The Impact of Trade Openness on the Real Exchange Rate Volatility (The Case of MENA Countries)

This paper is mainly concerned with linkage between the real exchange rate volatility and degree of trade openness in MENA countries during the period of 1975-2006. The model is derived from theoretical monetary model and estimated by Panel Data approach. The findings show that degree of trade openness, government expenditures and labor productivity growth have negative, and inflation rate has positive and significant effect on the volatility of real exchange rate in the MENA countries. Thus, policy makers should follow the trade liberalization policies in order to expand the volume of trade and reduce the real exchange rate volatility.