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Do Religious Freedom vis-a-vis Trade Openness Affect Economic Growth? A Cross-Country Empirical Investigation
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Punjab, India
Southampton Business School, Building 2, Highfield Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
School of Management and Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
- 1 Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Punjab, India
- 2 Southampton Business School, Building 2, Highfield Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- 3 School of Management and Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Theoretical Economics Letters·Volume 13 (2023)·Pages 119–137·Published 2 February 2023·DOI10.4236/tel.2023.131007
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Abstract
Does religious freedom steer economic growth impact of trade-openness? T his paper employs the method of moments-quantile regression to panel data of 117 developed and developing countries to show that countries that accommodate greater liberal religious beliefs enjoy, on average, higher growth in per capita income via deeper trade openness. Empirical results reveal that the dynamic nexus between trade and economic growth across developing countries is subject to the institutional environment. Therefore, results indicate that trade openness favours economic growth when institutional quality improves.
KeywordsTrade OpennessReligious FreedomCross-Country GrowthMethod of Moments-Panel Quantile RegressionEconomic Growth
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