Does causality exist between exports and economic development? Evidence from selected EU countries

Abstract

The investigation focuses on the assessment of inter-linkages between exports performance and economic development in selected EU countries, such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Luxembourg, Denmark, and Iceland. The research covers the period between 1990 and 2019. The author has employed econometric techniques in order to explore inter-linkages between the variables. The correlation analysis has revealed very strong and positive inter-relationships between exports and development in all of the countries under consideration. The Granger causality test has shown evidence of a bidirectional link between exports performance and economic development in Denmark, causality which runs from real GDP per capita to exports per capita in Luxembourg and Iceland, a causal link from exports to development in Latvia, and no causal links between the variables for Lithuania and Estonia. The insights could be useful in terms of the implementation of economic policy aimed at promoting sustainable development in EU countries.