Freight transport in least developed landlocked countries: a case study of Laos PDR

Least developed landlocked countries’ freight transport has been a step slower than other countries in the world trading market. While many research studies and international organisations report on landlocked countries’ situation and issues but few explain the causes of the problem and the relationships between the factors. Moreover, there have been few comprehensive studies in which several solutions and policy implementations have been investigated to determine the best result. This research was aimed at identifying general problems by structuring a traditional causal loop diagram to present the key problems and relationships based on the previous studies’ resources. The research used qualitative data collection to increase understanding of stakeholders’ experiences and transport policy solutions. Thus, Laos was chosen as a typical case study, where its trade was obstructed by it being landlocked. The primary factors found through qualitative data collection were represented on a model that identifies the key dynamic factors within specific groups. The most concerning policy was chosen to formalise a dynamic hypothesis and set up a new hypothesis for an alternative solution. The research’s results show the causal loop diagram has presented a better view of the structure and overall connection among themes. The fieldwork information represents complex real-world factors and causes that have effectively suggested small details that might be more important than seeing factors. Where the stock and flow model gave a better understanding of how dynamic freight transport system behaviours changed through the policy, it confirmed that cooperation among internal sectors and cooperation between landlocked countries and their transit neighbours is a primary approach to developing least developed landlocked countries’ freight operations.