Logistics performance index in international trade: Case of Central and Eastern European and Western Balkans countries

The volume of international trade heavily depends on factors facilitating trade and contributing to reducing its costs. The importance of international logistics as trade facilitator is increasingly emphasised in the literature. The aim of the paper is to assess the level of the impact of logistics performance on trade volume in the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) and Western Balkans. In order to achieve the aim, the impact of Logistic Performance Index (LPI) on international trade in 2007 and 2018 is investigated. This relationship is examined using the gravity model approach with a focus on overall LPI and its components. The research results show that there is a positive statistical significance and impact of logistics on bilateral trade between CEECs, and logistics justifies the role of a trade facilitator. Besides, the importance of LPI components in intensifying international trade was emphasised. Research implications indicate that improving logistics performance and logistics services lead to a positive impact on the volume of international trade. Better logistics performance in trading countries will lead to increased bilateral trade and reduced trade costs. The limitation of the research is that only two years have been taken into account. This is done in order to highlight the differences between the year the LPI was introduced, and the last year the LPI was calculated.