Investigating the role of investment and productivity of Arvand, Qeshm and Kish free zones on export development

Heidari Rad, Amir; Ahangari, Abdolmajid; Asayesh, Hamid

doi:10.22075/ijnaa.2022.28161.3820

Investigating the role of investment and productivity of Arvand, Qeshm and Kish free zones on export development

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Amir Heidari Rad ¹

Abdolmajid Ahangari ²

Hamid Asayesh ³

¹ PhD student, Department of Economics, Aligudarz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Aligudarz, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Economic Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Ayatollah Ozma University of Boroujerdi (RA), Iran.

10.22075/ijnaa.2022.28161.3820

Abstract

In today's competitive economy, free zones are a vital artery for countries possessing these strategic areas. Investing in these zones can be highly advantageous due to enhanced access to target markets, leading to the prosperity of the production sector and, consequently, employment growth in both the zones and neighboring regions. The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of investment and productivity in the export development of the Qeshm, Kish, and Arvand Free Zones. This research tested two hypotheses regarding the significant effects of investment and productivity on export development. To test the hypotheses, a 20-year dataset covering the period from 1996 to 2016 was analyzed using panel data econometric methods. The empirical results demonstrated that both investment and productivity variables have positive and statistically significant effects on export development across the investigated free zones.

Keywords

productivity

export development

investment

free zones

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