This paper examines Africa’s and Middle East’s growth performance for the period 1990- 2005. It employs a Bayesian Model Averaging method that constructs estimates as a weighted average of Spatial Autoregressive estimates for every possible combination of included variables. One of the...

In this paper we explore the dynamics of labor market adjustment in Morocco with a particular emphasis on the role of trade liberalization. We utilize the methodology of Davis and Haltiwanger (1990) which enables us to distinguish between job creation, job destruction, overall levels of...

This paper theoretically investigates the optimal monetary policy regime for post-war Iraq. We analyze the macroeconomic dynamics (inflation, output and exchange rate) and the credibility and reputation of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) under alternative monetary policy regimes. We construct a...

This paper studies the evolution of total and regional poverty in Tunisia using the Growth Incidence Curve (GIC) approach based on individual consumption and education level from the household consumption surveys and other official publications during the period 1990-1995. Three main results are...

This paper presents a comparative study of private returns to schooling in Egypt, Iran, and Turkey using similar survey data and a uniform methodology. We employ three surveys for each country that span nearly two decades, ranging from 1987 to 2006. Our aim is to learn from survey data about the...

The goal of this paper is to understand the effect of macroeconomic conditions on performance in Turkish banking. Turkey has experienced a series of financial distresses in the past three decades. This has served as a “negative externality” on banking performance despite important...

The purpose of the paper is to produce new empirical evidence regarding the determinants of R&D investment by Tunisian firms, through introducing the relationship between R&D expenditures and innovation effort of firms. We suppose that factors explaining in-house R&D are not the same according...

This paper aims at measuring the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) use on the efficiency of the Tunisian manufacturing sector, at the firm level within a simple theoretical framework. We use a firm-level panel data for the manufacturing sector in Tunisia to investigate...

This paper tests the desirability and feasibility of establishing a monetary union in GCC countries using a multivariate structural Vector Autoregression Model (VAR) for the period 1980-2006. The paper builds on the earlier work, capitalizing on a methodology that captures supply and demand...

The extent of inequality in society is determined by the distribution of assets, the rates of returns on different assets, and government policy. All of these things are deeply political and reflect the balance of political power in society and the institutions to which this balance gives rise....