Economics Research

Abstract The current study, drawing on mathematical modeling, aimed at uncovering factors influencing life expectency (as a proxy of health) among OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) countries. More specifically, this article tried to examine health criteria set in the Muslim world in homogeneous income countries. In doing so, we initially depict a conceptual model, and then investigate the various factors affecting health issues by the use of a generalized model developed by Grossman in those countries. The findings of the study ( in a period from 1995 to 2009) revealed that the effective factors were the varibles of GDP per capita, the ratio of total health costs in GDP, out of pocket, malnutrition, and the rates of adolescent fertility. That is, the medical, economic, social, and environmental factors were reported as those influencing the healthy issues in these countries. Moreover, except for upper middle average income Muslim countries, the health conditions of  homogenous groups of income ( i.e. low income, lower-middle-income, middle-income and high-income) have been improved by reducing the rate of teen childbearing variables (social development) and risk of malnutrition (living conditions), though they have not been affected  by these two factors. The implications of this study discussed the growing income trend with increasing GDP per capita and the ratio of health spending to gdp (economic inputs), and this fact, in turn, shows the effects of the economic inputs on the improvement of health status in Muslim countries.

Abstract Middle East is one of the important regions in the world and this importance is strategic because of matters such as the volume of oil reserves and its production in this region. But there is a visible lack of an intensive Regional Trade Agreement in the region that if existed, could give rise to economic convergence between the countries of the region. So it seems useful to examine the effects of creating a hypothetical economic agreement in Middle East. For this purpose, this paper is an attempt to analyze the consequences of membership in a regional trade agreement on trade flows between the countries of this region.  The model used is an extended version of the Gravity model and the data was compiled across a number countries in Middle East over 2002-2009. The findings demonstrate that the creation of a Trade Block in Middle East region would be ineffective.