Speakers

Dr Sherine  Nosier
Professor, FEPS- Alexandria University

Biography:

Dr. Sherine is research fellow in SIMAR “Serageldin Institute for Multi-disciplinary Advanced Research” at Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Egypt. Dr. Shereen is an Assistant Professor of economics at the Faculty of Economic studies and Political Science, Alexandria University. She has obtained her PhD in Economics from Hull University, UK, in 2013. She is also working as Executive Director of the English Group in the Faculty of Economic Studies and political sciences. Nosier has published many papers that cover a wide range of economic issues in Egypt and MENA region: tourism, unemployment, globalization, democracy, and climate change.

"Indirect effect of democracy on economic growth in MENA countries"

The paper examines the indirect effect of democracy on economic growth using data-set consists of 17 MENA countries over the period (1990 – 2015). Democracy is assumed to affect growth through a series of channels; education, health, physical capital, government consumption, and openness. A system of six simultaneous equations, 3SLS, is used to discover the effect of democracy on growth through these channels. For more investigation, MENA countries are classified into groups according to the democratic status on one side, and the level of income on the other. Moreover, the effect of the Arab spring revolution on the relationship between democracy and growth is examined. The results indicate that democracy enhances growth by improving human capital in all groups of countries. However, the effect of democracy on growth through physical capital differs in different models. Once all of these indirect effects are accounted for, the overall effect of democracy on economic growth is negative in less democratic countries and poorer countries, but positive in the more democratic countries and richer countries. After the revolution, democratic institutions are expanding access to health and education, but do so at the expense of physical capital accumulation.