{"title":"Macroeconomic effects of global shocks in the GCC: evidence from Saudi Arabia","authors":"Kamiar Mohaddes, M. Raissi, N. Sarangi","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2144022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2144022","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT\u0000 We develop a quarterly macro-econometric model for the Saudi economy over the period 1981Q2-2018Q2 and integrate it within a compact model of the world economy (including the global oil market). This framework enables us to disentangle the size and speed of the transmission of growth shocks originating from the United States, China, and the world economy to Saudi Arabia, as well as study the implications of stress in global financial markets, low oil prices, and domestic fiscal adjustment on the Saudi economy. Results show that Saudi Arabia's economy is becoming more sensitive to developments in China than to shocks in the United States – in line with the direction of evolving trade patterns and China's growing role in the global oil market. A global growth slowdown (e.g. from trade tensions or geopolitical developments) could have significant implications for Saudi Arabia (with a growth elasticity of about 2½ after one year) and the oil market (reducing prices by about 5% for 0.5 percentage point reduction in global growth). We also illustrate that a 10% lower oil prices and stress in global financial markets could both have a negative effect on the Saudi economy, but given the prevailing social contract in Saudi Arabia, their impact is countered by fiscal easing. Finally, we observe that a domestic fiscal adjustment in Saudi Arabia does not show a negative impact on economic growth in the data. The impact on growth would depend upon the quality of fiscal adjustment and whether it is complemented with structural reforms.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"219 - 239"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43816282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Economic growth and sustainability of public finances: evidence from Morocco","authors":"Karim Belcaid","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2143103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2143103","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study focuses on the sustainability of public finances in relation to economic growth in Morocco for the period from 1987 to 2019. We set out to explore therewith the non-linear relationship between government size, the level of fiscal discipline and economic growth. This issue at hand has attracted broad public interest and decision-makers’ attention in Morocco, especially after the financial crisis of 2008 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to determine government optimal size, we apply the Hansen's approach which postulates the coexistence of different fiscal regimes conditioned by the public debt, government expenditures, and tax revenues in the form of a non-linear inverted-U curve. These regimes are separated by an optimal threshold maximizing economic growth below which the impact is positive and above which the impact becomes negative, as the rising side of the curve is interpreted as consequence of higher taxes providing more resources for public investment, which in turn promotes growth. Once the economy reaches the slippery side of the curve, more taxes and excessive public debt become more distortionary and negatively correlated with economic growth. Our findings indicate that Morocco is relatively in a prudential fiscal stance with recessive effects on growth.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"240 - 263"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47345662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Syrian refugees to Europe: are they different from the non-Syrians?","authors":"Ruya Karci, N. Dogan, M. Hakan Berument","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2138614","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2138614","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The conflict and violence in the Syrian Arab Republic have led to an increase in Syrians seeking asylum in European countries. In this study, asylum applications of Syrian refugees to European countries are examined, taking into account the geographical neighborhood effects, with annual data for the time period from 2009 to 2018. This paper also aims to compare asylum applications of Syrian to non-Syrian refugees. The estimation results suggest that positive previous asylum application decisions by the corresponding countries have explanatory power on asylum applications of Syrian and non-Syrian refugees. Economic conditions impact on asylum applications of non-Syrian refugees, while similar statistical evidence cannot be found for Syrian refugees. The empirical evidence from Syrian refugees also indicates a positive geographical neighborhood effect, which suggests that the relationship is stronger in countries that are closer to each other. However, the findings from non-Syrian refugees do not indicate that neighboring observations affect one another. Overall, this suggests that Syrian refugees do not move according to economic incentives but with previous asylum applications that resulted in positive and asylum applications in neighboring countries.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"199 - 218"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44021537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Women’s employment exits in Egypt: the roles of marriage, children, job characteristics, and women’s empowerment","authors":"Maye Ehab","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2138617","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2138617","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Transition to non-employment is prevalent for women in the Egyptian labor market, particularly those working in the private sector. This paper analyzes women’s labor market transitions, particularly to non-employment and to other labor market states in the time around marriage and childbirth. We test whether individual characteristics, work characteristics, or agency affect women’s transitions. Specifically, the paper answers three main questions: First, what are the explanatory factors for the women’s transition to non-employment? Second, what are the differences between the effect of previous job characteristics and women’s agency on the employment decision? Third, what are the determinants of the transition to other labor market states (multiple employment decisions)? Drawing on panel and retrospective data from the 2012 and 2018 waves of Egypt’s Labor Market Panel Survey, we estimate these relationships using a single risk model and a competing risk model. Results show that marriage and motherhood increase women’s transition to non-employment. The timing of the transition happens at marriage and the year before marriage (anticipation effect). This impact is more considerable for women working in the private sector than the public sector. Women working in non-wage work transition to private wage work in the years before marriage. The results show that the sector of employment plays a crucial role in women’s transition to non-employment. In addition, the availability of external help in the household is considered an important factor that can help retain women in the labor force.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"282 - 302"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46264966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pension reform and unemployment outcomes","authors":"Mouna Ben Othman, Mohamed Ali Marouani","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2086367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2086367","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article discusses the interactions among pension reform, labor market and inter-generational distribution issues through an overlapping general equilibrium approach with imperfect labor markets. Workers with different ages are imperfectly substitutable and wages do not clear labor markets. Increasing contribution rates has a strong negative effect on welfare and unemployment, particularly, for the youth. Contrary to the popular wisdom, postponing the retirement age does not entail an increase in youth unemployment. The change in incentives induces a substitution of old-age workers by young workers who constitute the cheapest labor category. However, this scenario substantially increases the implicit tax for older workers as well as for the youngest. Finally, the middle-aged are those that benefit the most from welfare increasing reforms.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"264 - 281"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45190570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chronic illnesses and labor market participation in the Arab countries: evidence from Egypt and Tunisia","authors":"Ebaidalla M. Ebaidalla, M. M. Mustafa Ali","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2143748","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2143748","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT\u0000 This paper examines the impact of chronic illnesses on labor force participation using labor market surveys data for Egypt and Tunisia. The study also investigates the reverse effect of labor force participation on the incidence of chronic diseases. We adopted the simultaneous equations modeling technique to address the potential endogeneity of chronic illnesses in the labor participation equation. The results reveal that chronically ill people are less likely to participate in the labor force in both Egypt and Tunisia. However, the sub-samples analysis indicates some variations across gender and age groups. Specifically, the effect of chronic illnesses is found to be larger and significant for the male group compared to female counterparts. Likewise, the feedback effect shows that labor force participation exerts negative impact on chronic illness, particularly for the total sample. Moreover, the impact of labor force participation on chronic diseases in elder group is larger compared to its effect in the younger group. The study recommends that policymakers in the Arab countries should endeavor to reduce chronic health conditions in order to boost labor force participation and productivity.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"303 - 322"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47825204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lending relationship, small businesses and NPLs in Tunisia","authors":"F. Fhima, Ridha Nouira, P. Adair","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2146347","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2146347","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The banking system in Tunisia suffers from non-performing loans, fuelling the aversion of banks to credit risk and hindering the financing of SMEs. The research question tackles the ‘transactional lending’ versus ‘relational lending’ relationship between a sample of 10 Tunisian banks observed over 2005–2017 and its clients, and its impact on non-performing loans. The econometric analysis first tests a linear model between non-performing loans and the determinants (Size, Ownership and Proximity) of the lending relationship, which suggests that banks are poorly committed in collecting soft information from their clients. Second, the estimation of a (conditional) threshold effect in a non-linear model between these main determinants, distinguishes two regimes, one above and one below the threshold. Three robust outcomes emerge, the (large) size of most banks in the sample constitutes a barrier to meeting loan applications from SMEs, and enhancing tighter customer relationship with a higher number of branches as well as foreign participation in the share capital of these banks would enable to meet these demands.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"337 - 352"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48346184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microeconomic analysis of private returns to education in Egypt: an instrumental variable quantile regression approach","authors":"Shereen Nosier, A. El-karamani, Reham Salah","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2074671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2074671","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study provides updated estimates for the rate of return to an additional year of schooling in Egypt. Additionally, it addresses the major issues of heterogeneous returns and endogeneity of educational attainment. Instrumental variable quantile regression along with other models is employed for that objective. The paper uses the most recent issues of the Harmonized Labor Force Survey and Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey from 2008 to 2018. The findings can be summarized as follows: the returns increase over time up to 2015 then decreases to reach 5.67% in 2018, a number that falls below the global average. Moreover, females’ returns to education are higher than males; the returns are also higher in urban areas compared to rural ones providing an evidence that there exists developmental bias towards urban regions in Egypt. In line with preceding studies, the instrumental variable two-stage least squares estimates are higher than the ordinary least squares’ estimates. Additionally, a confirmation of heterogeneous returns across the wage distribution is presented. The instrumental variable quantile regression estimates exhibit an increasing pattern across the levels of wages. Thus, the less able individuals gain lower marginal profits of education than do the more gifted employees. Indicating complementarity between education and unobservable characteristics and that education may aggravate wage inequality in Egypt. Furthermore, it confirms the presence of the over-education crisis. Moreover, the region-based results in terms of the ability explanation provide that education complements low ability in rural areas while it compensates it in urban ones.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"95 - 117"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47198571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Credit bureaus and financial constraints do corruption matter?","authors":"Mohamed Sami Ben Ali, Boubacar Siddy Diallo","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2022.2074672","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2022.2074672","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study aims to assess whether or not the presence of credit bureaus is associated with more or fewer financing constraints while considering the interfering effect of corruption in a sample of 18 countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the period 2011–2014. We consider various financial constraint measures and corruption indices, and assess the stability of the relationship for different levels of economic development and corruption. The estimation outcomes suggest that countries with higher levels of corruption might produce less transparent and falsified information that would make access to sources of financing more difficult for firms. Our findings suggest that curbing corruption creates more efficient credit bureaus that, in turn, decrease financial constraints for firms. The subsample estimations confirm these findings and show that the higher and longer-term corruption in MENA countries than in Eastern European countries make credit bureaus’ less effective, imposing more financial constraints. Our findings remain robust with different corruption indices and with the addition of new control variables such as firms’ sales and size, government and exporting firms, and per-capita GDP, inflation, trade, population and human capital.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"118 - 132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47227603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disentangling the impact of trade barriers on wages: evidence from the MENA region","authors":"Nora Aboushady, Y. Kamal, Chahir Zaki","doi":"10.1080/17938120.2021.2021364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2021.2021364","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper proposes a comprehensive assessment of the effect of different trade barriers (tariffs, non-tariff measures and services restrictions) on wage disparities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. We look at wage disparities from three dimensions: industry premia, gender-based and skill-based disparities. We use three Labor Market Surveys for Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia to directly assess the effect of trade policy on wage disparities using the human capital model. To which different trade barriers are added. Our results suggest that, in general, the effect of services restrictions and non-tariff measures is much stronger than that of tariffs on wage premium. When we look at different segments, we found that females are more affected by non-tariff measures than their male counterparts. At the skill level, given the abundancy of blue collars in the MENA region, production workers are less affected by both non-tariff measures and by services restrictions than non-production workers but more affected by tariffs.","PeriodicalId":43862,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Development Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":"43 - 69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46728460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}