A Study of the Factors Affecting Iran's Export (Gravity Model Application)

Export as the engine of economic growth plays a key role in the global economy and is considered as the survival factor of countries in the global markets. Investigation of modern international trade models to identify the effective factors in the international trade is necessary for the expansion of global trade. In the present article, using the gravity model and panel data, the researchers examined the factors affecting Iran's export during the period of 2000- 2012. The countries under study were classified into two groups based on their geography and their level of development. The results of the estimated models with the dynamic ordinary least squares approach (DOLS) showed that Iran's export could be explained by the significant portion of factors included in the gravity model. Furthermore, the results are different with respect to geography and their level of development of business partners. The findings can potentially and practically pave the way for the important implications to design the trade policies and are of use to the authorities in Iran.