Unlike previous papers on international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade, this paper sets Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries as an example to explore the dynamic interaction between international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade. The panel data for the period 2000–2018 will be employed to perform an empirical analysis via a host of econometric techniques, such as panel unit root tests, panel cointegration tests, panel causality tests and the panel vector error correction model. Incorporating with other control variables, we find that there is a long-term relationship between international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade. Specifically speaking, in the long-run, international logistics has a positive and significant effect on cross-border e-commerce trade. However, in the short-run, international logistics has a negative and significant effect on cross-border e-commerce trade. Furthermore, the results suggest that deviation from a cointegration system of cross-border e-commerce trade and international logistics will lead to the cross-border e-commerce trade and international logistics changing within the range of approximately 2.2% to 47.2% in the next period. Therefore, referring to these findings, each OECD country’s government should take up corresponding policies to ensure the sustainable development of both international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade.

This paper investigates the relationship between port productivity and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in port cities. The study initially employs the global Malmquist productivity index (MPI) to measure productivity growth in 16 major inland ports along the Yangtze River, obtaining data on the ports’ total factor productivity (TFP). Through an analysis using the panel data model with two-way fixed effects, we find a positive correlation between the improvement of port TFP and the increase in CO₂ emissions in port cities. Further panel quantile regression analysis reveals the heterogeneity of this impact, especially in cities with medium and higher CO₂ emissions, where the positive effects of TFP on carbon emissions are particularly significant. The study also indicates a threshold effect of port size in the relationship between TFP and CO₂ emissions: in smaller ports, the impact of TFP improvement on CO₂ emissions is less significant; however, once the port size exceeds a certain threshold, the growth in TFP significantly promotes an increase in CO₂ emissions. These findings provide theoretical justification and decision-making references for policymakers to adopt effective measures to mitigate the growth of CO₂ emissions while promoting the efficiency of port production.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dramatic increase in maritime transport costs might potentially exert detrimental impacts on the macroeconomy, especially for countries that heavily rely on international trade for their consumption and production activities. Our study employs a small open economy DSGE (Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium) model to analyze the impact of maritime transport costs on the South Korean macroeconomy, where maritime transport costs are considered as key factors impacting the law of one price. Positive shocks in maritime transport costs, according to the impulse response function, have positive repercussions on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), terms of trade, nominal exchange rates, and nominal interest rates, but can negatively affect real output and real exchange rate. To verify the validity of the our DSGE model, we utilize a Vector autoregression with exogenous variables (VARX) model to examine the dynamic relationship between maritime transport costs and South Korean macroeconomic variables, based on quarterly data from the first quarter of 2002 to the fourth quarter of 2022. The results of the VARX model coincide with those of the DSGE model. Our findings underline the importance of maritime transport costs in the macroeconomy and hold substantial implications for the considered design and selection of policies to mitigate such shocks.