الانفتاح التجاري، الاستثمار الأجنبي المباشر و النمو الاقتصادي في عينة من دول منطقة الشرق الأوسط و شمال إفريقيا MENA

Abstract EN

The study aims to know the effects of trade openness and foreign direct investment on the economic growth of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Although these countries go through different stages of development and integration between them, there are no clear differences about trade openness and foreign direct investment.

Several policies have been directed, including the Arab Maghreb Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the integration of some countries into the World Trade Organization in order to keep pace with the global economy.

The empirical analysis of this study consists of 14-year cross-sectional data for 10 countries (Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia) during the period from 2004 to 2017.

Panel data static and dynamic was used, and the following results were reached: Trade openness has a significant and positive impact on economic growth, while foreign direct investment has a significant and negative impact on economic growth, but it is weak.

The study also showed that the active category in these countries represents a problem, as it had a negative impact on economic growth, which may be explained by more spending on consumption and costly social policies.