Measuring trade facilitation for the emerging seven countries (E7) using multi-criteria decision-making methods

Abstract

Countries provide opportunities for traders not only in imports but also in export performance by simplification and harmonization of documents in order to facilitate certain policy areas that have a tremendous impact on trade volumes. The OECD has established various indicators at different levels and compared countries to measure the trade facilitation between countries. This study aims to compare the procedures applied by the emerging seven countries (E7- Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Türkiye) using trade facilitation indicators (TFIs) and multi-criteria decision-making methods. We employ MEREC, WENSLO, ENTROPY, LOPCOW, CVM, CRITIC, ANGLE, and GINI methods to determine the weights of 11 TFIs identified by the OECD. The most suitable weighting method is established through multi-dimensional analysis. E7 countries are then evaluated using the MABAC and ARTASI methods, with a sensitivity analysis comparing results against 38 OECD member countries. In terms of performance across all TFIs, Russia ranks first (MABAC-0.253, ARTASI-1.821), Mexico second (MABAC-0.186, ARTASI-1.802), and Türkiye third (MABAC-0.117, ARTASI-1.731).