Exports and economic growth in MENA countries

The relationship between exports and economic growth is a frequent topic of discussion, when economists try to explain the different levels of economic growth between countries. A number of previous studies have found that export expansion exerts a positive impact on economic growth, but also it is possible to widen the gap between rich and poor countries. Over the past years, an increasingly larger role granted to exports compared with the post war period, when import substitution and coverage of the rising domestic demand were given the greatest importance by economists. In more recent years, most economists argue that exports have a significant positive impact on economic growth that appears to be particularly strong among the more developed countries. This paper reviews the previous research on the relationship between exports and economic growth in order to understand the current knowledge and presents some questions that need further study in this area.