جهاني شدن و همپيوندي هاي منطقه اي (مطالعه موردي MENA

Globalization and Regional Integration in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

This paper uses Linder theory, to measure the effect of globalization on regional trade integration of the Islamic countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In contrast with the classical trade theories (such as the Heckscher- Ohlin Theory), the Linder theory focuses on the demand side and explains the trade patterns on the basis of the similarities in the demand structures. Hence, the convergence and divergence in per capita income trends play a major role in increasing or decreasing trade. The findings of this paper suggest that Linder theory can explain the trade behavior of countries under study with members of OIC nations and rest of the world during periods before and after globalization. According to studies by Slaughter, Elahi and Nahavandian globalization leads to convergence in hemisphere per capita income trends and to divergence in global per capita income trends. Thus one can expect that regionalization is more likely to gain ground among the concerned countries are greater under globalization.