Export and Economic Growth in the West Balkan Countries

Authors: 
Florentina Xhelili Krasniqi
Rahmije Mustafa Topxhiu
JEL codes: 
F10 - General, F43 - Economic Growth of Open Economies, O57 - Comparative Studies of Countries.
Abstract: 
The aim of this paper is to explore the effects of exports and other variables (foreign direct investment, remittances, capital formation, and labour force) on economic growth in West Balkan countries (Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia). This study utilizes a strongly balanced panel data over the 2005-2015 period for Western Balkan countries using the ordinary least squares method (OLS), ie Pooled regression model to evaluate the parameters. The relationship between export and economic growth has turned to be statistically significant and positively related for the countries under the study. Results also indicate the statistically significant positive relationship between economic growth and other variables included in the model such is remittances, capital formation, and labor. The relationship between economic growth and foreign direct investment has turned out to be statistically insignificant and negatively related.
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