تبیین نقاط شکست زنجیره خلق ارزش تجارت مرزی ایران-ترکمنستان: مطالعه کیفی مرز اینچه‌برون

Introduction

Despite these advantages, trade statistics and field evidence indicate that the commercial performance of the Incheh Borun border remains substantially below its potential, with a considerable share of the region's trade opportunities remaining unrealized. Previous studies have primarily focused on the economic impacts of border markets, the role of infrastructure, regional development, or trade facilitation, while relatively little attention has been devoted to examining border trade as an integrated, end-to-end process. Accordingly, the central research question of the present study is how value is created within the border trade process at Incheh Borun and which bottlenecks, risks, and failure points along this process undermine efficiency and hinder the realization of the border's commercial potential. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to reconstruct and explain the value creation process in border trade at Incheh Borun and to develop a dynamic process model that captures the interactions among stakeholders, infrastructure, institutions, risks, and trade activities within this border trading system.



Methodology

This study is applied in terms of its purpose and adopts a qualitative research approach. The research strategy is grounded in the logic of Grounded Theory, with a particular emphasis on reconstructing the processes through which border trade is formed and identifying the underlying patterns governing these processes. Unlike the classical Grounded Theory approach, which primarily focuses on developing a paradigmatic model, this study seeks to present its findings in the form of a dynamic process model based on the border trade value creation chain. The study participants included traders, customs brokers, transportation company managers, international trade experts, border market operators, and scholars with extensive knowledge of border trade at Incheh Borun. Participants were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews. To enhance the richness of the data and strengthen the credibility of the findings, secondary data sources were also utilized, including reports published by the Iran Trade Promotion Organization, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, reports from the Chamber of Commerce, official documents of the Incheh Borun Free Trade Zone, official export and import statistics, development reports of Golestan Province, and relevant academic literature. In addition to compensating for the limited accessibility of some key managers and policymakers, these secondary sources facilitated the triangulation and validation of the interview findings. Data analysis was conducted concurrently with data collection following the iterative principles of Grounded Theory. In the first stage, initial concepts were identified through open coding. Subsequently, during axial coding, conceptually similar codes were organized into categories and subcategories. Finally, through the constant comparative method and an examination of the relationships among the emerging categories, the final research model was developed as a dynamic cycle of value creation in border trade, illustrating the interactions among actors, activities, and institutional mechanisms throughout the trade process.



Discussion and Results

At this stage, market opportunities, the region's comparative advantages, demand from destination countries, social and commercial networks, and expected profitability serve as the primary drivers motivating economic actors to engage in border trade. However, regulatory instability, ambiguity in trade policies, and the unpredictability of the business environment constitute the major risks affecting this phase. The second stage involves trade organization and resource mobilization. During this phase, economic actors secure financial resources, acquire market intelligence, establish business networks, arrange logistics services, prepare trade documentation, and coordinate the activities required to conduct cross-border trade. Limited access to financial resources, inadequate support services, insufficient market information, and administrative complexities were identified as the principal bottlenecks constraining this stage. The third stage encompasses trade execution and border crossing operations. This phase includes transportation, customs clearance procedures, border inspections, coordination among governmental agencies, and the physical movement of goods across the border. The findings reveal that a substantial proportion of the value chain's failure points occur during this stage. Weak inter-agency coordination, lengthy administrative procedures, inadequate infrastructure, high logistics costs, and cross-border coordination challenges emerged as the most significant obstacles. The fourth stage is value realization and trade continuity, which relates to the economic outcomes of trade, the satisfaction of economic actors, the repetition of transactions, and the sustainability of long-term commercial relationships. The results indicate that trade flow imbalances, limited access to destination markets, economic volatility, and reduced predictability of trade revenues prevent a significant portion of the potential value from being realized and undermine the sustainable continuation of the trade cycle. Based on the data analysis, the final research model demonstrates that value creation at the Incheh Borun border emerges from the continuous interaction among the four principal stages of the border trade process. The effectiveness of each stage depends on the performance of both the preceding and subsequent stages, highlighting the systemic and interdependent nature of the value creation cycle. Furthermore, the model identifies a series of risks, bottlenecks, and failure points that exist throughout the process and that may weaken or disrupt the flow of value creation if left unaddressed.



Conclusion

Existing border infrastructure-including customs facilities, the border marketplace, and access to regional markets-can contribute effectively to trade development only when interactions among stakeholders, institutions, support services, and operational processes are coordinated in a coherent and efficient manner. The primary contribution of this study lies in the development of a dynamic process model of border trade that moves beyond conventional static and sector-specific perspectives by conceptualizing border trade as a value-creating cycle. The proposed model demonstrates that disruptions at any stage of the process can adversely affect the performance of the entire system and prevent the realization of the border's commercial potential. From a policy perspective, the findings underscore the importance of reducing regulatory uncertainty, strengthening institutional coordination, improving logistics services, enhancing supporting infrastructure, and achieving greater balance in trade flows. Implementing these measures can transform the role of the Incheh Borun border from a mere transit gateway into a strategic hub for value creation and regional economic development.