Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade and Regional Integration in Economic Development

Dear Colleagues,

It is widely recognized that regional integration is relatively weak in many developing regions, despite numerous free-trade agreements. Several reasons for the apparent integration deficit have been put forward, one of which is the existence of small-scale cross-border trade (SSCBT). Small consignments of goods are exempt from border taxes and other formalities, so local communities engage in lively exchanges. The aggregate value of these unrecorded shipments has been estimated to sometimes reach or exceed the value of officially recorded, truck-based trade between countries. Yet, is SSCBT a major factor in explaining the low level of integration—according to official statistics—among developing countries, or are other determinants more pertinent?

This Special Issue on “Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade and Regional Integration in Economic Development” tries to address this question and illuminate the challenges and opportunities provided by regional integration and the role and importance of SSCBT. Researchers are invited to submit theoretical or empirical papers that analyze the characteristics of regional trade and its implications for economic development.

Dr. Peter Walkenhorst
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Economies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• informal trade
• unrecorded trade
• illicit trade
• border communities
• poverty reduction
• food security
• trade infrastructure
• trade complementarity
• simplified trade regime
• trade statistics