The Impacts of ICT on Economic Growth in the MENA Countries: Does Institutional Matter?

This study investigates the effects of information and communications technology (ICT) on economic growth.Our study focuses on 16 MENA countries from 1995 to 2018.We examine not only the impact of ICT usage and investment but also the moderating role of the quality of national institutions shaping this relationship.The results obtained using the panel ARDL method suggest that while ICT usage drives economic growth, ICT investment alone has a limited effect.Moreover, our research confirms that higher-quality institutions boost the impact of ICT use and investment on economic expansion.These results are essential for policymakers who want to boost ICT's contribution to GDP growth.