Article: Measuring economic convergence: evidence from container throughputs of ASEAN-5 countries Journal: World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research (WRITR) 2024 Vol.12 No.1 pp.44 - 63 Abstract: The main purpose of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) union is economic integration and sustainable growth. In this regard, measuring whether past policies implemented are successful or not is important in deciding whether there is a need for improvement in future policies. The success of integration can be measured by the convergence hypothesis, and successful policies are expected to generate convergence between countries. Unlike the literature, we aimed to determine whether there is economic convergence among ASEAN-5 countries by testing convergence on their container throughputs that are not affected by inflationary effects. According to the results we obtained with panel unit root and stationarity tests, countries are converging to each other, and the difference in trade volumes is closing. This shows that the implemented policies are successful and the sustainable growth target is being achieved. Our study supports the findings of economic convergence in the literature through a less manipulable variable. It is recommended that policymakers and researchers also consider container throughput volumes when measuring the success of implemented policies. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Measuring economic convergence: evidence from container throughputs of ASEAN-5 countries

Authors: Chutarat Noosuwan; Yuthana Autsadee; Cherdvong Saengsupavanich; Abdullah Açık

Addresses: Faculty of Economics at Sriracha, Kasetsart University, Sri Racha Campus, Chonburi, 20230, Thailand ' Faculty of International Maritime Studies, Kasetsart University, Sri Racha Campus, Chonburi, 20230, Thailand ' Faculty of International Maritime Studies, Kasetsart University, Sri Racha Campus, Chonburi, 20230, Thailand ' Maritime Faculty, Dokuz Eylül University, Buca, İzmir, 35390, Türkiye

Abstract: The main purpose of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) union is economic integration and sustainable growth. In this regard, measuring whether past policies implemented are successful or not is important in deciding whether there is a need for improvement in future policies. The success of integration can be measured by the convergence hypothesis, and successful policies are expected to generate convergence between countries. Unlike the literature, we aimed to determine whether there is economic convergence among ASEAN-5 countries by testing convergence on their container throughputs that are not affected by inflationary effects. According to the results we obtained with panel unit root and stationarity tests, countries are converging to each other, and the difference in trade volumes is closing. This shows that the implemented policies are successful and the sustainable growth target is being achieved. Our study supports the findings of economic convergence in the literature through a less manipulable variable. It is recommended that policymakers and researchers also consider container throughput volumes when measuring the success of implemented policies.

Keywords: economic convergence; container throughput; panel unit root.

DOI: 10.1504/WRITR.2024.140467

World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research, 2024 Vol.12 No.1, pp.44 - 63

Received: 02 Oct 2022
Accepted: 10 Dec 2023
Published online: 19 Aug 2024 *

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Title: Measuring economic convergence: evidence from container throughputs of ASEAN-5 countries

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