The Relationship between Institutional Variables and Economic Growth: Introducing a New Institutional Measure for Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

The subject of this paper is measuring institutional quality and evaluatingits relationship with per capita economic growth in 20 MENA countries. For estimating growth models, panel data method was used during (2002-2010). For measuring institutional quality at first six indices of good governance have been used in six growth models. The results have shown that only regulatory quality have positive and significant relation with economic growth. Whereas the coefficients of other institutional variables including control of corruption and political stability are negative and the others including rule of law, governance effectiveness and voice and accountability are positive but insignificant. Then another model was estimated by using good governance index which was derived from combining six upper indices by using principle component analysis (PCA). The results showed positive relationship but significant at the 0.10 percent level. In the final analysis a new institutional index is derived by combining three institutional variables which had positive coefficient into the one composite index by using PCA. New index has bigger positive coefficient and significant at the 0.01 percent level rather than its sub measures (regulatory quality, voice and accountability, rule of law) and alsothan good governance index.