Working Paper n°2017-13 – Determinants of technology catch-up in MENA and SSA countries: a panel data analysis

Auteurs

Francisco Serranito, CEPN, UMR-CNRS 7234, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité
serranito@univ-paris13.fr

Abstract

This paper aims at testing the determinants of TFP in the case of a panel of African and Middle-East countries for the period 1970-2010. We get two main results. Firstly, the degree of openness of a country is the only variables that have a positive and robust effect on the TFP growth. Secondly, convergence is not an automatic phenomenon for all countries. The possibility of a convergence effect depends on the ability of countries to adopt foreign technology. The absorptive capacity depends on the stock of human capital and the degree of financial market development.

Keywords: Technology gap, Catching-up, Dynamic Panel Data, GMM estimation, Middle-East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan African countries

JEL Codes: I2, O1, O3, O4

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