ICT Augmented Gravity Model Application: Sector Level Analysis of the Asia-Pacific Region

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in commerce improves the commercial structure and economic capacity of a country. This study empirically assesses the impact of ICTs on international trade in 36 countries in Asia and the Pacific, at the sectoral level, between 2007 and 2018. The study evaluates whether ICTs improve international trade by hiring the gravity model of international trade and increasing it with the ICT variable. An ICT development indicator (IDI) is formed by joining seven different ICT variables that show ICT infrastructure, use, and skills. Using the Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) estimation technique, this study shows that ICTs improve trade by reducing transaction costs. The findings reveal that information and communication technology positively and significantly influence international trade in all sectors of the Asia-Pacific region, and that trade intensifies when both trading partners have a high endowment of information and communications technology. The study recommends that governments in developing countries upgrade their ICT infrastructure levels.