THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MILITARY EXPENDITURE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA) COUNTRIES

• Main Authors: Masoud Ali KHALID, Munadhil Abdul Jabar Abdul RAZAQ
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Regional Department of Defense Resources Management Studies 2021-04-01
• Series: Journal of Defense Resources Management
• Subjects: military expenditures; mena countries; economic growth; dynamic panel data
• Online Access: http://www.jodrm.eu/issues/Volume12_issue1/04_KHALID_RAZAQ.pdf

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is composed of countries with a shared heritage that are at various stages of economic growth and are home to extremely diverse natural resources. There have been military or civil wars in the majority of the countries in the region. There were wars that caused extreme human misery, economic displacement, and many development opportunities were lost by the nations of the region. Therefore, a substantial proportion of national budgets is used for military expenditure. In addition, for the economy, military investments produce both costs and profits. This study investigated the correlation between military expenditures and growth in MENA Countries by applying panel data over the span 2009-2019. As a result, we found a positive and significant impact of military expenditure on economic growth.