Anis Ochi | Faculty of Law, Economics and Management Jendouba, Tunisia (original) (raw)

Papers by Anis Ochi

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of governance quality, population and economic growth on greenhouse gas emissions: An analysis based on a panel VAR model

Journal of Environmental Management, 2024

Unlike the previous literature on climate change, this study employed the panel vector autoregres... more Unlike the previous literature on climate change, this study employed the panel vector autoregressive model to examine the impact of population growth, governance quality, and economic growth on global warming. Moreover, we used the impulse response function tool, which was developed in the same context, to better understand the reaction of the main variables of interest, per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, aftershocks on population change, governance quality, and economic growth variables. Finally, the analysis was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. These analyses were conducted for the 33 most polluting countries in terms of GHG from 1996 to 2019. The results show that both population growth and economic growth have a positive and significant influence on climate change and can strongly explain the gradual rise in Earth's temperature. Our empirical results show that there is a negative and significant relationship between the quality of governance and GHG emissions. The results show that there is a bidirectional causality between GHG emissions, population and economic growth. Based on the findings, this study proposes several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of Socio-economic inequalities and their impact on children's health and nutrition in Tunisia using generalized entropy measures

Regional science policy and practice , 2024

This paper aims to investigate the drivers of inequality of opportunity in health outcome among c... more This paper aims to investigate the drivers of inequality of opportunity in health outcome among children below 5 years of age, using the Tunisian 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. This study adopts the general entropy measures to examine the pattern of child health inequality. The results of the anthropometric measures show that 1.5% of children in Tunisia are underweight, 8.3% are stunting and 2.1% are wasting. The results of generalized entropy measures indicate that the general disparity in child health is low across demographic characteristics. Inequality of opportunity in Tunisia is particularly high in access to health services between regions. The results also show that geographical location, parental education and wealth are the main factors contributing to inequality of opportunity in child health outcome. On the basis of the results, this research suggests several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of The nexus between pro-poor growth, inequality, institutions and poverty: evidence from low and middle income developing countries

Social indicators research , 2024

In contrast to former investigations in the growth-poverty literature, this research constructs a... more In contrast to former investigations in the growth-poverty literature, this research constructs a panel vector autoregressive model (PVAR) to explore the interactive relationship between income inequality, institutional quality, inclusive growth and poverty of 82 low and middle income developing countries from 1996 to 2022. In addition, we employed the impulse response function tool, which is the reaction of any dynamic system in response to some external change, to comprehend the reaction of poverty aftershocks on inclusive growth, income inequality and institutional quality variables. Finally, the study was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. The empirical results indicate that inclusive growth is negatively significant determinant of poverty, while inequality and institutional quality are positive but insignificant. Meanwhile, income inequality and institutional quality have a significant effect on inclusive growth. From a general perspective, the results reveal that no causal relationship exists between inequality and institutional quality. The results of the variance decomposition confirm the above outcomes.

Research paper thumbnail of Relationship Analysis Between FDI and Economic Growth in African Countries: Does Governance Quality Matter

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2024

The present study contributes to the previous literature by analyzing the nonlinear empirical lin... more The present study contributes to the previous literature by analyzing the nonlinear empirical linkage between the foreign direct investment and economic growth in the presence of governance quality. The main objective of this paper is to determine the threshold level of governance quality, which, once attained, will induce the positive impact of foreign direct investment on economic growth. In order to explore the non-linear triangular relationship among these three macroeconomic variables, this study applies a dynamic threshold panel data framework and considers global governance index as the threshold variable. The dataset is a balanced panel of fifty-four African countries considered over 1996 and 2021. We have showed that there is a non-linearity between growth and foreign direct investment depending on the level of governance quality. It was proved too that the positive effect of foreign direct investment begins to manifest itself once governance quality reaches some threshold level, which turns out to be above the levels of governance quality of most African countries. Later, we use the dynamic panel methodology to study the role of governance indicators as determinants of FDI inflows. Our findings reveal that not all indicators of governance quality have a significant effect on foreign investors' decisions in African countries. In light of obtained results, policy implications are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Correction: Non-linear Threshold Effect of Governance Quality on Economic Growth in African Countries: Evidence from Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach

Journal of the Knowledge Economy

Research paper thumbnail of Economic Growth and Extreme Poverty in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Non-Linearity and Governance Threshold Effect

Journal of the Knowledge Economy

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality and the impact of growth on poverty in sub‐Saharan Africa: A GMM estimator in a dynamic panel threshold model

Regional Science Policy & Practice, 2023

The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic gro... more The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic growth has become a significant concern in poor countries. This paper, therefore, empirically analyzes the triangular relationship among extreme poverty, income inequality, and economic growth for the 45 middle and low-income sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2010-2021. This study examines the effect of economic growth in extreme poverty reduction, with emphasis on the role of income inequality. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Our empirical results show that the economic growth begins to reduce extreme poverty when income inequality is at or below a threshold of 35.28 for the lowincome countries and 45.15 for the middle-income countries. Meanwhile, the results indicate that there is no relationship between economic growth and extreme poverty above the inequality threshold levels of 35.28 and 45.15 for the low-income and the middle-income countries, respectively. On the basis of the findings, this study proposes several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of Economic Growth and Extreme Poverty in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Non-Linearity and Governance Threshold Effect

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2023

Over the last few decades, many economies in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced much faster econ... more Over the last few decades, many economies in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced much faster economic growth than other parts of the world. However, many of these economies have not experienced significant poverty reduction. Several factors such as the quality of governance may limit the expected effects of economic growth on poverty. This paper examines the triangular relationship between extreme poverty, governance quality, and economic growth for the sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2010-2019. Compared to the work carried out until now, the novelty of this research lies in using the Panel Threshold Regression (PTR) and Panel Smooth Transition Regression (PSTR) models to determine the optimal level of governance index, which once attained, will make extreme poverty decrease with economic growth and governance quality. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Besides, results show that there exists a statistically negative relationship between governance and extreme poverty above the threshold level of 0.314 for the Global Governance Index (GGI) and 66.9 for the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), above which governance quality decreases extreme poverty. The results showed that the economic growth would begin to reduce extreme poverty once governance reaches a threshold level of 0.367 for GGI and 63.2 for IIAG. Better performance of governance also appears to improve economic growth and reduces poverty.

Research paper thumbnail of Nonlinear Threshold Effect of Governance Quality on Poverty Reduction in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa: a Dynamic Panel Threshold Specification

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2023

This paper explores whether there exist nonlinear threshold effects of governance quality on pove... more This paper explores whether there exist nonlinear threshold effects of governance quality on poverty rate. The study data consist of 57 South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2010-2019. The dynamic panel threshold model was applied to determine the optimal level of governance index, which once attained, will make the different levels of poverty decrease with governance quality. We found that the nexus between governance quality and poverty is nonlinear. Besides, results show that there exists a statistically negative relationship between governance quality and extreme poverty above the threshold level of 0.2, above which governance quality decreases extreme poverty in South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries. The findings revealed, too, that poverty headcount ratio at 3.20and3.20 and 3.20and5.50 starts decreasing once governance index reaches a threshold level of 0.62 and 0.70, respectively. The findings are robust and provide circumstantial support for governance to promote economic growth and reduce poverty.

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality and the impact of growth on poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: A GMM estimator in a dynamic panel threshold model

Regional Science Policy & Practice (Wiley Q2), 2023

The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic gro... more The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic growth has become a significant concern in poor countries. This paper, therefore, empirically analyzes the triangular relationship among extreme poverty, income inequality, and economic growth for the 45 middle and low-income sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2010-2021. This study examines the effect of economic growth in extreme poverty reduction, with emphasis on the role of income inequality. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Our empirical results show that the economic growth begins to reduce extreme poverty when income inequality is at or below a threshold of 35.28 for the lowincome countries and 45.15 for the middle-income countries. Meanwhile, the results indicate that there is no relationship between economic growth and extreme poverty above the inequality threshold levels of 35.28 and 45.15 for the low-income and the middle-income countries, respectively. On the basis of the findings, this study proposes several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of Estimating relationships among FDI, Governance quality, and economic growth in developing countries using the threshold auto‐regressive model

Regional Science Policy & Practice (Wiley Q2), 2023

This study examines the triangular relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), economic... more This study examines the triangular relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), economic growth and governance quality for 102 developing countries over the period 2000-2018. Compared to the work carried out until now, the novelty of this research lies in using the panel threshold regression (PTR) model to determine the optimal level of governance quality, which once attained, will make economic growth increase with FDI inflows. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Besides, results show that there is no significant relationship between FDI and economic growth below the threshold level of-1.20 for global governance index (GGI). The results showed that the positive and significant effect of FDI inflows on economic growth begins to manifest once the GGI exceeds this threshold of-1.20. Several policies are proposed and discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Extreme poverty, economic growth and income inequality trilogy in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: A GMM panel VAR approach

Springer Nature , 2023

This study allows the assessment the triangular relationship between extreme poverty, economic gr... more This study allows the assessment the triangular relationship between extreme poverty, economic growth and income inequality in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike previous studies in the poverty-inequality-growth literature, this study employed the panel vector autoregressive model to examine the impact of income inequality and economic growth on extreme poverty. Moreover, we used the impulse response function tool, which was developed in the same context, to better understand the reaction of the two main variables of interest, extreme poverty and economic growth, aftershocks on income inequality variable. Finally, the analysis was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. These analyses were conducted for a 56 South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries from 1990 to 2020. Overall, the results show that income inequality has a positive and significant impact and can strongly explain economic growth. Meanwhile, the results indicate a negative and significant r...

Research paper thumbnail of Non-linear Threshold Effect of Governance Quality on Economic Growth in African Countries: Evidence from Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2022

This paper examines the relationship between governance quality and economic growth for 54 Africa... more This paper examines the relationship between governance quality and economic growth for 54 African countries over the period 1996-2019. The panel smooth threshold regression (PSTR) model was applied to determine the optimal level of global governance index, which, once attained, will induce the positive impact of governance quality on economic growth. Results proved that the nexus between governance quality and economic growth is non-linear. Besides, it showed that there exists a statistically positive relationship between governance quality and economic growth above the threshold level of 0.2, above which governance quality starts increasing the GDP per capita growth rate in African countries. The findings revealed, too, that the impact of other macroeconomic variables on economic growth has improved once global governance index reaches a threshold level of 0.2. Finally, it was found that only 6 out of 54 African countries have a global governance index above the threshold of 0.2.

Research paper thumbnail of FDI inflows, economic growth, and governance quality trilogy in developing countries: A panel VAR analysis

Bulletin of Economic Research (Wiley Q3) , 2022

This study provides evidence of the triangular relationship between governance quality, foreign d... more This study provides evidence of the triangular relationship between governance quality, foreign direct investment, and economic growth. Unlike previous studies in the governance—foreign direct investment—growth literature, this study employed the panel vector autoregressive model to examine the impact of governance quality and foreign direct investment on economic growth. Moreover, we used the impulse response function tool, which was developed in the same context, to better understand the reaction of the two main variables of interest, foreign direct investment, and economic growth, after shocks to the governance quality variable. Finally, the analysis was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. These analyses were conducted for 102 developing countries from 1996 to 2014. Overall, the results show that inward foreign direct investment has a significant impact and can strongly encourage economic growth. These results indicate that the quality of governance in developing countries does not affect foreign direct investment and economic growth.

Research paper thumbnail of Financial liberalization (FL), environment variables and cost efficiency of Tunisian banking system

Journal of Applied Finance and Banking, 2012

In this paper, we tried to see if the Tunisian banks are ready to confront the different and main... more In this paper, we tried to see if the Tunisian banks are ready to confront the different and main challenges of financial liberalization. The main objective of this paper is defined in this context. We investigate the cost efficiency of Tunisian universal banks over the period 1997–2006. We examine the influence of environmental variables on the bank cost-efficiency. We used a parametric approach stochastic “SFA†. Our results generally indicate the deterioration of different financial indicators of Tunisian banking system, and show that there is a reduction in the level of cost-efficiency after introducing the environmental variables in the model. Our results suggest as well that private banks are more efficient than ownership banks; foreign banks are more efficient than domestic banks. Finally, we found that small and Medium-sized banks are more efficient than large banks.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Tunisian Children Have an Equal Chance to Access to School 8 Years After Revolution?

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2021

Early childhood education is widely considered as the most important indicator of human capital, ... more Early childhood education is widely considered as the most important indicator of human capital, and it is powerfully related to economic development. In this paper, we try to study the extent of inequality of opportunity when a number of circumstances beyond individual’s control, such as family background, gender, and place of birth, can affect the access to basic education among Tunisian children. Using recent data for different periods, we calculate the dissimilarity index (D-index) for the basic education. Inequality gap has been detected between regions in 2018 and tends to increase over time since 2010. Residence area, father’s education, and child’s sex are the most contributing variables to access education inequality. Without policy intervention, there are a few chances for the next generation to overcome this trap of inequality.

Research paper thumbnail of Trade Openness and Economic Growth: The Case of Tunisia

International Journal of Advances in Management and Economics, 2013

The contribution of trade openness in economic growth has been the subject of several theoretical... more The contribution of trade openness in economic growth has been the subject of several theoretical and empirical studies in the economic literature. This paper analyzes the impact of trade openness on economic growth in the case of Tunisia using OLS method over the period 1975-2010. The results show that trade openness, foreign direct investment, and human capital represented by the enrollment of the school, as well as the ratio of the money taken as a proxy for financial development exert long-term positive and significant effects on economic growth. Keywords: Economic growth, OLS approach, Trade openness.

Research paper thumbnail of Ownership Structure and Efficiency of Tunisian Banking Sector

Journal of finance and investment analysis, 2012

In this paper, we’ll try to study the impact of ownership structure (state owned/private) of ba... more In this paper, we’ll try to study the impact of ownership structure (state owned/private) of banks in Tunisia on its level of cost efficiency. While, we have proposed an assessment of the cost efficiency of Tunisian banks during the period 1999-2009 on a sample of 17 universal banks using a stochastic frontier model (SFA). We introduced in the translog cost function of the external variables related to the environment in which banks operate in order to know whether these variables affect the cost efficiency scores of banks or not. Overall, our results demonstrate that environmental variables contribute significantly and positively to the difference cost-efficiency scores between Tunisian banks. Also, our results show that private banks in Tunisia are more efficient than public banks, but there are differences among private banks. Privatized banks with majority foreign ownership are the most efficient while those with domestic ownership are the least.

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality of Opportunity and Degree of Human Development: Evidence from Tunisia

Journal of economic development (Q4) , 2021

There are many socioeconomic factors beyond the individual control that can affect human developm... more There are many socioeconomic factors beyond the individual control that can affect human development indicators. In this setting, this paper aims to examine the effects and evolution of unequal opportunities on the distribution of human development indicators embodied by monetary well-being (consumption) and education in Tunisia for the period 2005-2010. We used parametric and non parametric approach in addition to Dissimilarity-Index and Shapley's Decomposition to identify most important factors explaining inequality of chances in Tunisia. We found that Father's education, residence area, and connection to drinking water appears to be the most important background variables affecting well-being profile. However, child's sex appears to be the most important determinant of the accessibility to education. Inequality of opportunity in consumption and education persists and tends to increase over time which is undesirable for the country. As an economic implication of our results, policy makers must make appropriate policies to reduce intergenerational transmission of parental background and sex discrimination and to overcome traps of inequality for future generations.

Research paper thumbnail of The Determinants of Banking Performance in Front of Financial Changes: Case of Trade Banks in Tunisia

International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Apr 16, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of governance quality, population and economic growth on greenhouse gas emissions: An analysis based on a panel VAR model

Journal of Environmental Management, 2024

Unlike the previous literature on climate change, this study employed the panel vector autoregres... more Unlike the previous literature on climate change, this study employed the panel vector autoregressive model to examine the impact of population growth, governance quality, and economic growth on global warming. Moreover, we used the impulse response function tool, which was developed in the same context, to better understand the reaction of the main variables of interest, per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, aftershocks on population change, governance quality, and economic growth variables. Finally, the analysis was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. These analyses were conducted for the 33 most polluting countries in terms of GHG from 1996 to 2019. The results show that both population growth and economic growth have a positive and significant influence on climate change and can strongly explain the gradual rise in Earth's temperature. Our empirical results show that there is a negative and significant relationship between the quality of governance and GHG emissions. The results show that there is a bidirectional causality between GHG emissions, population and economic growth. Based on the findings, this study proposes several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of Socio-economic inequalities and their impact on children's health and nutrition in Tunisia using generalized entropy measures

Regional science policy and practice , 2024

This paper aims to investigate the drivers of inequality of opportunity in health outcome among c... more This paper aims to investigate the drivers of inequality of opportunity in health outcome among children below 5 years of age, using the Tunisian 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. This study adopts the general entropy measures to examine the pattern of child health inequality. The results of the anthropometric measures show that 1.5% of children in Tunisia are underweight, 8.3% are stunting and 2.1% are wasting. The results of generalized entropy measures indicate that the general disparity in child health is low across demographic characteristics. Inequality of opportunity in Tunisia is particularly high in access to health services between regions. The results also show that geographical location, parental education and wealth are the main factors contributing to inequality of opportunity in child health outcome. On the basis of the results, this research suggests several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of The nexus between pro-poor growth, inequality, institutions and poverty: evidence from low and middle income developing countries

Social indicators research , 2024

In contrast to former investigations in the growth-poverty literature, this research constructs a... more In contrast to former investigations in the growth-poverty literature, this research constructs a panel vector autoregressive model (PVAR) to explore the interactive relationship between income inequality, institutional quality, inclusive growth and poverty of 82 low and middle income developing countries from 1996 to 2022. In addition, we employed the impulse response function tool, which is the reaction of any dynamic system in response to some external change, to comprehend the reaction of poverty aftershocks on inclusive growth, income inequality and institutional quality variables. Finally, the study was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. The empirical results indicate that inclusive growth is negatively significant determinant of poverty, while inequality and institutional quality are positive but insignificant. Meanwhile, income inequality and institutional quality have a significant effect on inclusive growth. From a general perspective, the results reveal that no causal relationship exists between inequality and institutional quality. The results of the variance decomposition confirm the above outcomes.

Research paper thumbnail of Relationship Analysis Between FDI and Economic Growth in African Countries: Does Governance Quality Matter

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2024

The present study contributes to the previous literature by analyzing the nonlinear empirical lin... more The present study contributes to the previous literature by analyzing the nonlinear empirical linkage between the foreign direct investment and economic growth in the presence of governance quality. The main objective of this paper is to determine the threshold level of governance quality, which, once attained, will induce the positive impact of foreign direct investment on economic growth. In order to explore the non-linear triangular relationship among these three macroeconomic variables, this study applies a dynamic threshold panel data framework and considers global governance index as the threshold variable. The dataset is a balanced panel of fifty-four African countries considered over 1996 and 2021. We have showed that there is a non-linearity between growth and foreign direct investment depending on the level of governance quality. It was proved too that the positive effect of foreign direct investment begins to manifest itself once governance quality reaches some threshold level, which turns out to be above the levels of governance quality of most African countries. Later, we use the dynamic panel methodology to study the role of governance indicators as determinants of FDI inflows. Our findings reveal that not all indicators of governance quality have a significant effect on foreign investors' decisions in African countries. In light of obtained results, policy implications are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Correction: Non-linear Threshold Effect of Governance Quality on Economic Growth in African Countries: Evidence from Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach

Journal of the Knowledge Economy

Research paper thumbnail of Economic Growth and Extreme Poverty in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Non-Linearity and Governance Threshold Effect

Journal of the Knowledge Economy

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality and the impact of growth on poverty in sub‐Saharan Africa: A GMM estimator in a dynamic panel threshold model

Regional Science Policy & Practice, 2023

The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic gro... more The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic growth has become a significant concern in poor countries. This paper, therefore, empirically analyzes the triangular relationship among extreme poverty, income inequality, and economic growth for the 45 middle and low-income sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2010-2021. This study examines the effect of economic growth in extreme poverty reduction, with emphasis on the role of income inequality. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Our empirical results show that the economic growth begins to reduce extreme poverty when income inequality is at or below a threshold of 35.28 for the lowincome countries and 45.15 for the middle-income countries. Meanwhile, the results indicate that there is no relationship between economic growth and extreme poverty above the inequality threshold levels of 35.28 and 45.15 for the low-income and the middle-income countries, respectively. On the basis of the findings, this study proposes several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of Economic Growth and Extreme Poverty in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Non-Linearity and Governance Threshold Effect

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2023

Over the last few decades, many economies in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced much faster econ... more Over the last few decades, many economies in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced much faster economic growth than other parts of the world. However, many of these economies have not experienced significant poverty reduction. Several factors such as the quality of governance may limit the expected effects of economic growth on poverty. This paper examines the triangular relationship between extreme poverty, governance quality, and economic growth for the sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2010-2019. Compared to the work carried out until now, the novelty of this research lies in using the Panel Threshold Regression (PTR) and Panel Smooth Transition Regression (PSTR) models to determine the optimal level of governance index, which once attained, will make extreme poverty decrease with economic growth and governance quality. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Besides, results show that there exists a statistically negative relationship between governance and extreme poverty above the threshold level of 0.314 for the Global Governance Index (GGI) and 66.9 for the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), above which governance quality decreases extreme poverty. The results showed that the economic growth would begin to reduce extreme poverty once governance reaches a threshold level of 0.367 for GGI and 63.2 for IIAG. Better performance of governance also appears to improve economic growth and reduces poverty.

Research paper thumbnail of Nonlinear Threshold Effect of Governance Quality on Poverty Reduction in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa: a Dynamic Panel Threshold Specification

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2023

This paper explores whether there exist nonlinear threshold effects of governance quality on pove... more This paper explores whether there exist nonlinear threshold effects of governance quality on poverty rate. The study data consist of 57 South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2010-2019. The dynamic panel threshold model was applied to determine the optimal level of governance index, which once attained, will make the different levels of poverty decrease with governance quality. We found that the nexus between governance quality and poverty is nonlinear. Besides, results show that there exists a statistically negative relationship between governance quality and extreme poverty above the threshold level of 0.2, above which governance quality decreases extreme poverty in South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries. The findings revealed, too, that poverty headcount ratio at 3.20and3.20 and 3.20and5.50 starts decreasing once governance index reaches a threshold level of 0.62 and 0.70, respectively. The findings are robust and provide circumstantial support for governance to promote economic growth and reduce poverty.

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality and the impact of growth on poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: A GMM estimator in a dynamic panel threshold model

Regional Science Policy & Practice (Wiley Q2), 2023

The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic gro... more The need for a good understanding of the relationship among poverty, inequality, and economic growth has become a significant concern in poor countries. This paper, therefore, empirically analyzes the triangular relationship among extreme poverty, income inequality, and economic growth for the 45 middle and low-income sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2010-2021. This study examines the effect of economic growth in extreme poverty reduction, with emphasis on the role of income inequality. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Our empirical results show that the economic growth begins to reduce extreme poverty when income inequality is at or below a threshold of 35.28 for the lowincome countries and 45.15 for the middle-income countries. Meanwhile, the results indicate that there is no relationship between economic growth and extreme poverty above the inequality threshold levels of 35.28 and 45.15 for the low-income and the middle-income countries, respectively. On the basis of the findings, this study proposes several policy recommendations.

Research paper thumbnail of Estimating relationships among FDI, Governance quality, and economic growth in developing countries using the threshold auto‐regressive model

Regional Science Policy & Practice (Wiley Q2), 2023

This study examines the triangular relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), economic... more This study examines the triangular relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), economic growth and governance quality for 102 developing countries over the period 2000-2018. Compared to the work carried out until now, the novelty of this research lies in using the panel threshold regression (PTR) model to determine the optimal level of governance quality, which once attained, will make economic growth increase with FDI inflows. We found that the nexus between these three variables is nonlinear. Besides, results show that there is no significant relationship between FDI and economic growth below the threshold level of-1.20 for global governance index (GGI). The results showed that the positive and significant effect of FDI inflows on economic growth begins to manifest once the GGI exceeds this threshold of-1.20. Several policies are proposed and discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Extreme poverty, economic growth and income inequality trilogy in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: A GMM panel VAR approach

Springer Nature , 2023

This study allows the assessment the triangular relationship between extreme poverty, economic gr... more This study allows the assessment the triangular relationship between extreme poverty, economic growth and income inequality in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike previous studies in the poverty-inequality-growth literature, this study employed the panel vector autoregressive model to examine the impact of income inequality and economic growth on extreme poverty. Moreover, we used the impulse response function tool, which was developed in the same context, to better understand the reaction of the two main variables of interest, extreme poverty and economic growth, aftershocks on income inequality variable. Finally, the analysis was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. These analyses were conducted for a 56 South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries from 1990 to 2020. Overall, the results show that income inequality has a positive and significant impact and can strongly explain economic growth. Meanwhile, the results indicate a negative and significant r...

Research paper thumbnail of Non-linear Threshold Effect of Governance Quality on Economic Growth in African Countries: Evidence from Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2022

This paper examines the relationship between governance quality and economic growth for 54 Africa... more This paper examines the relationship between governance quality and economic growth for 54 African countries over the period 1996-2019. The panel smooth threshold regression (PSTR) model was applied to determine the optimal level of global governance index, which, once attained, will induce the positive impact of governance quality on economic growth. Results proved that the nexus between governance quality and economic growth is non-linear. Besides, it showed that there exists a statistically positive relationship between governance quality and economic growth above the threshold level of 0.2, above which governance quality starts increasing the GDP per capita growth rate in African countries. The findings revealed, too, that the impact of other macroeconomic variables on economic growth has improved once global governance index reaches a threshold level of 0.2. Finally, it was found that only 6 out of 54 African countries have a global governance index above the threshold of 0.2.

Research paper thumbnail of FDI inflows, economic growth, and governance quality trilogy in developing countries: A panel VAR analysis

Bulletin of Economic Research (Wiley Q3) , 2022

This study provides evidence of the triangular relationship between governance quality, foreign d... more This study provides evidence of the triangular relationship between governance quality, foreign direct investment, and economic growth. Unlike previous studies in the governance—foreign direct investment—growth literature, this study employed the panel vector autoregressive model to examine the impact of governance quality and foreign direct investment on economic growth. Moreover, we used the impulse response function tool, which was developed in the same context, to better understand the reaction of the two main variables of interest, foreign direct investment, and economic growth, after shocks to the governance quality variable. Finally, the analysis was completed by the variance decomposition of all variables. These analyses were conducted for 102 developing countries from 1996 to 2014. Overall, the results show that inward foreign direct investment has a significant impact and can strongly encourage economic growth. These results indicate that the quality of governance in developing countries does not affect foreign direct investment and economic growth.

Research paper thumbnail of Financial liberalization (FL), environment variables and cost efficiency of Tunisian banking system

Journal of Applied Finance and Banking, 2012

In this paper, we tried to see if the Tunisian banks are ready to confront the different and main... more In this paper, we tried to see if the Tunisian banks are ready to confront the different and main challenges of financial liberalization. The main objective of this paper is defined in this context. We investigate the cost efficiency of Tunisian universal banks over the period 1997–2006. We examine the influence of environmental variables on the bank cost-efficiency. We used a parametric approach stochastic “SFA†. Our results generally indicate the deterioration of different financial indicators of Tunisian banking system, and show that there is a reduction in the level of cost-efficiency after introducing the environmental variables in the model. Our results suggest as well that private banks are more efficient than ownership banks; foreign banks are more efficient than domestic banks. Finally, we found that small and Medium-sized banks are more efficient than large banks.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Tunisian Children Have an Equal Chance to Access to School 8 Years After Revolution?

Journal of the Knowledge Economy (Springer Q2) , 2021

Early childhood education is widely considered as the most important indicator of human capital, ... more Early childhood education is widely considered as the most important indicator of human capital, and it is powerfully related to economic development. In this paper, we try to study the extent of inequality of opportunity when a number of circumstances beyond individual’s control, such as family background, gender, and place of birth, can affect the access to basic education among Tunisian children. Using recent data for different periods, we calculate the dissimilarity index (D-index) for the basic education. Inequality gap has been detected between regions in 2018 and tends to increase over time since 2010. Residence area, father’s education, and child’s sex are the most contributing variables to access education inequality. Without policy intervention, there are a few chances for the next generation to overcome this trap of inequality.

Research paper thumbnail of Trade Openness and Economic Growth: The Case of Tunisia

International Journal of Advances in Management and Economics, 2013

The contribution of trade openness in economic growth has been the subject of several theoretical... more The contribution of trade openness in economic growth has been the subject of several theoretical and empirical studies in the economic literature. This paper analyzes the impact of trade openness on economic growth in the case of Tunisia using OLS method over the period 1975-2010. The results show that trade openness, foreign direct investment, and human capital represented by the enrollment of the school, as well as the ratio of the money taken as a proxy for financial development exert long-term positive and significant effects on economic growth. Keywords: Economic growth, OLS approach, Trade openness.

Research paper thumbnail of Ownership Structure and Efficiency of Tunisian Banking Sector

Journal of finance and investment analysis, 2012

In this paper, we’ll try to study the impact of ownership structure (state owned/private) of ba... more In this paper, we’ll try to study the impact of ownership structure (state owned/private) of banks in Tunisia on its level of cost efficiency. While, we have proposed an assessment of the cost efficiency of Tunisian banks during the period 1999-2009 on a sample of 17 universal banks using a stochastic frontier model (SFA). We introduced in the translog cost function of the external variables related to the environment in which banks operate in order to know whether these variables affect the cost efficiency scores of banks or not. Overall, our results demonstrate that environmental variables contribute significantly and positively to the difference cost-efficiency scores between Tunisian banks. Also, our results show that private banks in Tunisia are more efficient than public banks, but there are differences among private banks. Privatized banks with majority foreign ownership are the most efficient while those with domestic ownership are the least.

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality of Opportunity and Degree of Human Development: Evidence from Tunisia

Journal of economic development (Q4) , 2021

There are many socioeconomic factors beyond the individual control that can affect human developm... more There are many socioeconomic factors beyond the individual control that can affect human development indicators. In this setting, this paper aims to examine the effects and evolution of unequal opportunities on the distribution of human development indicators embodied by monetary well-being (consumption) and education in Tunisia for the period 2005-2010. We used parametric and non parametric approach in addition to Dissimilarity-Index and Shapley's Decomposition to identify most important factors explaining inequality of chances in Tunisia. We found that Father's education, residence area, and connection to drinking water appears to be the most important background variables affecting well-being profile. However, child's sex appears to be the most important determinant of the accessibility to education. Inequality of opportunity in consumption and education persists and tends to increase over time which is undesirable for the country. As an economic implication of our results, policy makers must make appropriate policies to reduce intergenerational transmission of parental background and sex discrimination and to overcome traps of inequality for future generations.

Research paper thumbnail of The Determinants of Banking Performance in Front of Financial Changes: Case of Trade Banks in Tunisia

International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Apr 16, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Les effets dynamiques de la privatisation sur la performance des banques privatisées et le rôle de l’environnement économique et institutionnel : validation empiriques dans un contexte MENA-OCDE

The First International Symposium on Financial System and Economic Growth

Research paper thumbnail of Privatisation bancaire et le rôle des facteurs politiques, économiques et institutionnels : une étude comparative MENA-OCDE

colloque international sur le thème Performance et compétitivité des PMEs Entre Contextes national et international Organisé par l’Ecole Supérieure de Commerce d'Alger

Nous étudions comment les facteurs politiques, économiques et institutionnels sont liés à la déci... more Nous étudions comment les facteurs politiques, économiques et institutionnels sont liés à la décision d'un pays à privatiser les banques publiques. En utilisant un panel de 38 pays allant de 1988 à 2011, nous constatons que les facteurs politiques et institutionnels affectent significativement la probabilité de la privatisation des banques que dans les pays en développement. Plus précisément, au Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord, la privatisation bancaire est plus probable lorsqu’un gouvernement est plus responsable envers son peuple. En revanche, aucun de nos variables politiques influence sur la décision de la privatisation des banques dans les pays de l'Organisation de coopération économique et de développement à l'exception de l'orientation idéologique du gouvernement. Les facteurs économiques (comme la qualité du secteur bancaire des pays) sont des déterminants importants de la privatisation des banques des pays des deux régions MENA et OCDE.

[We investigate how political, economic and institutional factors are related to a country’s decision to privatize state-owned banks. Using a panel of 38 countries from 1988 to 2011, we find that political and institutional factors significantly affect the likelihood of bank privatization only in developing countries. Specifically, in Middle East and North Africa countries, bank privatization is more likely the more accountable the government is to its people. In contrast, none of our political variables affects the bank privatization decision in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries except the ideological orientation of government. Economic factors (such as the quality of the nation’s banking sector) are significant determinants of bank privatization in both MENA and OECD nations.]

Research paper thumbnail of Gouvernance, investissement direct étranger et croissance économique dans la région MENA

International Conference on Business, Economics, Marketing & Management Research (BEMM’13).

En utilisant la méthode de GMM de panel dynamique sur un échantillon de 17 pays de la région ME... more En utilisant la méthode de GMM de panel dynamique
sur un échantillon de 17 pays de la région MENA durant la
période 1996-2011, nous avons essayé d’examiner l’impact de la
qualité de gouvernance sur l’IDE et la croissance économique de
ces pays. Les résultats montrent qu’en général les variables de
gouvernance sont corrélées positivement avec la croissance
économique, puisque la qualité de l’infrastructure institutionnelle
est très importante pour l’attractivité des IDE et la promotion de
la croissance d’un pays. De même, l’IDE

Research paper thumbnail of Développement Financier et Croissance Économique : cas de la région MENA

nternational Conference on Business, Economics, Marketing & Management Research (BEMM’13).

La controverse sur la relation entre la sphère financière et la sphère économique réelle était ... more La controverse sur la relation entre la sphère
financière et la sphère économique réelle était fortement
ambiguë. Certaines études ont montré une relation positive entre
ces deux sphères alors que d’autres ont présenté la thèse
parfaitement contraire. Sur la base des données relatives à 11
pays de la région MENA, observés durant la période 1995-2011 et
en utilisant la méthode GMM de panel dynamique, nous avons
pu monter qu’il existe une relation positive entre le
développement financier et la croissance économique. Cette
relation et de plus en plus intense pour le rôle du système
financier du pays MENA.

Research paper thumbnail of Privatisation bancaire dans les pays MENA et le rôle des facteurs politiques et économiques

nternational Conference on Business, Economics, Marketing & Management Research (BEMM’13).

Research paper thumbnail of Privatisation bancaire, performance et rôle des facteurs économiques, politiques et institutionnels : une étude comparative MENA-OCDE.

Les 1ères doctoriales de la Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion de Tunis,.

Research paper thumbnail of Le rôle du Fonds Zakat dans la réduction de la pauvreté et du chômage à travers le financement des petites et moyennes entreprises : une étude de cas du Fonds Zakat de la région Stif-Algérie

Research paper thumbnail of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Economic Growth: an approach in terms of cointegration for the case of Tunisia

Research paper thumbnail of "libéralisation Financière, variables environnementales et efficience du système bancaire Tunisien

Research paper thumbnail of Libéralisation financière et efficience du système bancaires tunisien : quel rôle jouent les variables environnementales ?

Livre, Apr 29, 2014

Dans ce livre, j'ai essayé de savoir si les banques tunisiennes sont prêtes à affronter les diffé... more Dans ce livre, j'ai essayé de savoir si les banques tunisiennes sont prêtes à affronter les différents défis de la libéralisation financière. Comment les tenants de cette politique justifient-ils sa mise en place? L'objectif de ce travail est défini dans ce contexte. Il consiste notamment à évaluer les différents indicateurs financiers du système bancaire tunisien et à mesurer son niveau d'efficience-coût au cours de la période 1997-2006 tout en tenant compte des variables environnementales. Pour le faire, j'ai utilisé l’approche paramétrique dans sa version stochastique «SFA». Les principaux résultats confirment la détérioration des différents indicateurs financiers du secteur bancaire tunisien, et montrent une réduction des niveaux d’efficience-coût suite à l’introduction des variables environnementales dans le modèle. Les résultats suggèrent aussi que les banques privées sont plus efficientes que les banques publiques, les banques étrangères sont plus efficientes que les banques domestiques. Finalement, j'ai trouvé que les petites et moyennes banques sont plus efficientes que celle des grandes banques.