Intra-regional trade and export diversification in small states
Panel evidence from Caricom
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19216285 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elton Bollers (0000-0003-2189-2506, University of Guyana, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-18 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Round Table (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0035-8533 • E-ISSN: 1465-4008 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00358533.2026.2669265 |
| OpenAlex | W7161543822 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
This study examines whether intra-regional trade promotes export diversification among CARICOM small states. Using panel data for 2005–2023, export concentration is measured through the Herfindahl–Hirschman, Theil, and Gini indices and estimated using fixed-effects panel models, with system GMM employed as a robustness check. The results reveal a statistically significant positive relationship between intra-regional trade and export concentration, indicating that deeper regional integration reinforces specialisation rather than diversification. These findings challenge conventional expectations of integration-led diversification and highlight structural constraints facing small economies. The results suggest that regional trade must be complemented by targeted industrial and capability-building policies to broaden export bases and strengthen economic resilience
Diversification (marketing strategy) · Export performance · Panel data · Terms of trade · Global trade and economics · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis
Increasing returns, monopolistic competition, and international trade
Stages of Diversification
What's So Special about China's Exports?
The building blocks of economic complexity
Infrastructure, Geographical Disadvantage, Transport Costs, and Trade
What you export matters
Institutions Rule
Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data
The curse of natural resources
Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models
Does tourism development spur export product diversification
Export Diversification
Diversifying the Export Basket of Creative Products Through Tourism Industry
The origins of the Gini index
Geographical Diversification of Developing Country Exports
Technological capabilities and industrialization
Export Diversification Effects of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement
Can Developing Countries Gain from Defying Comparative Advantage? Distance to Comparative Advantage, Export Diversification and Sophistication, and the Dynamics of Specialization
Determinant Factors of FDI Spillovers – What Do We Really Know
Small island developing states and their economic vulnerabilities
Economic development as self-discovery
Investigating the consequences of tourism market diversification for creative product diversification
Was Prometheus Unbound by Chance? Risk, Diversification, and Growth
Regional Integration in Europe
| Highly cited | No |
|---|