Digital Potential and Applied Trade Facilitation Tools: A Comparative Analysis of Global Indices

Abstract

The relevance of this study stems from the need for a comprehensive assessment of the digital transformation of foreign economic activity. Existing approaches lack a comparison of resource potential and the effectiveness of its use. To achieve this, this article examines the combined application of two metrics: the Network Readiness Index and the UN Global Trade Facilitation Study. Their integrated use, based on comparative analysis, allows us to view the digital transformation of foreign economic activity as the result of the interaction between technological development and specialized institutional reforms. The study's results allow for a classification of countries and demonstrate that a high network readiness index is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the digitalization of foreign economic relations. An optimal model for the digitalization of foreign economic activity presupposes a balanced development of both areas: the rate of modernization of the regulatory framework should correlate with the pace of technological progress, ensuring the legitimacy and security of international trade interactions. This dictates a transition from a policy of digital saturation to a policy of regulatory openness and standardization.