An analysis of the efficient production frontier in the fishery: implications for enhanced fisheries management

The transformation relationship between factor inputs and outputs - the efficient production frontier (EPF)- contains important information for fisheries managers. A directional technology distance function model of the harvesting technology is used to measure changes in the EPF over time. Frontier shifts are summarized with input- and output-based frontier indicators that are interpreted as measures of bioeconomic productivity change. The model is applied to the Mid-Atlantic surf clam and ocean quahog fishery.     

Determinants of Labor Productivity in MENA Countries

This article scrutinizes the role of various determinants (compensation, human capital, oil rent, trade, financial development, innovation, and industrialization) in labor productivity in the context of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Dynamic-OLS and fully modified-OLS were applied to analyze panel time series data over the period 1980 to 2014. It was found that size of employment and compensation are negatively associated with labor productivity, while human capital and capital stock are positively associated with it; and that oil rent, financial development, trade openness, and industrial value addition play significant roles in promoting labor productivity. Finally, innovation was found to be an important factor in accelerating labor productivity. These findings are important for labor policy making in MENA economies.     

Spillover effects of FDI inflows on output growth: An analysis of aggregate and disaggregated FDI inflows of 13 MENA economies

This paper examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows on overall growth, as well as its sector-specific spillovers in the Middle Eastern and North African region during the period from 2000 to 2020. Our major innovation is our ability to disaggregate FDI into primary, secondary and tertiary and examine their individual impact on growth, as well as their sector-specific spillovers by using dynamic panel GMM methodology. We find prima facie evidence that total FDI significantly stimulates growth. However, when we turn to the disaggregated FDI data, primary sector FDI adversely affects the gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the service sector and overall GDP growth. On the other hand, secondary FDI has a ‘double-edged’ effect, benefiting its own sector (the service sector's GDP growth), but not other sectors. In contrast, service sector FDI stimulates GDP growth in mining, manufacturing and service sectors, thereby enhancing overall economic growth. Our findings have important policy implications regarding the incentives provided by governments to encourage FDI, which need to be fine-tuned to attract certain types of FDI (tertiary), with less focus on the primary sector     

The effects of business- and non-business-targeting terrorism on FDI to the MENA region: The moderating role of political regime

This study investigates the effects of terrorist attacks on foreign investment by stressing the importance of both business- and non-business-targeting terrorism in the host country. Building on North’s strand of institutional theory, we argue that both forms of terrorism represent exogenous risks likely to generate high levels of non-ergodic uncertainty for MNEs and subsequently deter foreign investors. Further, we hypothesize that these effects may be moderated by host-country political regime type, which serves as a gauge for a favorable investment environment for MNEs operating in institutionally fragile markets. Using panel data on fifteen MENA countries over the period 2001–2018, we find empirical support for our hypotheses whereby hybrid political regimes, namely anocracies, strengthen the negative effects of both business- and non-business-targeting terrorism on FDI. Our work contributes to the research on FDI and exogenous risks by offering a more fine-grained conceptualization of terrorism, as well as by highlighting the moderating role of host-country hybrid regimes.