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Trade openness, governance quality, and economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean

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  • Onafowora, Olugbenga A.
  • Owoye, Oluwole

Abstract

The existing literature on the relationship between trade openness and economic growth is extensive, but there is a dearth of research that examines whether this relationship is contingent on the quality of governance institutions in a country. In this study, we address this gap by investigating the moderating effects of governance quality on the trade openness-economic growth nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) during the 2000–2021 period. We utilize six indicators of governance quality from the World Bank's world governance indicators and employ correlation and the dynamic panel System Generalized Method of Moments technique for robust and efficient analysis, which yields more accurate results when the number of cross-sections exceeds the time dimension of the dataset. Our findings indicate that governance effectiveness, rule of law, control of corruption, and regulatory quality have a significantly positive impact on the positive relationship between trade openness and economic growth. In contrast, the moderating effects of voice and accountability and political stability on the trade openness-economic growth relationship are negative and statistically significant. Based on these results, we conclude that each governance dimension has distinct effects on the trade openness-economic growth nexus. In term of policy recommendation, policymakers need to harness the benefits of international trade for promoting economic growth; therefore, LAC countries should focus on investing in institutional quality and designing policies that would enhance the overall quality and effectiveness of governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Onafowora, Olugbenga A. & Owoye, Oluwole, 2024. "Trade openness, governance quality, and economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:inteco:v:179:y:2024:i:c:s2110701724000507
    DOI: 10.1016/j.inteco.2024.100527
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Governance quality; Trade openness; Economic growth; Latin America and the Caribbean; Correlation; Dynamic panel SGMM;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • F55 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements

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