Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have a significant role in filling the gap between the formal financial institutions and the poor people. This study aims at estimating the interaction between outreach and financial sustainability in MENA countries. The study examines 82 MFIs for 2004–2018, ends up with 133 observations. A panel data technique is employed for model specification. Our findings confirm a trade-off between financial sustainability and outreach performance by MFIs in MENA countries, and we recommend that MFIs must take care of the management of financial ratios, such as ROA, ROE and OSS and performance, to achieve financial sustainability and outreach.

Purpose: The study aims at re-examining the relationship between financial market development and economic development in the context of competitiveness of developed and higher income countries. Methodology/approach: The study employs generalized least square (GLS) regression model to analyze the panel data of 21 higher income countries over the period (2009–2017). Further, the study checked the robustness of the results by introduces a lagged dependent variable in the regression models by employing the generalized methods of moments (GMM) for Dynamic Panel analysis. Findings: Results reveal that four independent variables: Financial market development (FMDG), trade openness (OPNG), Labor market efficiency (LMEG), and Technological readiness (TRG), were positive and significant, which indicates the existence of relationship from those variables to competitiveness in the context of growth. while one of the independent variables is Market size (MSG) was positive but insignificant. Moreover, the results from the GMM estimator remain robust in terms of directions and significance levels and confirm the robustness of the findings. Originality: This paper represents a significant contribution especially for the higher income countries that can help them in designing the policies and strategies in order to improve their performance and competitiveness by financial market development besides other competitiveness sources.

This paper aims to explain how to use the generalized method of moments (GMM) analysis technique to estimate the relationship between the gender wage gap and economic development for unbalanced panel data for OECD countries during the period 2011–2021. The results show that an increase of 1% in wage inequality between the two genders leads to a 0.013% decrease in economic development in the case of the OECD. The relationship is statistically significant at 1% which is consistent with previous studies.

Political stability can’t be isolated anymore from economic issues. In fact, political events became one of the important determinant for many economic phenomena especially in MENA countries. This study aims to test the effect of fragility growth on foreign direct investment growth in 13 of MENA countries from 2007 to 2018. The study employs cointegration test and vector error correction models (VECM) to examine both long-run and short-run causality relationships between the FDI growth and the economic variables (Fragility growth, Openness growth and GDP growth). The panel VECM results suggest that there is a long run causal relationships that show a significant influence of fragility growth, GDP growth and openness growth on the FDI growth. The effect from fragility to FDI estimated to be 22%, and more than 40% of disequilibrium in FDI produced by fragility will corrected annually. This study will help policy-makers in assessing and managing the economic risks they face, which in turn will increase FDI flows and contribute to increasing the country’s economic growth and stability.

The paper analyzes the relationship between urbanization rates, the growing reliance on renewable electricity production, and CO2 emissions per capita. It further examines the economic impact of these urbanization and renewable electricity production variables on GDP per capita using threshold regression and annual data from Jordan covering the period from 1990 to 2022. The objective is to determine whether Jordan can reduce CO2 emissions despite high urbanization rates by increasing the share of renewable energy in electricity production. The fundamental assumption is that the relationship between CO2 emissions and urbanization rates varies according to the share of renewable energy production. Results from the estimated threshold regression model indicate a decline in CO2 emissions per capita during the period from 2004 to 2018, when urbanization rates ranged between 0.78 and 0.91. During this time, the compound growth rate of renewable energy share in electricity production was 24% in regime 2 (2004–2018). In contrast, CO2 emissions per capita increased both before and after this period, suggesting a nonlinear relationship between urbanization rates and CO2 emissions. This nonlinearity implies that Jordan can manage the conflicting goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—sustainable urbanization and low CO2 emissions—by enhancing the share of renewables in electricity production. Additionally, the results demonstrate a positive effect of urbanization rates and renewable energy shares on economic growth.