Global South Partnerships and South–South Trade Elasticities: India–BIMSTEC Case Study

Nay Myo Htun and . Viswanatha
Additional contact information
Nay Myo Htun: Department of Economics, Mangalore University, Mangalore, India.
. Viswanatha: Department of Economics, Mangalore University, Mangalore, India and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar School of Economics University, Bangalore, India.

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: Background: The growing importance of South–South cooperation has shifted attention toward regional trade arrangements among developing economies as alternative engines of growth and integration. BIMSTEC represents one such strategic framework through which India seeks to expand regional connectivity, trade integration, and economic collaboration across the Bay of Bengal region. Aims: This study investigates India's bilateral trade with BIMSTEC countries by estimating South–South trade elasticities within a gravity-model framework. Study Design: Quantitative analysis Methodology: Using secondary panel data for 2011–2024, the analysis examines how economic size, trade openness, distance, and temporal shocks shape India–BIMSTEC exports and imports. Results: Descriptive results reveal strong and uneven trade linkages, with Thailand and Bangladesh emerging as India's largest BIMSTEC partners. Incorporating year fixed effects produces a statistically significant income elasticity for India (β ≈ 0.16 p ≈ 0.01), indicating that India's economic growth substantially drives regional trade flows. Distance and trade openness exhibit mixed effects, reflecting structural characteristics of BIMSTEC economies. Conclusion: Although the dataset includes only BIMSTEC partners, limiting comparative or membership-specific inferences, the income elasticity estimate aligns with typical South–South trade patterns. Overall, the study provides the empirical elasticity evidence for India–BIMSTEC trade, underscoring the importance of India's domestic performance in shaping regional integration outcomes.

Date: 2026-05-15
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in Journal of Economics and Trade, 2026, 11 (1), pp.496-506

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05625991

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().