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Economic growth in MENA countries: Is there convergence of per-capita GDPs?

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  • Andreano, M. Simona
  • Laureti, Lucio
  • Postiglione, Paolo

Abstract

In the last years a central issue in economic growth debate has been represented by the convergence problem. Many empirical economists have noticed that per-capita GDPs of poor regions tend to converge to those of the richer ones. This tendency is more evident in the nineties when the globalization phenomenon was born. In this paper we use a conditional β-convergence approach to evaluate the economic growth of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. In particular, we use a set of state, environmental, and economic covariates as conditioning variables of the model. The MENA region is daily at the center of economic and political debate, and this stylized fact represents a further source of interest. Our data set is constituted by 26 countries, and ranges from 1950 to 2007.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreano, M. Simona & Laureti, Lucio & Postiglione, Paolo, 2013. "Economic growth in MENA countries: Is there convergence of per-capita GDPs?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 669-683.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jpolmo:v:35:y:2013:i:4:p:669-683
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2013.02.005
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    7. Ademola Obafemi Young, 2019. "Growth Impacts of Income Inequality: Empirical Evidence From Nigeria," Research in World Economy, Research in World Economy, Sciedu Press, vol. 10(3), pages 226-262, December.
    8. Desli, E. & Gkoulgkoutsika, A., 2020. "World economic convergence: Does the estimation methodology matter?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 138-147.
    9. Merve Aksoylar Baysoy & Sumru Altug, 2021. "Growth Spillovers for the MENA Region: Geography, Institutions, or Trade?," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 59(3), pages 275-305, September.
    10. Ang, Joshua Ping & Dong, Fang, 2023. "Middle-income trap and corruption: Evidence from a dynamic panel data analysis," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 349-361.
    11. Abdul A. Erumban, 2023. "The Falling Productivity in West Asian Arab Countries Since the 1980s: Causes, Consequences, and Cures," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 44, pages 89-119, Fall.
    12. Maria Pinita Angelia & Rudi Purwono, 2021. "The convergence of financial sector in Asia," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 10(6), pages 166-173, September.
    13. Davoud Behboudi & Davoud Hamidi Razi & Sadeq Rezaei, 2017. "Spatial Convergence Of Per Capita Co2 Emissions Among Mena Countries," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 11(1), pages 18-35, June.
    14. Qusai Mohammad Qasim Alabed & Fathin Faizah Said & Zulkefly Abdul Karim & Mohd Azlan Shah Zaidi & Mohammed Daher Alshammary, 2021. "Energy–Growth Nexus in the MENA Region: A Dynamic Panel Threshold Estimation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-18, November.
    15. Allah Morad Seif & Hossein Panahi & Davoud Hamidi Razi, 2017. "Regional Economic Growth and Spatial Spillover Effects in MENA Area," Iranian Economic Review (IER), Faculty of Economics,University of Tehran.Tehran,Iran, vol. 21(4), pages 765-787, Autumn.
    16. Merve Aksoylar Baysoy & Sumru Altug, 2019. "Growth Spillovers in the MENA Region," Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum Working Papers 1909, Koc University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum.
    17. Mushtaq Ahmad Malik & Tariq Masood, 2022. "Dynamics of Output Growth and Convergence in the Middle East and North African Countries: Heterogeneous Panel ARDL Approach," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(2), pages 1444-1469, June.
    18. Wei Wang & Hualin Xie & Fucai Lu & Xinmin Zhang, 2017. "Measuring the Performance of Industrial Green Development Using a Non-Radial Directional Distance Function Approach: A Case Study of Jiangxi Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-17, September.
    19. Wajdi Bardi & Mohamed Ali Hfaiedh, 2021. "International trade and economic growth: evidence from a panel ARDL-PMG approach," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 847-868, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    β-Convergence; MENA countries; Determinants of growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries
    • F11 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Neoclassical Models of Trade

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