What Explains the Success of Emerging Asia’s Service Exporters?

Andrea Ariu and Katariina Nilsson Hakkala
Additional contact information
Andrea Ariu: University of Milan
Katariina Nilsson Hakkala: Asian Development Bank

No 806, ADB Economics Working Paper Series from Asian Development Bank

Abstract: This paper examines the determinants of service exports in emerging Asian economies, with particular emphasis on digital services, which have experienced considerable expansion across the region. Utilizing a structural gravity model, the findings indicate that supply-side factors predominantly drive service exports growth, rather than demand factors or trade policies. An in-depth analysis of these supply-side factors underscores the pivotal role of human capital, specifically education and English proficiency, in bolstering exports, especially within the region’s digital business process services sector. Further evidence reveals that stringent regulatory environments and barriers to digital infrastructure considerably impede exports in sectors such as telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services. Conversely, enhanced internet connectivity not only increases exports of digital services but also boosts the exports of non-digital services.

Keywords: Asia; emerging economies; trade in services; digital services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F10 F14 L80 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47
Date: 2025-10-01
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.adb.org/publications/emerging-asia-service-exporters

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:ris:adbewp:021650

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in ADB Economics Working Paper Series from Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Orlee Velarde ().