National-level logistics costs: an overview of extant research

No comprehensive review of macro-logistics cost research is currently available. Thus the aim of this paper is to elucidate where logistics cost research is conducted, to identify research methods, and to present the logistics costs in identified extant research. Altogether 66 textbooks, scientific journals, case studies, and other studies were reviewed. The three dominant methodological approaches were statistics-based studies, survey-based studies, and case studies. Of the reviewed studies 37.9% employed a case study methodology, 34.5% questionnaires, and 27.6% statistics. Most studies (79.2%) were multi-theme studies that discussed a number of themes, while 20.8% of reviewed studies concentrated on a single theme. Three identified metrics of reporting logistics costs were absolute costs (currency), as a percentage of sales or turnover, and as a percentage of GDP. Understanding logistics performance allows evaluating and targeting policy efforts to be developed over time and across countries.