The Impact of International Standards on the Exports of the Least Developed Countries: Considering the Mediating Effect of Technological Level

While previous studies have analyzed the impact of standards on trade between regions and countries, there has been limited research on how international standards affect the overall exports of countries that do not actively participate in international standardization. This study aims to investigate the impact of ISO international standards on the exports of countries that do not actively participate in international standardization, and to examine whether the technological level of a country serves as a mediating variable in this process. Through this, the study seeks to verify whether ISO achieves its goal of harmonizing global standards to promote trade. For the analysis, a regression analysis was conducted using the export volume of least developed countries (LDCs) as the dependent variable and ISO international standards as the independent variable, with the technological level of each country as a mediating variable. The analysis results indicated that ISO international standards positively influence the exports of LDCs, and the technological level fully mediates the process through which international standards affect exports. Unlike previous studies, this research focuses on the impact of international standards on the exports of LDCs rather than developed countries, and holds significance as an initial study exploring the mediating role of variables in this process.