Human Capital, Innovation, Governance and Economic Growth in Resource-Rich and Resource-Poor MENA Countries: New Evidence from the CS-ARDL Approach

Mounir Dahmani () and Mohamed Mabrouki ()
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Mounir Dahmani: University of Gafsa
Mohamed Mabrouki: University of Gafsa

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2025, vol. 16, issue 5, No 21, 16152-16186

Abstract: Abstract This study examines the economic dynamics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, characterized by its diverse resource wealth and socio-political landscapes, over the period 1996 to 2020. It assesses the influence of human capital, innovation, governance, and traditional economic factors such as capital stock and labor force participation on economic growth. Using the Cross-Sectional Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model, the analysis accounts for cross-sectional dependencies and heterogeneities within the panel data, with the Dumitrescu and Hurlin Granger cointegration test confirming causal relationships. The results indicate a significant impact of capital stock, labor force participation and innovation on economic growth. However, while human capital has a positive impact on growth in the short run, its long-term effect is complex and less direct, especially in resource-rich MENA countries. Governance and regulatory quality also emerge as key determinants of economic outcomes in different regional contexts. This study provides new insights into the complex relationships among economic variables in the MENA region, thereby advancing the understanding of economic dynamics in resource-diverse regions. It concludes by suggesting directions for future research, while acknowledging its scope and methodological limitations.

Keywords: Economic growth; Innovation; Human capital; Governance; CS-ARDL model; Granger non-causality test; MENA countries; C23; J24; O15; O33; O34; O47; O57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-024-02408-8

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