The Gravity Model between Malaysia and selected EU countries

This study applied the Gravity Model to estimate the factors influence the trade and assess the trade potential between Malaysia and selected major trading partners of the EU countries. The model was estimated with a sample of five selected EU countries: Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and France. A panel data analysis was used to disentangle the time invariant country-specific effect, and to capture the relationship between the relevant variables across time. The findings showed that the random effect was preferred over the fixed effect specification in the Gravity Model. Additionally, the variables, namely the gross domestic product, gross domestic products per capita, distance, and exchange rate were found to be the significant determinants in the bilateral trade flows. The trade potential is also found yet to be explored fully. Based on these findings, various policy implications and recommendations are suggeste