Investigating the Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Climate Risks on Trade Balance in Emerging Markets

Authors

  • Charles O. Manasseh Department of Banking and Finance, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9937-6208
  • Chine Sp Logan Department of Public Policy, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, USA.
  • Adachukwu P. Ikeyi Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu
  • Kenechukwu K. Ede University of Nigeria, Nsukka
  • Ikechukwu H. Iheukwumere Department of Microbiology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University
  • Chidiogo M. Iheukwumere Department of Applied Microbiology & Brewing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
  • Chinwe Olelewe Department of Microbiology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71637/tnhj.v25i2.914

Keywords:

Covid-19 risks, climate risks, trade balance, emerging markets

Abstract

Background: This study examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate threats on trade balances in 39 emerging economies, covering the period from December 2019 to April 2021.

Methods: The panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is employed as the baseline method, with dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) and ordinary least squares (OLS) used for robustness checks.

Results: The PMG study reveals significant impacts of key variables on the trade balance. A 1% increase in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration (ACDC) leads to a 61.9% decrease in trade balance, while a 1% rise in the Covid-19 Index (CI) results in a 26.4% drop. The Covid-19 Uncertainty Index (CUI) causes a 39.7% fall, and a 1% decrease in Surface Temperature Change (STC) leads to a 58.7% loss in trade balance. However, a 1% rise in Sea Level Change (CSL) results in a 27.4% increase, suggesting potential benefits for countries with modern coastal infrastructure. Interaction effects show complex dynamics, with PMG showing negative coefficients, MG detecting a negative link between CUI and ExGr, and DFE revealing positive interactions between CI and ExGr. Results from the dynamic GMM and OLS models confirm the robustness of these findings.

Conclusion: The Covid-19 pandemic and climate threats exert a negative and long-term inverse impact on trade balances in emerging economies. Policy recommendations include implementing strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of Covid-19 and climate-related risks on trade while promoting economic stabilization without worsening trade imbalances

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Agarwal P, Mulenga MC. The Impact of Covid-19 on International Trade: Lessons for Africa's Least Developed Countries. Policy Brief. 2020:1-19. Available from: [http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3693901](http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3693901)

2. Ali S, Furgazzo M, Vickers B. Covid-19 and commodities: assessing the impact on Commonwealth exports. UNCTAD Research Paper No. 52, UNCTAD/SER.RP/2020/11. 2020. Available from: [https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/ser-RP-2020d11_en.pdf](https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/ser-RP-2020d11_en.pdf).

3. Ando M, Hayakawa K. The Impact of COVID-19 on Trade in Services. Prepared in Japan and the world economy. Revised version of IDE Discussion Paper, #824. 2022b.

4. Astrov V, Mario H. Visegrad Countries: The Coronavirus Pandemic, EU Transfers and Their Impact on Austria. Policy Notes and Reports, No. 43. Vienna: Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies; 2021.

5. Arellano M, Bover O. Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error component models. J Econom. 1995;68(1):29-51.

6. Barbero J, de Lucio JJ, Rodríguez-Crespo E. Effects of COVID-19 on trade flows: Measuring their impact through government policy responses. PLoS ONE. 2021;16(10):e0258356. Available from: [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258356](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258356).

7. Baltagi BH. Econometric Analysis of Panel Data. Wiley; 2008.

8. Bello KM, Gidigbi MO. The Impact of Trade on Economic Growth in Nigeria: Does Covid-19 Matter? Afr J Econ Rev. 2021;9(3):21-33.

9. Biscayart C, Angeleri P, Lloveras S, Chaves T, Schlagenhauf P, Rodriguez-Morales AJ. The next big threat to global health? Novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV): what advice can we give travellers? — Interim recommendations from January 2020 by the Latin American Society for Travel Medicine (SLAMVI). Travel Med Infect Dis. 2020.

10. Blundell R, Bond S. Initial conditions and moment constraints in dynamic panel data models. J Econom. 1998;87(1):115-43.

11. Bonadio B, Huo Z, Levchenko A, Pandalai-Nayar N. Global supply chains in a pandemic. CEPR Discussion Paper 14766; 2020.

12. Arellano M, Bond S. Some specification tests for panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and application to employment equations. Rev Econ Stud. 1991;58(2):277-297.

13. Brenton P, Chemutai V. The trade and climate change nexus: Urgency and opportunity for developing countries. Washington, DC: The World Bank; 2021. Available from: [https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36294](https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36294).

14. Bricongne JC, Carluccio J, Fontagné L, Gaulier G, Stumpner S. From macro to micro: heterogeneous exporters in a pandemic. Unpublished manuscript; 2021.

15. Burke M, Tanutama V. Climate constraints on aggregate economic output. Working Paper No. w25779, National Bureau of Economic Research; 2019.

16. De Jong M, Nguyen A. Weathered for climate risk: a bond investment proposition. Financ Anal J. 2016;72:34–9.

17. Deutsche Welle. COVID: Are multiple boosters 'depleting' our immune response? 2022.

18. Du D, Zhao X, Huang R. The impact of climate change on advanced economies. Econ Lett. 2017;153:43–6.

19. Eppinger PS, Felbermayr G, Krebs O, Kukharskyy B. Covid-19 shocks global value chains. Kiel Working Paper No. 2167. Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Germany; 2020.

20. Erokhin V, Gao T. Impacts of COVID-19 on trade and economic aspects of food security: Evidence from 45 developing countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17:5775.

21. Espitia A, Mattoo A, Rocha N, Ruta M, Winkler D. Pandemic trade: COVID-19, remote work and global value chains. Available from: [https://doi.org/10.1111/twec.13117](https://doi.org/10.1111/twec.13117); 2021.

22. Fuller WA. Introduction to statistical time series. New York: John Wiley and Sons; 1976.

23. Guan D, Wang D, Hallegatte S, et al. Global supply chain effects of COVID-19 control measures. Nat Hum Behav. 2020;4:577–87.

24. Gujarati DN. Basic Econometrics (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education; 2003.

25. Harris R, Sollis R. Applied time series modelling and forecasting. Wiley; 2003.

26. Hayakawa K, Mukunoki H. Impacts of COVID-19 on global value chains. IDE–JETRO Discussion Paper No. 797; 2020.

27. IEA. Energy market turmoil deepens challenges for many major oil and gas exporters. 2020. Available from: [https://www.iea.org/articles/energy-market-turmoil-deepens-challenges-for-many-major-oil-and-gas-exporters](https://www.iea.org/articles/energy-market-turmoil-deepens-challenges-for-many-major-oil-and-gas-exporters).

28. IMF. The policy response to Covid-19. 2020. Available from: [https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/Policy-Responses-to-COVID-19](https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/Policy-Responses-to-COVID-19).

29. Kahn ME, Mohaddes K, Ng NC, et al. Long-term macroeconomic impacts of climate change: a cross-country analysis. IMF Working Paper, Fiscal Affairs Department; 2019.

30. Lacka I, Myszczyszyn J, Golab S, et al. Correlation between economic growth rate and foreign trade: The case of V4 countries. Eur Res Stud J. 2020;XXIII:657–78.

31. Lafrogne-Joussier R, Martin J, Mejean I. Supply shocks in supply chains: Evidence from early lock-in in China. Discussion paper, Mimeo, CREST; 2021.

32. Lahn G, Bradley S. How COVID-19 is changing the opportunities for oil and gas-led growth. 2020. Available from: [https://oecd-development-matters.org/2020/07/10/how-covid-19-is-changing-the-opportunities-for-oil-led-growth-and-gas](https://oecd-development-matters.org/2020/07/10/how-covid-19-is-changing-the-opportunities-for-oil-led-growth-and-gas/).

33. Levin A, Lin CF, Chu CSJ. Unit root tests in panel data: Asymptotic and finite-sample properties. J Econom. 2002;108:1–24. [https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(01)00098-7](https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076%2801%2900098-7)

34. Liu X, Ornelas E, Shi H. Business impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. CESifo Working Paper Series 9109, CESifo; 2021.

35. Im KS, Pesaran MH, Shin Y. Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels. J Econom. 2003;115:53–74. [https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(03)00092-7](https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076%2803%2900092-7)

36. Maddala GS, Wu S. A comparative study of unit root tests with panel data and a new simple test. Oxford Bull Econ Stat. 1999;61:631–52. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0084.61.s1.13](http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0084.61.s1.13)

37. Maliszewska M, Mattoo A, van der Mensbrugghe D. The potential impact of COVID-19 on GDP and trade: A preliminary assessment. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 9211. 2020. Available from: [https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33605](https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33605)

38. Manasseh CO, Logan CS, Okanya OC, et al. Causal relationship between financial deepening, national security, ecological footprint, and economic growth in Nigeria. F1000Research. 2024a;13:753. [https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.147704.1](https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.147704.1)

39. Manasseh CO, Logan CS, Igwemeka EC, et al. Interactive effects of carbon dioxide molecules, demographic changes on financial development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Energy Econ Policy. 2024b;14(4):672–83. [https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.14652](https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.14652)

40. Mani M, Bandyopadhyay S, Chonabayashi S, et al. South Asian hot spots: Impact of temperature and precipitation changes on living standards. The World Bank; 2018.

41. Mveyange A, Mold A. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on trade: Recent evidence from East Africa. Policy Brief. 2020. Available from: [https://www.trademarkea.com/the-impact-of-the-covid-19-crisis-on-trade-recent-evidence-from-east-africa/](https://www.trademarkea.com/the-impact-of-the-covid-19-crisis-on-trade-recent-evidence-from-east-africa/)

42. Narayan PK, Iyke BN, Sharma SS. New measures of the COVID-19 pandemic: A new time series dataset. Asian Econ Lett. 2021;2(2).

43. Nwakoby IC, Manasseh CO, Abada FC, et al. A review of COVID-19 effect on balance of payment in Nigeria: An overview of pre and post era. Manag Hum Resour Res J. 2021;10(8).

44. OECD. Enabling the next production revolution. OECD Publishing; Paris: 2015a.

45. Ogbuabor JE, Egwuchukwu EI. The impact of climate change on the Nigerian economy. Int J Energy Econ Policy. 2017;7(2):217–23.

46. Ozge A, Gianluca B, Queralto A. Modeling global impacts of a sudden stop of COVID-19 capital flows. FEDS Notes. 2020 Jul 2.

47. Pedroni P. Panel cointegration: Asymptotic and finite sample properties of pooled time series tests with an application to the PPP hypothesis. Econometric Theory. 2004;20:597–625.

48. Pedroni P. Panel cointegration: Asymptotic and finite sample properties of pooled time series tests with an application to the PPP hypothesis. Econometric Theory. 2004;20:597–625.

49. Pedroni P. Panel cointegration: Asymptotic and finite sample properties of pooled time series tests with an application to the PPP hypothesis. Econometric Theory. 2003;19(3):597–625. doi:10.1017/S0266466603193073.

50. Pedroni P. Critical values for cointegration tests in heterogeneous panels with multiple regressors. Oxford Bull Econ Stat. 1999;61(S1):653–70. doi:10.1111/1468-0084.0610s1653.

51. Phillips PCB, Loretan M. Estimating long-run economic equilibria. Rev Econ Stud. 1991;58(3):407–36.

52. Qin X, Godil DI, Khan MK, Sarwat S, Alam S, Janjua L. Examining the effects of COVID-19 and public health spending on global supply chain operations: An empirical study. [Unpublished].

53. Salamaga M. The use of correspondence analysis in the study of foreign investments in Visegrad countries during the coronavirus crisis. Econometrics. 2021;25:15–26.

54. Stock JH, Watson MW. A simple estimator of cointegrating vectors in higher-order integrated systems. Econometrica. 1993;61(4):783–820.

55. Taher H. Climate change and economic growth in Lebanon. Int J Energy Econ Policy. 2019;9(5):20–4.

56. Udo ES, Orugun IF, Manasseh CO, Abner IP, Abdulrahman MD. Crude-oil price and COVID-19 pandemic shocks on unemployment and economic welfare: Experience from Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. J Xi’an Shiyou Univ Nat Sci Ed. 2022;18(3).

57. Vidya CT, Prabheesh KP. Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on global trade networks. Emerg Mark Financ Trade. 2020;56(10):2408–21.

58. Wei P, Jin C, Xu C. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on imports and exports in China, Japan, and South Korea: A brief article about a research report. Front Public Health. 2021 Jul 12;9:719423. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.719423.

59. Wooldridge JM. Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data. 1st ed. Cambridge: MIT Press; 2002.

60. Zaka A, Shamloo SE, Fiorente P, Tafuri A. The COVID-19 pandemic as a watershed moment: a call for systematic psychological health care for frontline health care personnel. J Health Psychol. 2020;25(7):1029–1035. doi:10.1177/1359105320909715.

61. Zhao S, Lin Q, Ran J, Musa SS, Yang G, Wang W, et al. Preliminary estimation of the basic reproduction number of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China from 2019 to 2020: An analysis based on early outbreak data. Int J Infect Dis. 2020;92:214–217. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.01.050.

62. Cerdeiro DA, Komaromi A. Supply Spillovers During the Pandemic: Evidence from High-Frequency Shipping Data. IMF Working Paper. Asia and Pacific Department and Innovation Lab Unit; 2020 Dec. Report No.: WP/20/284.

63. Cakmakli C, Demiralp S, Kalemli-Ozcan S, Yesiltas S, Yıldırım MA. The Economic Case for Global Vaccination: An Epidemiological Model with International Production Networks. Discussion Paper, National Bureau of Economic Research; 2021.

64. Friedt FL, Zhang K. The triple effect of Covid-19 on Chinese exports: first evidence of the export supply, import demand, and GVC contagion effects. Covid Econ Vetted Real-Time Pap. 2020;53:72–109.

65. Himics M, Fellmann T, Barreiro‐Hurle J. Setting Climate Action as the Priority for the Common Agricultural Policy: A Simulation Experiment. J Agric Econ. 2019;71(1):50–69. [https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12339](https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12339).

66. Balogh JM, Jámbor A. The Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Trade: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability. 2020;12(3):1152. [https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031152](https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031152).

67. Pesaran MH, Shin Y, Smith RP. Pooled Mean Group Estimation of Dynamic Heterogeneous Panels. J Am Stat Assoc. 1999;94(446):621–634. [https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1999.10474156](https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1999.10474156).

68. Pesaran MH, Shin Y, Smith RJ. Bounds testing approaches to the analysis of level relationships. J Appl Econometrics. 2001;16(3):289–326. [https://doi.org/10.1002/jae.616](https://doi.org/10.1002/jae.616).

69. Youssef AH, El-Sheikh AA, Abonazel MR. Improving the Efficiency of GMM Estimators for Dynamic Panel Models. MPRA Paper No. 68675 [Internet]. 2016 Jan 8 [cited 2024 Nov 29]; Available from: [https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/68675/](https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/68675/).

70. Choi I. Unit root tests for panel data. J Int Money Financ. 2001;20:249–272.

71. Westerlund J. Testing for error correction in panel data. Oxford Bull Econ Stat. 2007;69:709–748. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0084.2007.00477.x.

72. Choi I. Unit Root Tests for Panel Data. J Int Money Finance. 2003;20(2):249–272. doi:10.1016/S0261-5606(01)00048-6.

73. Kao C. Spurious Regression and Residual-Based Tests for Cointegration in Panel Data. J Econometrics. 1999;90:1–44. doi:10.1016/S0304-4076(98)00023-2.

74. Ozili PK. COVID-19 Pandemic and Economic Crisis: The Nigerian Experience and Structural Causes. SSRN Electron J. 2020:1–29. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3567419.

75. Brenton P, Chemutai V. The trade and climate change nexus: The urgency and opportunities for developing countries. 2020 [cited 2024 Nov 29]. Available from: [https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/644711632894241300/pdf/The-Trade-and-Climate-Change-Nexus-The-Urgency-and-Opportunities-for-Developing-Countries.pdf](https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/644711632894241300/pdf/The-Trade-and-Climate-Change-Nexus-The-Urgency-and-Opportunities-for-Developing-Countries.pdf).

76. Kuhn T, Pestow R, Zenker A. On the axiomatic foundation of carbon and energy footprints. Energy, Sustainability and Society. 2020;10(1):1–9.

77. Leal-Arcas R. New Frontiers of International Economic Law: The Quest for Sustainable Development. U Pa J Int’l L. 2018;40(1):83. Available from: [https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/jil/vol40/iss1/3](https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/jil/vol40/iss1/3).

78. Czech K, Wielechowski M, Kotyza P, Benešová I, Laputková A. Shaking Stability: COVID-19 Impact on the Visegrad Group Countries’ Financial Markets. Sustainability. 2020;12(15):6282. [https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156282](https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156282).

79. Asteriou D. Foreign Aid and Economic Growth: New Evidence from a Panel Data Approach for Five South Asian Countries. J Policy Model. 2009;31(2):155–161. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2008.04.012](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2008.04.012).

Downloads

Published

2025-06-02

Issue

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

Investigating the Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Climate Risks on Trade Balance in Emerging Markets. (2025). The Nigerian Health Journal, 25(2), 534-560. https://doi.org/10.71637/tnhj.v25i2.914

Similar Articles

1-10 of 65

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.