The Effect of Trade and Direct Investment Spillovers on the Economic Growth of OPEC Countries; A Spatial Panel Econometric Approach

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of trade and foreign direct investment on economic growth of OPEC members using the convergence and gravitation model. The model is estimated by the spatial Durbin regression model (SDM) using spatial panel data for the period 2010-2020. Convergence is estimated using cross-sectional data method and gravitation model using panel data method. The results show that foreign direct investment affects economic growth inside and in neighbor countries through spillovers, increasing trade and technology imports in the countries. Also the size of government has no effect on trade and economic growth. The results of convergence and gravitation model show that there is convergence between the target countries and gross domestic product has a positive effect on bilateral trade, but the Linder variable has a negative effect on mutual trade, consistent with the theory.