The study explores both the long- and short-run liaisons between three
conceptual dimensions: economic growth, energy consumption, and trade
openness in 29 net energy importing middle-income economies using annual
data from 1990 to 2019. We hereby assess ARDL models which examine the
long-run links by integrations in between these three conceptual variables,
and additionally Dumitrescu-Hurlin and Granger causality tests for panel and
individual country models, respectively. For panel country samples, we
reveal bidirectional causality connection between trade openness and
economic growth along with unidirectional causalities from economic growth
to energy consumption and from energy consumption to trade openness in the
short run. Bidirectional positive feedback relationships stand between
economic growth- energy consumption and trade openness- energy consumption
in the full sample and the upper middle-middle economies subsample in the
long run. Findings for individual country estimations reveal significant
long-run relationships between energy consumption and economic growth in 12,
energy consumption -and trade openness in 6, and economic growth -and trade
openness in 9 of the middle-income economies examined.