Dynamics of the Effects of Deregulations in the Commodity and Labor Markets in MENA Countries: A Panel VAR Approach

Abstract

The results of many studies show that rigid regulations on product and labor markets are considered as a key factor in weakening the employment conditions and have led to high unemployment rates. Given the complicated regulations in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), studying the great dynamics of deregulation can give useful guidelines for lawmakers and policy makers. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of deregulations of commodity and labor markets on the growth and the unemployment rate in 20 MENA countries using GMM method and Panel VAR approach during the period 2005 – 2017. The results of this study show that deregulation in product and labor markets in the short run will reduce economic growth, increase unemployment and lead to recession. But in the long run, it will increase economic growth and reduce unemployment. The labor market reforms, as opposed to product market reforms, do not lead to major dynamics in economic growth. For policy-making in MENA countries, deregulation in the product market has priority over the labor market, since it has a stronger impact on the wavelength and durability of the effects.

Keywords

• unemployment rate
• economic growth
• mena countries
• deregulation