The effects of population growth, environmental quality and trade openness on economic growth

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mafizur Rahman ◽  
Kais Saidi ◽  
Mounir Ben Mbarek

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of population growth (PG), environmental quality and trade openness on economic growth of major developed and developing countries. Design/methodology/approach The authors have used the panel unit root and panel co-integration tests over the period 1960-2013. Granger causality test is used to find out the direction of causality between the variables. Findings There is a bi-directional relationship between economic growth and trade openness, and a unidirectional relation, running from trade openness to CO2 emissions in the three developed countries. PG has a positive effect on economic growth in three developing countries and there exists a bidirectional relationships between CO2 emissions and PG and a unidirectional relationship from PG to economic growth and from trade openness to economic growth. Furthermore, there is a unidirectional relationship from PG to economic growth and bidirectional relationships between trade openness and economic growth for the six selected countries. Originality/value This is the first comprehensive research that combined the selected three major developed and three major emerging countries of the world to explore the effects of three important variables on economic growth. The authors’ findings will help the policy makers as well as the people of these six countries. this study has shown the aggregate and disaggregate results, so a comparison between the groups of countries is possible. Therefore, this research has significant contributions.

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nella Hendriyetty ◽  
Bhajan S. Grewal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review studies focusing on the magnitude of money laundering and their effects on a country’s economy. The relevant concepts are identified on the basis of discussions in the literature by prominent scholars and policy makers. There are three main objectives in this review: first, to discuss the effects of money laundering on a country’s macro-economy; second, to seek measurements from other scholars; and finally, to seek previous findings about the magnitude and the flows of money laundering. Design/methodology/approach In the first part, this paper outlines the effects of money laundering on macroeconomic conditions of a country, and then the second part reviews the literature that measures the magnitude of money laundering from an economic perspective. Findings Money laundering affects a country’s economy by increasing shadow economy and criminal activities, illicit flows and impeding tax collection. To minimise these negative effects, it is necessary to quantify the magnitude of money laundering relative to economic conditions to identify the most vulnerable aspects of money laundering in a country. Two approaches are used in this study: the first is the capital flight approach, as money laundering will cause flows of money between countries; the second is the economic approach for measuring money laundering through economic variables (e.g. tax revenue, underground economy and income generated by criminals) separately from tax evasion. Originality/value The paper offers new insights for the measurement of money laundering, especially for developing countries. Most methods in quantifying money laundering have focused on developed countries, which are less applicable to developing countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Van Bon Nguyen

PurposeThe paper attempts to empirically examine the difference in the foreign direct investment (FDI) – private investment relationship between developed and developing countries over the period 2000–2013.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses the two-step GMM Arellano-Bond estimators (both system and difference) for a group of 25 developed countries and a group of 72 developing ones. Then, the PMG estimator is employed to check the robustness of estimates.FindingsFirst, there is a clear difference in the FDI – private investment relationship between developed countries and developing ones. Second, governance environment, economic growth and trade openness stimulate private investment. Third, the effect of tax revenue on private investment in developed countries is completely opposite to that in developing ones.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to provide empirical evidence to confirm the dependence of FDI – private investment relationship on governance environment. In fact, contrary to the view (arguments) in Morrissey and Udomkerdmongkol (2012), the paper indicates that FDI crowds out private investment in developed countries (good governance environment), but crowds in developing countries (poor governance environment).


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1123-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kashif Munir ◽  
Ayesha Ameer

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the long-run as well as short-run effect of economic growth, trade openness, urbanization and technology on environmental degradation (sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions) in Asian emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes the augmented STIRPAT model and uses the panel cointegration and causality test to analyze the long-run and short-run relationships. Due to the unavailability of data for all Asian emerging economies, the study focuses on 11 countries, i.e. Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and uses balance panel from 1980 to 2014 at annual frequency. Findings Results showed that the inverted U-shape hypothesis of the environmental Kuznets curve holds between economic growth and SO2 emissions. While technology and trade openness increases SO2 emissions, urbanization reduces SO2 emissions in Asian emerging economies in the long run. Unidirectional causality flows from urbanization to SO2 emissions and from SO2 emissions to economic growth in the short run. Practical implications Research and development centers and programs are required at the government and private levels to control pollution through new technologies as well as to encourage the use of disposed-off waste as a source of energy which results in lower dependency on fossil fuels and leads to reduce emissions. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing literature by analyzing the effects of urbanization, economic growth, technology and trade openness on environmental pollution (measured by SO2 emissions) in Asian emerging economies. This study provides the essential evidence, information and better understanding to key stakeholders of environment. The findings of this study are useful for individuals, corporate bodies, environmentalist, researchers and government agencies at large.


2018 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 1850004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mou WANG

This paper empirically examines the relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth by applying the co-integration analysis and Granger causality test to the time series data of carbon emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) of the world’s top 20 emitters from 1990 to 2015. Co-integration analysis shows that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth in most countries; Granger causality test verifies a one-way causal link between carbon emissions and economic growth in most major emitters. In developed countries, economic growth is the Granger cause of carbon emissions, while the opposite is true in developing countries. The results reflect different characteristics regarding carbon emission reduction in developed and developing countries as they are at different developing stages. Carbon emission reduction exerts much greater adverse effects on the economic growth of developing countries than it does on that of developed countries. Based on the results of the Granger causal analysis, it is found that the requirements for developing countries to substantially reduce emissions are not in line with the characteristics in their current developing stage and therefore may pose obstructions. Developed countries should take the lead in carrying out emission reductions due to their accountability for historical emissions as well as their development stages and capabilities. In addition, they should aid developing countries in their efforts for transforming and upgrading development and reducing dependence of economic growth on carbon emissions. International climate governance should take into account the needs and characteristics of different countries for future development, and build a mechanism for international cooperation to achieve synergy between social economic development and global climate governance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imad Jabbouri ◽  
Omar Farooq

PurposeThis paper aims to document the impact of inadequately educated workforce on the extent of financing obstacles experienced by firms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the data provided by the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys to test our arguments. The data were collected during the period between 2008 and 2018 in 141 developing countries. A pooled ordered logit regression analysis is performed to arrive at the results.FindingsThe study’s results show that firms with inadequately educated workforce are more likely to experience financing obstacles than other firms. The authors argue that poor performance and lack of technical expertise required to access finance are some of the reasons behind greater financing obstacles experienced by these firms. The study’s results are robust across different geographic regions. The authors also show that firms with inadequately educated workforce are more likely to seek informal credit for financing their short-term (working capital) and long-term (capital expenditures) capital requirements.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the factors that affect the financing constraints faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should be valuable to managers of SMEs and policy-makers. By removing these constraints, managers can improve their access to financing, and policy-makers can facilitate higher economic growth and better economic conditions.Originality/valuePrior studies have largely been silent on the impact of inadequately educated workforce on the access to finance. This paper draws attention to this issue within the context of SMEs in an international setting. SMEs are the drivers of economic growth in any country. However, their contributions to economic growth cannot materialize without fulfilling their capital needs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sena Kimm Gnangnon

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how trade openness affects the structural vulnerability of developing countries. The analysis is conducted on both the entire sample of 105 countries as well as two sub-samples, namely least developed countries (LDCs) and non-LDCs. Design/methodology/approach – To perform the analysis, the author employs fixed-effects (within) regressions supplemented by instrumental variables technique based on the two-step generalized methods of moments approach. Findings – The author finds empirical evidence that although trade policy liberalization reduces the structural vulnerability on the entire sample developing countries, no statistically significant effect of such liberalization is obtained either on LDCs or non-LDCs. However, trade policy liberalization appears to reduce countries’ exposure to shocks, result that applies to the entire sample as well as the two sub-samples. The author also observes that trade policy liberalization exerts no (statistically) significant effect on the size of shocks that affect developing countries, result that applies to both the full sample and the sub-samples of LDCs and non-LDCs. Research limitations/implications – In the absence of a well-established theoretical framework on how trade openness affects the structural vulnerability of developing, the author adopts a pragmatic approach by drawing upon many insights of Loayza and Raddatz (2007) who study the structural determinants of external vulnerability. Practical implications – Developing countries in general and LDCs in particular could address their structural weaknesses by making optimal use of their trade policies. In particular, they could better use the flexibilities available to them in provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO)’ Agreements. In this respect, the international community, notably donors of the developed world has a key role to play. Originality/value – This is the first study exploring how trade openness, capturing here through trade policy liberalization affects the structural vulnerability of developing countries.


1961 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric N. Baklanoff

For more than a decade, enormous attention has been given by academic economists, researchers, and policy makers to the problem of economic growth of the less-developed countries. The aspirations of leaders and the people of these countries for accelerated economic progress which has been characterized by the apt phrases the “revolution of rising expectations,” and the “New Awakening,” have played a major role in this new orientation in economic thought and action. Another interesting fact is that governments have emerged as consciously active “agents of change” carrying a heavy responsibüity for the success or failure of development programs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-49
Author(s):  
Fatima Saleem ◽  
Fatima Farooq ◽  
Imran Sharif Chaudhry ◽  
Noreen Safdar

This study aims at exploring the impact of globalization, technology and employment on economic growth of developing economies. This study also observed the long-run, short-run and causality relationships between globalization, technological innovations, employment, and economic growth for 20 selected developing countries covering the data for period of 1991 to 2017.  Since stationary of variables is examined through ADF tests, Levin-Lin-Chu test, and IM-Pesaran-Shin test and resulted with mixed order of integration, Panel ARDL estimation techniques are employed to measure the long run effects of these variables on growth of selected economies. Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel Granger Causality test was applied for causality analysis. All variables have strong positive and significant relationship with growth. This study concluded that knowledge and research-based education have a key role in promoting long-run growth as evident from the ‘New growth theory’ of Romer. On the basis of these results, it is suggested that knowledge and research-based education should be promoted and export-oriented policies should also be encouraged to attain benefits of trade openness and globalization for accelerating economic growth on sustainable basis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-216
Author(s):  
Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman ◽  
Ruqia Shaheen ◽  
Farzana Munir

The role of international trade in boosting economic growth is imperative in the era of globalization and trade liberalization. A trade openness policy can help stimulate economic growth mainly in two ways. Firstly, technology is transferred from developed countries to developing countries through imports. Secondly, the export promotion strategies facilitate the innovations and inventions promoting competition among the producers. In this way, research-intensive specialization culture is flourished in developing countries. This study aims at examining the effect of global trade orientation on growth in 23 emerging economies for the period 1995-2018. The panel data estimation approach including fixed effect and generalized method of moments (GMM) reveal a positive and statistically significant influence of trade openness on economic growth.  The empirical results are robust to the various specifications, supporting the trade-led growth notion in the economies under consideration. The emerging economies can achieve higher growth rates through trade openness and export promotion strategies.


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