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on Arab World |
| By: | Harb, Nasri |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the long and short-run relationship between oil exports, non oil GDP and investment in five major oil exporting countries. Its goal is to verify the effect of natural resources exports on the economic performance. It considers the effect of cross sectional correlations and uses the corresponding panel unit root tests to study the long-run characteristics of our series. The results show that resources' exports have no long-run relationship with the macro variables. A VAR analysis is used to estimate the short-run dynamics and shows that the effect of oil exports on those variables depends on local policies. |
| Keywords: | GCC; Natural Resources; Oil; Productivity; Investment; Labor Force; Unit root; Growth; Cointegration; VAR. |
| JEL: | O43 C23 C22 O40 F43 |
| Date: | 2008–06–23 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15576&r=ara |
| By: | Harabi, Najib |
| Abstract: | The paper describes and explains empirically the economic performance of four key creative industries (the book publishing, music sound recording, film production and software industries) in five Arab countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon). Using the Porter (Diamond) model as its theoretical background, a survey was conducted in the years 2002-03 among 242 experts, covering firm representatives, industry and government experts. The results were incorporated into five national case studies. This paper synthesizes the results of those national reports, giving a comparative account of the performance of the four creative industries in these Arab countries. The overall results of the study suggest that creative industries in Arab countries are substantially underdeveloped, and there remains a great potential that should systematically be mobilized. A discussion of how this can be achieved is offered, based upon a well-designed and implemented process of upgrading and innovation in companies, industries and clusters related to creative activities. Public policy can play in this process an important role, as shown in the example of promoting Shanghai creative industries, where the Municipal Government has played a key role. |
| Keywords: | Knowledge-based industry; knowledge economy; creative industry; creative economy; cultural industry; copyright –based industry; Arab countries; Arab world; Morocco; Tunisia; Egypt; Jordan and Lebanon |
| JEL: | L82 Z11 |
| Date: | 2009–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15628&r=ara |
| By: | Al Ghannam, Mohamed |
| Abstract: | The world economy currently suffers from a global financial and economic crisis that has become severe since the second half of 2008. This global financial situation was triggered by the advent of the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States that became apparent from the mid-2007s. This paper focuses on the impact of the current financial crisis on the global economies (USA, European Union, Asia, Arab & Middle East and Egypt) and the solution to overcome this crisis whether by free economic recovery or government's intervention. |
| Keywords: | The Financial Crisis & The Future of The Egyptian Economy A New Global View on the American Subprime Housing Crisis |
| JEL: | A1 A2 |
| Date: | 2009–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15474&r=ara |
| By: | Altinanahtar, Alper; Halicioglu, Ferda |
| Abstract: | This study is the first attempt to empirically examine the determinants of suicides in the case of Turkey using the time-series data for the period 1974-2007. This research proposes that the suicides in Turkey are related to some economic and social factors and they exhibit a dynamic relationship amongst them. Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration testing procedure is employed to obtain the short-run and long-run elasticities of suicides with respect to per capita real income, divorce rates, urbanization and liquidation. The empirical results reveal that the urbanization has the highest impact on suicides, which is followed by per capita real income and liquidation. The results also provide some important policy recommendations to reduce suicides. |
| Keywords: | Suicide; cointegration; time-series; Turkey. |
| JEL: | I12 C22 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15568&r=ara |
| By: | Alper Duman (Department of Economics, Izmir University of Economics) |
| Abstract: | Access to external nance for small and medium enterprises is vital for survival and growth of such rms. In this paper we have analyzed the determinants of access to credit in microenterprises of Turkey. We use a unique dataset covering a large sample of microenterprises. We nd that size and signals of wealth positively aect the likelihood of getting a formal credit. |
| Keywords: | Credit Markets, Informal Firms |
| JEL: | D21 O17 |
| Date: | 2009–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:izm:wpaper:0905&r=ara |
| By: | Reyn van Ewijk |
| Abstract: | Each year, many pregnant women fast from dawn to sunset during the Islamic holy month ofRamadan. Medical theory suggests that this may have negative long-term health effects on theiroffspring. Building upon the work of Almond and Mazumder (2008), and using Indonesian crosssectionaldata, I show that people who were exposed to Ramadan fasting during their mother'spregnancy have a poorer general health and are sick more often than people who were not exposed.This effect is especially pronounced among older people, who, when exposed, also report healthproblems more often that are indicative of coronary heart problems and type 2 diabetes. The exposedare a bit smaller in body size and weigh less. Among Muslims born during, and in the months after,Ramadan, the share of males is lower, which is most likely to be caused by death before birth. I showthat these effects are unlikely to be an artifact of common health shocks, correlated to the occurrenceof Ramadan, or o f fasting mainly occurring among women who, irrespective of fasting or not, wouldhave had unhealthier children anyway. |
| Keywords: | health, Ramadan, pregnancy, nutrition, Indonesia |
| JEL: | I2 I12 J1 J14 |
| Date: | 2009–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0926&r=ara |
| By: | Farzanegan, Mohammad Reza |
| Abstract: | This paper uses the Dornbusch and Edwards (1990) analytical framework to investigate the macroeconomic populism in Iran under the Ahmadinejad government. My thesis endeavours to place the government of Ahmadinejad in a populist context and forecasts its fall mainly due to macroeconomic instabilities. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how closely Ahmadinejad’s government follows the model of Dornbusch and Edwards (1990). |
| Keywords: | Iran; Populism; Ahmadinejad; Economic Growth |
| JEL: | N45 H11 O53 |
| Date: | 2009–06–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15546&r=ara |
| By: | Aziz, Farooq; Mahmud, Muhammad; Karim, Emadul |
| Abstract: | Infaq is one of the basic terms of Quran, which is used in Quran, at almost sixty places. It is basically pious spending in the way of Allah. It has a significant importance in Islamic economic principles, with reference to redistribution of wealth and elimination of poverty. At different places Quran has described its different aspects, e.g. its need, conditions, ways and monetary and non monetary results. It is used by holy prophet, Peace be upon him (P.B.U.H) at different occasions to fulfill the needs of individuals and society as well. In order to ensure the better distribution of wealth which is the need of time, it is necessary to follow the orders of Infaq as given in Quran, and also the guidelines provided by holy prophet P.B.U.H., therefore, the basic objective of this paper is to analyze the role of these spending particularly infaq as a tool of equitable income distribution in an Islamic society. |
| Keywords: | Infaq Quran; Allah |
| JEL: | D31 D33 D30 |
| Date: | 2008–12–31 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15456&r=ara |
| By: | Tokel, Omer Emre; Yucel, Eray M. |
| Abstract: | 1990s were the years of enormous growth of information exchange. Rapid development, augmented coverage and wide accessibility of Internet have been the key factors of that amazing growth. People’s access to economic and financial data was one of the major areas in which new trends and patterns of usage were observed. Owing to the elevated importance of financial information in today’s sophisticated markets, it is hypothesized that the linkage between data access patterns and economic events should display some regularity. In addition, one should be able to explain part of the irregularities. This study examines the access statistics of the Central Bank of Turkey’s Electronic Data Delivery System on these grounds. Using OLS and EGARCH models, significant evidence was obtained for the existence of regularities (i.e. calendar effects) in the data. |
| Keywords: | Data access; Macroeconomic data; Return to information; Economics of information |
| JEL: | C50 G10 |
| Date: | 2009–06–13 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15704&r=ara |
| By: | Aziz, Farooq; Mahmud, Muhammad; Karim, Emadul |
| Abstract: | The traditional concept of Riba (interest) is an excess amount on loan, which creditor receives from debtor on the repayment of loan. There is almost a consensus on the sprit of this concept that it is traditional thought or school; but along with that some other point of views also exist, which present Riba, in somewhat different ways, will be termed as non-traditional approach in this paper. Both of these schools are agreed on the point that, Riba is just restricted to debt, and the increment on it is Riba; but the main difference among these is that: former approach claims that, each and every addition on loan, regardless of purpose and time duration of loan is Riba; but, the later approach demand’s some room for that on different grounds. Actually both of them do not have any sound base. When the concept of unearned income (the income, which is not the result of human labor), is a recognized fact in Islamic economics in different forms, like: ijara (rent), Mudoraba and Mazara’a (Share Cropping); then definitely no logical reason is left to avoid excess income on loan. Both approaches are just unable to give a concrete concept of Riba. |
| Keywords: | Riba; Interest; Rent; Share Cropping |
| JEL: | E43 E51 P45 P59 P52 |
| Date: | 2008–12–31 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:15455&r=ara |
| By: | Alper Duman (Department of Economics, Izmir University of Economics); Efe Postalci (Department of Economics, Izmir University of Economics) |
| Abstract: | We provide an analysis of corporate governance networks implied by members of board of directors of 319 companies listed in Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) for the year 2007. Our configuration yields a bipartite network for which we provide small world statistics in addition to the usual measures commonly used in network analysis. We find that the networks have low density. However, within the giant component, the average path among agents is very low and the clustering coefficient is considerably high. |
| Keywords: | Corporate Governance, Networks |
| JEL: | D21 D85 |
| Date: | 2009–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:izm:wpaper:0904&r=ara |