Effect of geopolitical distance on export efficiency in the transition countries
Journal: Asian Economic and Financial Review
Year: 2025

This study explores the impact of geopolitical distance on trade efficiency in 18 transition economies from 1990 to 2020. It examines how differences in political alignment, measured through United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voting patterns, influence export performance. Export efficiency is defined as the ratio of actual exports to potential exports. Geopolitical distance is quantified using voting similarity scores in the UNGA. The study employs a stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to est