 Cross-Border E-Commerce and Global Supply Chains: Evidence on Trade Costs, Exports, and ProductivityQiuyan Peng and Nianhong Chen Economic Studies journal, 2026, issue 7, 43-67 Abstract: Global supply chains have faced increasing disruption due to trade protectionism, geopolitical tensions, and external shocks. These developments have highlighted the need for more flexible and resilient trade mechanisms. This study examines how cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) is associated with trade-cost frictions, export performance, and firm-level productivity among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Using a mixed-method approach, the quantitative analysis is based on firm-level survey data from 150 SMEs across multiple regions and is estimated using structural equation modelling, complemented by qualitative interview evidence. The results show that CBEC adoption is associated with lower trade-cost frictions and improved export performance. CBEC is also positively associated with productivity, with supply chain efficiency acting as a partial mediating mechanism. The findings suggest that CBEC functions not only as a market-access channel but also as an operational mechanism supporting supply chain efficiency. Policy implications highlight the importance of digital trade frameworks, infrastructure investment, and SME capability development. JEL-codes: F14 L81 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bas:econst:y:2026:i:7:p:43-67 Access Statistics for this article More articles in Economic Studies journal from Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute Contact information at EDIRC. |
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