrastructure is a huge constraint in developing countries, but lately, it has 
been improving (Arvis et al., 2018). As a supporting role, good infrastructure should affect 
all components in the private sector’s area of improvement, such as services, prices, and 
timeliness. For example, if a toll road in a country is in bad condition or cannot be used, 
exports will be delayed as a connectivity problem. An inadequate infrastructure shows a 
country’s isolation from the international market (Gani, 2017). The conclusion for the 
government’s area of improvement is that, in the short term, improving customs 
efficiency is easier and cheaper than improving infrastructure. While in the long term, 
improving infrastructure will have a greater and more significant impact on trade 
(Feenstra & Ma, 2014).  
 
Although the government’s role is important, the private sector is the key player who 
actually does the operations. Private sector areas include the ability to track and trace, 
logistics services, competitive prices for shipment, and timeliness. The business players 
include shippers, forwarders, trucking companies, terminal operators, and rail companies. 
Hummels and Schaur (2013) show that fast but expensive air cargo has risen 2.6 times 
faster than slow but cheap ocean ships. This shows how products to be exported are time-
sensitive, where any delays in transporting goods will cause a decrease in exports. In 
addition, the increase in export prices paid to ship companies will lower exports. A 
competitive price and a wide choice of export transportation options are needed. 
However, it can be done if only the transportation infrastructure is in good condition (Gani, 
2017; Jiang et al., 2018). Overall, the flow of transporting goods from one country to 
another involves parties, both from the private sector and government agencies. For 
example, the availability to track and trace goods is a combination of work between 
shipping companies and a country’s single window in trade. Each party has its own but 
interdependent role; hence good coordination is needed to make export easier (Sholihah 
et al., 2018). 
 
 

Research Method 
 
This study aims to estimate the impact of logistics performance on intra-ASEAN trade. In 
doing so, this study replicates the works Marti et al. (2014), Gani (2017), and Sy et al., 
(2020) that performed such estimation using the gravity model, and applying their 
approach in the context of ASEAN. The basic gravity model is proposed by Tinbergen 
(1962) and expressed in equation (1) as follows: 



Ardine, Revindo, Rezki, & Dewi 
The impact of logistic performance on intra-ASEAN trade 

 

 

Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 38 

 

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑖𝑗 =
𝛼𝐺𝐷𝑃𝑖𝐺𝐷𝑃𝑗

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑗
  ....................................................................................................... (1) 

 
In the gravity model shown in equation (1), trade is supposedly proportional to the 
economic size of two trading countries (represented by GDP) and the inverse of the 
geographical distance between them. However, previous studies argued that the distance 
could be widely interpreted by all types of costs and barriers that may hinder trade. For 
example, other than physical distance (geographical location), trade can also be 
influenced by psychological distance (e.g., culture and language differences, and 
colonization history) (Portugal-Perez & Wilson, 2012; Luthfianto et al., 2016; Halaszovich 
& Kinra, 2020). Further, trade can also be hampered by technical and administrative 
distance, including trade barriers and logistics costs (Marti et al., 2014; Gani, 2017; Sy et 
al., 2020). Accordingly, those three studies employed the World Bank’s LPI components 
as proxies to measure the last type of distance.  
 
Considering that extended gravity model, our study constructs the variables with the 
description provided in Tables 2 and 3. The dependent variable (Tradeij) is represented by 
the export value of the bilateral trade data of 10 ASEAN member states in country pairs, 
including Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Laos, 
Cambodia, and Myanmar.  
 
The economic size of the exporting and importing countries are used as control variables, 
represented by GDPi and GDPj, respectively. The other control variables include 
geographical distance and psychological distance, represented by a common language 
and borders. Finally, the technical distance is represented by six components of the World 
Bank’s LPI and trade facilitation measurement data using the four components of the 
World Bank’s Trading Across Border. There are a total of 90 country pairs from the periods 
2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. The period is chosen following World Bank’s LPI 
data availability.  
 
The World Bank’s LPI consists of worldwide surveys on trade operators (global freight 
forwarders and express carriers). They filled in the survey online and were required to 
rate eight countries on the six most important logistics components. Countries are chosen 
based on the most important export and import markets of the country where the 
respondents are located. As for the World Bank’s Trading Across Borders, border 
compliance includes customs regulations and other related inspections for shipments by 
customs agencies. Documentary compliance includes documents required for 
government agencies in the exporter country, the importer country, and even every 
transit. It includes requirements from government agencies, starting from getting the 
document issued and stamped, completing a customs declaration or certificate of origin, 
waiting time for the issued certificate, showing the documents to port authorities, and 
submitting the customs declaration (which can be in person or electronically). Hence, 
logistics performance can also be classified into two groups based on improvement 
responsibility: areas for improvement for the private sector and government. 
 
 



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The impact of logistic performance on intra-ASEAN trade 

 

 

Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 39 

Table 2 Description of Variables: Gravity 
No Variables Measurement Data Sources Years Expected 

Signs 

Dependent Variable 
1 Export value In million current USD CEPII based on UNcomtrade 2007, 

2010, 
2012, 
2014, 
2016, 
and 

2018 

 

Control Variable 
2 GDP (origin, destination) In million current USD CEPII 2007, 

2010, 
2012, 
2014, 
2016, 
and 

2018 

(+) 
3 Geographical Distance In kilometer (-) 
4 Common language Dummy variable 1= 

have common 
language, 0 = 
otherwise 

(+) 

5 Common borders Dummy variable 1= 
have common 
borders, 0 = 
otherwise 

Uncertain 

 
Table 3 Description of Variables: Logistics Performance 
No Classification Variables of Interest Data Sources and 

Measurement 
Years Expected 

Signs 

1 Private 
Sectors 

Tracking and tracing World Bank's 
Logistic 
Performance Index 
 
"very low" (1) to 
"very high" (5) 

2007, 2012, 
2014, 2016, 

and 2018 

(+) 
2 Competence of Logistics 

Services 
(+) 

3 Competitive Price of 
Shipment 

(+) 

4 Frequency on Scheduled 
Time 

(+) 

5 Government Efficiency of Customs World Bank's 
Logistic 
Performance Index 
 
"very low" (1) to 
"very high" (5) 

2007, 2012, 
2014, 2016, 

and 2018 

(+) 
6 Quality of Infrastructures (+) 

7 Time to export: 
documentary compliance 

World Bank's 
Trading Across 
Borders 
Time in hours, cost 
in USD 

2016 and 
2018 

(-) 

8 Time to export: border 
compliance 

(-) 

9 Cost to export: 
documentary compliance 

(-) 

10 Cost to export: border 
compliance 

(-) 

 
 



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The impact of logistic performance on intra-ASEAN trade 

 

 

Jurnal Ekonomi & Studi Pembangunan, 2023 | 40 

Following Marti et al. (2014), this study uses six different equations for LPI estimation 
since analyzing all measurements of LPI in one equation will lead to multicollinearity due 
to the correlation nature of the components. This goes the same for time and cost of trade, 
in which this study uses two different equations for each border and documentary 
compliance. The estimated equations are as follows: 
 

𝐿𝑛𝑋𝑖𝑗𝑡 =  𝛽0 + 𝛽1𝐿𝑛(𝐺𝐷𝑃𝑖𝑡 ) + 𝛽2𝐿𝑛(𝐺𝐷𝑃𝑗𝑡 ) −  𝛽3𝐿𝑛(𝐷𝐼𝑆𝑇𝑖𝑗𝑡 ) + 𝛽4(𝐿𝑃 ∗) +

 𝛽𝐴(𝑊) + 𝑈𝑖𝑗𝑡   ...................................................................................................................  2 

 
Where Xijt is export value, export volume from country i to j at time t; GDPit is GDP of 
country i at time t; GDPjt is GDP of country j at time t; DISTijt is the distance from country i 
to j at time t; LP is logistics performance of the exporting countries; W is dummy variables 
(common languages, common borders); Uijt is the standard error. In estimating equation 
(2), logistics performance is described further into 10 different measurements, as stated 
in Tables 2 and 3. Therefore, ten separate models capture each logistics performance as 
the variable of interest. For LPI components, variables will be measured in levels, while 
time and cost for both documentary and border compliance variables will be measured in 
logarithmic form.  
 
The first step of the panel data analysis employs Breusch and Pagan Lagrangian Multiplier 
to decide between Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) or Random Effect (RE). Since the result 
shows a panel effect and significant differences across units, RE is then preferred. The 
second step is Hausman Test to decide between RE and Fixed Effect (FE). Since the result 
shows that unique errors correlate with the regressors, FEis is preferred. Unfortunately, 
FE Model drops all time-invariant explanatory variables that are important in gravity 
models, such as distance and dummy variables. 
 
Another estimation method is then considered, Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood 
(PPML), as used by similar studies such as the study of UAE trade potential by Dadakas et 
al. (2020). Developed by Silva and Tenreyro (2006), PPML is a promising method to 
estimate models like gravity equation since a large proportion of zero dependent variables, 
which is common in trade data and appears in our dataset2, does not affect the estimation 
result (Gómez-Herrera, 2013). In addition, PPML also gives proper and unbiased 
estimation given the presence of heteroscedasticity3 (Silva and Tenreyro, 2011; Gómez-
Herrera, 2013), which is also common in trade data and appears in our dataset. Further, 
PPML weighs all observations equally, and its mean is always positive. However, Gómez-
Herrera (2013) also argued that PPML has a disadvantage as it may present limited-
dependent variable bias when a significant part of the observations are censored. 
 

 
2 Zero trade country pairs: Lao PDR and Myanmar didn’t export to the rest of ASEAN member states in 2007 

3 Breusch-Pagan test for heteroscedasticity result: The probability value of the chi-square statistic is less than 0.05, 

implying that the null hypothesis of constant variance can be rejected at a 5% level of significance. In conclusion, there 

exists heteroscedasticity in the residuals. 

 



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Result and Discussion 
 

Descriptive Analysis 
 

In terms of GDP, ASEAN’s economy grew more than threefold from 2007 to 2021, making 
it one of the top 10 largest economies in the world as a country group. The population 
also grew from 572 to 662 million (ASEANStat, 2022). Indonesia is the largest in both GDP 
and population size, while Brunei Darussalam is the smallest. In terms of income group, 
Singapore and Brunei are the only member states in the high-income group, while the rest 
are split up into upper and lower-middle-income groups. Despite its growing economy 
and population, intra-ASEAN trade fluctuated with setbacks in 2009 (due to the global 
financial crisis), 2014-2016, 2019, and 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) (ASEANStat, 
2022). 
 

Regarding physical borders, most of ASEAN member states are connected by land, except 
the Philippines. Indonesia and the Philippines are maritime countries surrounded by sea, 
but Indonesia has a common border with Malaysia. In terms of the psychological border, 
there are only 3 country pairs in ASEAN that have a common language, namely Brunei-
Malaysia and Malaysia-Singapore (Malay), and Singapore-Philippines (English). 
 
Table 4 shows the changes in LPI of ASEAN member states from the year 2007 to 2018 in 
terms of the average score of each component, the gaps, and the best performers. 
Overall, the ASEAN member states improved all logistics performance components during 
the period. The most improvement was recorded in the ability to track and trace 
consignment in shipping, which score increased by 0.24. This might be due to the private 
sector's development and wide use of information and communication technology. 
Quality of trade and transport related to infrastructure stayed on the lowest score but, 
despite its improvement, indicated by an additional score of 0.10. This is probably due to 
the long-term and costly nature of infrastructure development. 
 
In terms of member states’ performance, Myanmar had the lowest score of LPI in 2007, 
while Singapore was the best performer. In 2018, Singapore was still the best performer, 
while Myanmar levelled with Lao PDR at the bottom. During the 2007-2018 period, the 
minimum score in each component showed improvements, and correspondingly the gaps 
between the best and the lowest performers also decreased in each component. 
 
Table 4 ASEAN Member States Logistics Performance Index 2007 and 2018 

Year Statistics Track Trace Competence Ease Efficiency Frequency Quality 

2007 Mean 2.82 2.89 2.88 2.77 3.34 2.69  
Min 1.57 2.00 1.73 2.07 2.08 1.69  
Max 4.25 4.21 4.04 3.90 4.53 4.27  
Gaps 2.68 2.21 2.30 1.83 2.45 2.58 

2018 Mean 3.06 3.00 3.01 2.80 3.37 2.79  
Min 2.20 2.28 2.20 2.17 2.84 1.99  
Max 4.08 4.10 3.58 3.89 4.32 4.06 

  Gaps 1.88 1.82 1.38 1.72 1.48 2.07 

Source: World Bank (2021) 
Note: Range “very low” (1) to “very high” (5). 



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Table 5 shows ASEAN member states’ Trading Across Borders score in 2016 and 2018. 
Overall, Singapore was still the best performer. Further, despite the slight improvement 
tendency shown by each member state, there were no significant reforms in some 
aspects. 
 
Table 5 ASEAN Member States’ Trading Across Borders 2016 and 2018 

Country Time Documentary 
(hours) 

Time Border 
(hours) 

Cost Documentary 
(USD) 

Cost Border 
(USD)  

2016 2018 2016 2018 2016 2018 2016 2018 
Brunei 168 155 120 117 90 90 340 340 
Indonesia 72 61.32 62.6 62.6 170 138.8 253.7 253.7 
Cambodia 132 132 48 48 100 100 375 375 
Lao PDR 60 60 13 13 235 235 140 140 
Myanmar 144 144 144 141.6 140 140 431.7 431.7 
Malaysia 10 10 48 45 35 35 274 274 
Philippines 36 36 42.5 42.5 52.5 52.5 456 456 
Singapore 2 2 12 10 37 37 335 335 
Thailand 11.3 11.3 51 51 96.9 96.9 222.6 222.6 
Vietnam 83.1 50 60.4 55 139.2 139.2 309.1 290 

 
Estimation Results 
 
Appendix 1 shows the PPML estimation results. Model (1) includes basic control variables 
in the gravity model: GDP origin, GDP destination, the distance between capitals, common 
language, and common border. Models (2) to (5) include variables of interest from private 
sector areas of improvement: tracking and tracing; competence of logistics services; ease 
and competitive shipping price; and frequency of scheduled time. Models (6) to (11) 
include variables of interest from government areas of improvement, which are the 
efficiency of customs and clearance, quality of infrastructure, time and cost at the border, 
and time and cost for documentary compliance. 
 
Model 1 shows the PPML estimation results with export value as the dependent variable 
and control variables as the independent. The estimated signs of the coefficients are as 
expected. GDP in origin and destination countries significantly impacts export value, 
supporting previous findings reported by Ho et al. (2021) and Sunaryati (2015). An 
increase of GDP in the origin country of 1% will increase export value by USD 8,210, ceteris 
paribus. On the other hand, an increase of GDP in the destination country of 1% will 
increase export value by USD 7,310, ceteris paribus. The magnitude might seem similar, 
but it is noteworthy that the role of GDP in the origin country on export value is 
significantly larger than the GDP in the destination country. According to Wardani (2016), 
GDP in the origin country reflects the production capacity, whereas GDP in the destination 
country indicates the market size. Therefore, the higher the GDP in the origin country, the 
higher the production capacity and, thus, the export capacity due to economies of scale 
(Wardani, 2016; Ridwannulloh & Sunaryati, 2018). 
 
The distance variable is also significant and has a negative sign which shows that an 
increase in distance will lower the export value. An increase in distance between two 



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countries of 1% will decrease the export value by USD11,810, ceteris paribus. This result 
agrees with Wardani (2016), which suggests that greater distance between countries can 
lead to lower exports. Exports are reduced as distance increases because of the higher 
transportation costs. 
 
Model (2), (3), (4), and (5) shows the PPML estimation results with export value as the 
dependent variable and logistics performance of the private sector as the independent 
variable. PPML estimation results are significant, and the signs are as expected for most 
independent variables, except for the cost of border compliance. This shows that any 
improvement in logistics performance by the private sector can increase export value. 
Since all variables in the private sector area are in the same unit of measurement, the 
order of importance can be shown directly, with all control variables being equal. The 
order of importance from the most to the least are; competitive price of the shipment, 
frequency on scheduled time, tracking and tracing, and competence of logistics services. 
An increase of 1 unit in competitive shipment price will increase export value by USD 
1,226,000, ceteris paribus. If the problem arises from increasing shipment costs, exporters 
might focus on exporting goods that may not be great in volume, but high in value, as 
supported by Hornok and Koren (2015). 
 
Increasing 1 unit in frequency on scheduled time will increase export value by USD 
1,207,000, ceteris paribus. Previous literature shows that longer transit delays can lower 
trade. This explains the importance of arriving on scheduled time. Time is important since 
many exports are time-sensitive. They might be needed to be transported faster due to 
the continuity of the supply chain. Small disturbances due to delays can affect another 
part of the chain. As the final receiver of goods, consumers will also demand timely 
shipment. 
 
An increase of 1 unit in tracking and tracing will increase export value by USD 1,060,000, 
ceteris paribus. The improvement made by countries to improve their private sector’s 
ability to track and trace goods depends on the role of ICT. Not only ICT helps to inform 
parties about the schedule, but it also helps to see the exact location of goods that are 
being transported. The traditional method of tracking and tracing may consist solely of 
calling the drivers or those who are currently moving the products, but the 
implementation of ICT-based tracking and tracing can result in a large rise in export value. 
An increase of 1 unit in the competence of logistics services will increase export value by 
USD 925,000 USD, ceteris paribus. Based on its definition, logistics services evaluate the 
competence of transport operators such as shipping companies, trucking companies, 
freight forwarders, and customs brokers to help exporters deal with tariffs, laws, 
documentaries, and payment needed to the customs agency. Freight forwarders and 
customs brokers are two different entities, while the former focus on managing the 
shipment of goods to the destination country, and focus on the destination country’s 
customs clearance.  
 
Models (6) to (11) show the government’s area of improvement. Most of the variables are 
significant at a 1% level, except for the cost of border compliance. The signs of the 



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significant variables are as expected. Variables in government areas differ in the unit of 
measurement; thus, the order of importance cannot be shown directly.  
 
An increase of 1 unit in the quality of infrastructure will increase export value by USD 
793,000, ceteris paribus. Infrastructure might stay behind customs, but the impact is 
similar. Infrastructure is a long-term policy, prone to change, depending on how each 
ruling government spends the state budget on infrastructure.  
 
An increase of 1 unit in the efficiency of customs will increase export value by USD 
827,000, ceteris paribus. Increasing 1 unit in customs performance is preferred over 
infrastructure. The main reason lies in the ease of integrating ASEAN member states’ 
custom procedures rather than integrating infrastructures. The increased customs 
efficiency will depend on the ICT level and coordination among customs agencies.  
 
An increase of 1% of the time for documentary compliance will decrease the export value 
by USD 3,420, ceteris paribus. An increase of 1% of the time for border compliance will 
decrease the export value by USD 840, ceteris paribus. In this case, time is more important 
for documentary compliance, including waiting time to sign documents, certificate of 
origin, and customs declaration. The longer the time to process documents to export, the 
more export will decrease. 
 
An increase of 1% in cost for documentary compliance will decrease the export value by 
USD 5,010, ceteris paribus. Again, documentary compliance is also significant. The more 
cost needed for documentary compliance, the less export value. In the case of all ASEAN, 
the border compliance cost is insignificant in explaining the export value. 
 
Discussion 
 
The coefficients for PPML estimates might be smaller than OLS estimates for the same 
dataset, as argued by Silva and Tenreyro (2006). Therefore, this study cannot directly 
compare the magnitude of logistics performance with previous studies that used other 
estimation strategies. However, the pattern for which component might affect trade 
more than others is similar to previous studies mentioned in the literature review. 
Continuing the work of Gani (2017), which includes only three ASEAN member states out 
of the 60 countries studied, this study expands the analysis across all ASEAN member 
states. The estimation results show that the impact of the short-term policy of customs in 
ASEAN has more magnitude than a long-term policy of infrastructure, ceteris paribus to 
control variables. From the private sector area of change, the results align with Gani 
(2017), where timeliness and competitive shipping prices in ASEAN have the largest 
impact on trade.  
 
Private Sector Area of Improvement 
 
The private sector actors are shipping companies, freight forwarders, and customs 
brokers. Based on the estimation results, all components significantly affect export value. 
The average of ASEAN member states’ LPI score for the private sector is of change is 



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considered good with a score above 3.00. Certain member states, especially Singapore, 
dominate the considerably high score.  
 
As previously discussed, the highest magnitude is improving competitive shipping prices. 
However, the problem of ASEAN is the existence of gaps within its member states. For 
example, ASEAN member states’ shipping capacity is different. Singapore, Malaysia, and 
Indonesia have more competitive international shipping that is not dominated by foreign 
shipping, unlike the rest of the ASEAN member states (Tongzon & Lee, 2015). With the 
assistance of government regulation, the private sector should prioritize the competitive 
price of shipping since a reduction in freight rate can reduce the cost of trade, thereby 
increasing the involvement of smaller firms on the worldwide market (Melitz, 2003; 
Lawless, 2010).  
 
Table 6 shows the gap in the private sector’s logistics performance among ASEAN member 
states that can be used to show improvements needed by each member state. Indonesia, 
Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam’s private sector logistics performance were 
above average in 2018. In contrast, Brunei, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and the 
Philippines were still below average. This data supports recent literature where lower 
middle-income countries tend to have a lower logistics performance (Bugarčić et al., 2020; 
Gani, 2017). Although, Brunei is an exception, as we argued in the first place. Brunei, as 
predicted, was lacking in logistics performance despite being a high-income country. Each 
ASEAN member state has its field where they lack. For example, the largest gap is shown 
by Myanmar in terms of tracking and tracing, with a score gap of 0.886 below average.  
 
The effort to create a more competitive private sector is developing at both regional and 
national levels. ASEAN Freight Forwarder Association is an example of regional integration 
by the private sector. Each member states have its own National Association, although 
under different but similar names (e.g., Indonesian Logistics and Forwarders Association, 
Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders). Their works represent the growing 
realization in the importance of ASEAN’s convergence. They started with the initiation of 
 

Table 6 Gaps Among ASEAN Member States Private Sector’s Logistics Performance (2018) 
Country Tracking 

and 
Tracing 

Gaps Competence 
of Logistics 

Services 

Gaps Ease/Competitive 
Price Shipment 

Gaps Frequency 
on 

Scheduled 
Time 

Gaps 

  2018 
 

2018 
 

2018 
 

2018 
 

Brunei 2.747 -0.341 2.710 -0.303 2.513 -0.515 3.174 -0.227 
Indonesia 3.300 0.212 3.100 0.087 3.228 0.200 3.670 0.269 
Cambodia 2.515 -0.573 2.408 -0.605 2.794 -0.234 3.155 -0.245 
Lao PDR 2.914 -0.174 2.649 -0.364 2.716 -0.313 2.843 -0.558 
Myanmar 2.202 -0.886 2.279 -0.734 2.199 -0.829 2.908 -0.492 
Malaysia 3.148 0.060 3.298 0.285 3.348 0.319 3.464 0.064 
Philippines 3.059 -0.029 2.776 -0.237 3.293 0.264 2.984 -0.417 
Singapore 4.080 0.992 4.100 1.087 3.580 0.552 4.320 0.920 
Thailand 3.467 0.379 3.411 0.398 3.457 0.429 3.814 0.414 
Vietnam 3.450 0.362 3.399 0.386 3.155 0.127 3.672 0.272 
Average 3.088 

 
3.013 

 
3.028 

 
3.400 

 



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Ministers of Transport and Communication of ASEAN member states in 1985 and have 
been developing until recent times. At both regional and national levels, they focus on 
coordinating with government agencies to negotiate and make agreements and dialogue 
to give input and insight for policy making. They also guide private sectors to meet 
international standards, increasing competitiveness and increasing service quality. Some 
national level associations also give training. For example, Singapore Logistics Association 
offers exclusive training and learning for the logistics workforce under The Logistics 
Academy, which is a private education institute. 
 
Government Area of Improvement 
 
Government area of improvement is complex. It requires coordination among ministries 
as policymakers, customs agencies, and even infrastructure heavily rely on state budgets. 
Based on the estimation results, time for documentary compliance is considered the most 
important. Customs and infrastructure are almost equally important depending on 
whether states focus on short-term or long-term policy, with customs having a slightly 
larger impact on export than infrastructure quality. Time for border compliance, including 
inspections, is not as important as time for documentary compliance. 
 
On the other hand, the cost of documentary and border compliance differ in importance. 
This can be interpreted as the preference of the exporter in terms of cost. Exporters in 
lower to middle-income ASEAN member states might not be concerned about the cost of 
arranging documents and certificates, as long as it is not a bribery payment. 
 
Table 7 Gaps Among ASEAN Member States Customs Efficiency and Infrastructure (2018) 

Country Efficiency of 
Customs/Clearance 

Gaps Quality of 
Infrastructure 

Gaps 

  2018 
 

2018 
 

Brunei 2.622 -0.163 2.461 -0.341 
Indonesia 2.673 -0.112 2.895 0.093 
Cambodia 2.370 -0.415 2.145 -0.657 
Lao PDR 2.613 -0.172 2.441 -0.360 
Myanmar 2.167 -0.618 1.995 -0.807 
Malaysia 2.898 0.113 3.147 0.345 
Philippines 2.529 -0.256 2.726 -0.076 
Singapore 3.887 1.102 4.064 1.262 
Thailand 3.142 0.357 3.138 0.336 
Vietnam 2.950 0.165 3.005 0.204 
Average 2.785 

 
2.802 

 

 
Table 7 shows the gap among ASEAN member states’ customs efficiency and quality of 
trade and transport-related infrastructure to show improvements that are needed by 
each member state. In the previous section, we discussed the magnitude impact of the 
improvement made by the government on export value. The magnitude impacts of one 
unit increase on export value are quite similar between the efficiency of customs (827,000 
USD) and quality of trade and transport related (793,000 USD). However, similar to gaps 



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in the private sector area, the gaps in government areas still existed and were dominated 
by lower-middle-income countries, except for Brunei.  
 
Infrastructure (e.g., Ports, roads, airports, ICT) is still a problem for lower-middle-income 
countries. As shown in Table 7, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and the 
Philippines have significant gaps from the rest of the ASEAN member states. Myanmar is 
the least developed country in terms of the quality of trade-related infrastructure. Given 
the importance that can be seen from the magnitude of impact, prioritizing building 
international quality infrastructure is needed, especially for Myanmar. Plummer et al. 
(2016) show how Myanmar actually has a potential trade-related infrastructure. 
Surrounded by India, Thailand, China, and Lao PDR by borders should give Myanmar 
opportunities to increase its trade performance. Developing their deep-sea ports for big 
containers and improving road infrastructures for traded goods moved by land should be 
Myanmar’s priority. For other countries that are still lagging in infrastructure, involving 
the private sector to build infrastructure is needed to reduce the high financing cost of 
infrastructure (Plummer et al., 2016). In addition, ICT-related infrastructure is on the list 
of improvements. This improvement is quite related to the next component, which is 
customs efficiency. 
 
In the case of Indonesia, the quality of infrastructure is slightly above average, while the 
efficiency of the customs needs improvement. Since 2017, the Indonesian government 
has shown its interest in infrastructure development by allocating an enormous budget. 
As a result, Indonesia’s trade-related infrastructure quality is already improving. This does 
not imply that infrastructure is unnecessary since allocating the infrastructure’s budget in 
Indonesia might be targeted to achieve connectivity within the nation. Improving the 
efficiency of their custom is also the top priority, given the importance and magnitude of 
customs on the export value that is slightly higher than infrastructure. 
 
The cost of removing customs barriers might be lower than improving the quality of hard 
infrastructure. However, the political cost of reforming customs procedures might be 
larger than it seems, especially in lower-middle-income countries. Nevertheless, 
modernizing customs procedures should be more beneficial than the cost. An efficient 
customs procedure helps to boost firm productivity, solve tax problems, and remove 
corruption at the border (Cadot et al., 2017; Moïsé & Le Bris, 2013). 
 
In reality, ASEAN member states do have their own National Single Window to promote 
the efficiency of customs, but their successful implementation rates differ. Burdensome 
requirements, discrimination, lack of client orientation, minimum use of technology, and 
bureaucratic delays are still ASEAN’s problems, especially in Myanmar (Cadot et al., 2017; 
Tongzon & Lee, 2016). Indonesia, for example, has more than 15 private and government 
agencies working on its Indonesia National Single Window (INSW), so it takes all agencies 
to work together in one single platform.  
 
 
 
 



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Table 8 Gaps Among ASEAN Member States’ Trading Across Borders Score (2018) 
Country Time 

Documentary 
(hours) 

Gaps Time 
Border 
(hours) 

Gaps Cost 
Documentary 

(USD) 

Gaps Cost 
Border 
(USD) 

Gaps 

  2018 
 

2018 
 

2018 
 

2018 
 

Brunei 155 -88.838 117 -58.43 90 16.44 340 -28.2 
Indonesia 61.32 4.842 62.6 -4.03 138.8 -32.36 253.7 58.1 
Cambodia 132 -65.838 48 10.57 100 6.44 375 -63.2 
Lao PDR 60 6.162 13 45.57 235 -128.56 140 171.8 
Myanmar 144 -77.838 141.6 -83.03 140 -33.56 431.7 -119.9 
Malaysia 10 56.162 45 13.57 35 71.44 274 37.8 
Philippines 36 30.162 42.5 16.07 52.5 53.94 456 -144.2 
Singapore 2 64.162 10 48.57 37 69.44 335 -23.2 
Thailand 11.3 54.862 51 7.57 96.9 9.54 222.6 89.2 
Vietnam 50 16.162 55 3.57 139.2 -32.76 290 21.8 
Average 66.162 

 
58.57 

 
106.44 

 
311.8 

 

 
The pattern for time and cost is more diverse than customs efficiency and infrastructure. 
Table 8 shows how Lao PDR is improving regarding time and cost, with only a gap (128.56 
USD) left in the cost for documentary compliance. Indonesia (32.36 USD) and Myanmar 
(33.56 USD) were also still below the average in terms of cost for documentary 
compliance. 
 
For example, in 2018, Indonesia’s largest gap was in the cost of documentary compliance, 
with a total cost exceeding the average cost of ASEAN member states. This aligns with the 
regulation proposed by the Indonesian government in April 2018, where the cost for a 
Certificate of Origin’s establishment increases from 0.36 USD/IDR 5,000.00 in previous 
years to 1.8 USD/IDR 25,000.00 (Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 31 Tahun 2017). These 
gaps support recent literature where the limitations in the government’s area of 
improvement in lower-middle-income countries include unnecessary customs 
procedures, physical inspection, corruption in border compliance, and lack of 
infrastructure (Gani, 2017). In 2020, as a response to the global pandemic, Indonesia 
decided to cut the cost of establishing a Certificate of Origin to zero. In return, they expect 
an increase in export performance. This study cannot provide further information 
regarding the impact magnitude on export. However, if possible, the reduction in cost 
needs to be examined for other document requirements such as customs declaration, 
export permit, contract, etc.  
 
Time for documentary compliance was still a problem for Brunei, Cambodia, and 
Myanmar, where their time still exceeded the ASEAN’s average time. In 2018, in terms of 
time for border compliance, Brunei and Myanmar were still behind other member states’ 
performance, while Indonesia slightly underperformed. Lastly, the cost of border 
compliance differs in each ASEAN member state. There was no certain pattern of why 
some states have higher costs (e.g., Singapore’s cost for border compliance is 2.3 times 
higher than Lao PDR). The key to improving ASEAN’s problem in time and cost for both 
documentary and border compliance lies in the importance of modernization of customs 
procedures as suggested by Gani (2017), for example, National Single Window on a 
national level. Thus, each member state has first to improve its governance quality for 



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such regulation to be fully implemented. However, NTMs are not meant to be fully 
eliminated. Cadot et al. (2017) show that shifting towards a more improved regulatory 
agency is needed. 
 
In response to the gaps mentioned above, ASEAN as a region has made a good start since 
its early days on reaching convergence and ease in the government area of improvement. 
First, ASEAN member states must participate in a related framework, the ASEAN 
Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Goods in Transit (AFAFGIT). AFAFGIT was initially 
signed in 1998. Under AFAFGIT, ASEAN established ASEAN Customs Transit Systems 
(ACTS) for goods that are transported by road. This ICT-based system helps exporters to 
pay and prepare for only one customs procedure. There will not be several customs 
declarations from the origin to the destination country. All information and electronic 
data are already stored in the system. Coordination of customs and land transport 
authorities allows eligible licensed qualifying vehicles to operate across borders so truck 
changes will not occur in a different country. Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia are ASEAN 
member states that joined the pilot phase for ACTS in 2020. The rest of the ASEAN 
member states have agreed on ACTS and already agreed with each country’s designated 
routes and customs offices. The implementation depends on the level of readiness of 
AMS.  
 
Not only in transit systems, but ASEAN as a region is also currently working on ASEAN 
Single Window (ASW). This requires its member states to implement their own National 
Single Window fully. ASW enables the exchange of electronic trade-related documents 
between customs and other government agencies, the transport sector, as well as bank 
and insurance agencies. This will help exporters to reduce the time and cost to export 
goods. Starting from March 2016, Indonesia and Singapore have already exchanged their 
electronic ASEAN Certificate of Origin, Form D. Other trade-related documents, such as 
custom declarations, is also in progress as an expansion of ASW under the name ASEAN 
Customs Declaration Document (ACCD). In December 2020, Singapore, Cambodia, and 
Myanmar joined and implemented ACCD. Other ASEAN member countries are expected 
to join by late 2021. In addition to that, ASEAN member states’ public policies are different 
from each other. Tongzon and Lee (2013) show how Singapore and Malaysia provided 
more maritime sector subsidies than Indonesia and the Philippines. 
 
Reaching infrastructure convergence in ASEAN is also tough. Each member state might 
have different priorities, budgets, strategies, or other infrastructure regulations. Given 
the fact that ASEAN’s infrastructure quality is growing, the gap still exists. Recently, ASEAN 
has been working on The Framework for Improving ASEAN Infrastructure Productivity. 
The goals are to make ASEAN member states have the same understanding of the 
importance of infrastructure and to improve their infrastructure further. This framework 
focuses on building a sustainable infrastructure plan, making infrastructure still relatable 
even in the future. ASEAN is encouraging its member states to have a coordinated, data-
driven, and well-planned infrastructure as priorities. A well-built coordination of 
regulations and standards has proven beneficial since it increases welfare. In conclusion, 
convergence logistics performance can help reduce trade costs to help domestic and least 
productive firms participate in international trade (Moïsé & Le Bris, 2013). 



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Conclusion 
 

This paper examines the impact of logistics performance on intra-ASEAN trade. The 
findings revealed statistically significant impacts of most logistics performance 
components on export value. Improvements made by the private sector and government 
areas of responsibility have similar and significant impacts on export value. Short-term 
customs policy reform has more impact on mean export value than long-term 
infrastructure development policy. The private sector is the main actor in transporting 
goods across borders, with the competitive price of the shipment being the most 
important component. 
 
Time and cost are areas of improvement that are important in increasing ASEAN’s export 
value by the private sector. While giving input to the government through discussion is 
important, adjusting more focus on internal quality is equally important. On the other 
hand, government-related policies, especially customs, administrative time, and cost, play 
a similarly significant role in export. As supported by Hornok & Koren (2015), trade 
facilitation in terms of government-related logistics performance will benefit trade more 
if all countries are at the customs union level rather than just a free trade area. This 
condition is supported by the movement toward an ASEAN Economic Community that 
may act as a substitute for the customs union. Another issue regarding public policy is the 
priorities set and planned by the governments of each member state. The main goal 
should be the progress of ASEAN’s connected and developed customs and infrastructure. 
Convergence with the rest of the ASEAN member states in trade policy and requirements 
is needed. Given its importance, infrastructure should be the main priority of ASEAN 
member states. 
 
There are limitations to this study. First, since this study uses PPML other than fixed effect, 
all impacts on export are initially calculated by levels, not percentage changes. Second, 
the data for cost and time for documentary and border compliance changed its method 
in 2016, so this study only uses data from 2016 and 2018. There are a few suggestions for 
future studies. First, future studies may consider examining the extra-ASEAN trade level 
since ASEAN member states trade more with other countries outside ASEAN. Second, 
following previous literature, this study only uses logistics performance data from the 
World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index and Trading Across Border. This paper suggests 
future research to include other logistics performance measurements that are more 
specific (e.g., infrastructure spending as a percentage of GDP) to show more than just the 
quality but also the progress. 
 
 

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