Re-visiting the resource curse hypothesis in the MINT economies.

Natural resources are extremely important to the economy, particularly in emerging nations such as the MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey) nations. To improve their economic performance, such nations put a priority on maximizing the use of natural resources. These natural materials are the basis on which all living creatures rely, and they are the primary motivation behind contemporary production. Therefore, the current research utilizes a dataset spanning the period from 1970 to 2019 to assess the effect of natural resource on economic growth for the MINT nations. The present study uses a unique quantile-on-quantile regression (QQR) approach to assess this interrelationship. Furthermore, we apply the novel quantile causality suggested by Troster (2018), which identifies causality across quantiles. The findings from the QQR reveal that in the majority of the quantiles, the effect of natural resources on economic expansion is positive in Nigeria and Mexico, while it is negative in Indonesia and Turkey. In addition, a feedback causality is found between economic growth and natural resources for Mexico, Indonesia, and Nigeria. Based on the results, it is paramount for policymakers to develop policies or frameworks that promote cleaner energy sources and more effective use of natural resources, which can aid the country's economic growth.

Does health expenditure matter for life expectancy in Mediterranean countries?

This research assesses the effect of health expenditure and sanitation on life expectancy in Mediterranean countries. We also consider other drivers of life expectancy, such as CO2 emissions and economic growth. The study covers the period 2000-2018, and the recently developed method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) approach was utilised to assess these interconnections. This method is immune to outliers and creates an asymmetric interrelationship between variables. The outcomes from the MMQR unveiled that economic growth, health expenditure, and sanitation enhanced life expectancy in all quantiles (0.1-0.90). Furthermore, in all quantiles (0.1-0.90), the effect of CO2 emissions on life expectancy was negative. Moreover, as a robustness check, the FMOLS, DOLS, and FE-OLS long-run estimators were applied, and the outcomes validated the MMQR outcomes. Based on the results generated, policymakers in these nations should implement effective environmental and public health measures that will pay off in the long run through improved health as a result of lower emissions of CO2, as well as increased economic expansion and productivity.