Analyzing the impact of port development on the host areas' economic growth

With having 80 percent of world trade, ports nowadays are the most important national and international window towards trade. Despite their Increasing importance in development of transportation, ports and the relevant activities are completely neglected in Iran. Significant relationship between ports development and their capacity and throughput drive an important question: what is the net effect of port throughput on the host areas growth? The present study analyses the question using data of six provinces including Khoozestan, Booshehr, Hormozgan, Gilan, Mazandaran, and Sistan and Baluchestan during 2005-2017 (1384-1396). Results show that ports capacity, human development, economic growth at the initial period, employment, government investment in ports, government's current budget, wage, technology, production structure and urbanization have significant positive impact on economic output of the provinces while the transportation cost has a negative one.