Government investment in ports is considered one of the key factors in the development of maritime transport infrastructure, which can play a significant role in economic growth. This study, focusing on the blue economy, examines the impact of government investment in ports on Iran's economic growth during the period from 1993 to 2023. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model has been employed for data analysis. The variables examined in this study include fisheries and aquaculture production, the added value of agriculture and forestry, and government investment in ports. Additionally, capital and labor have been considered as control variables. The findings indicate that fisheries and aquaculture production, the added value of agriculture and forestry, capital, and labor have a positive and significant impact on economic growth. In the short run, fisheries and aquaculture production had the greatest impact on GDP. Additionally, the added value of agriculture and forestry, capital, and labor also played a crucial role in stimulating economic growth. In the long run, total fisheries and aquaculture production demonstrated the most substantial and sustained positive impact on economic growth. However, the impact of government investment in ports on Iran’s GDP, both in the short and long run, was found to be insignificant, despite the importance of port infrastructure in trade and transportation development. This finding may be attributed to factors such as inefficiency in port infrastructure utilization, misallocation of resources, institutional and managerial constraints, economic sanctions, and weak connectivity between ports and other transportation sectors. This study emphasizes the importance of effective policymaking and optimal water resource management in achieving economic growth and provides recommendations for improving the performance of the blue economy sector in Iran.
Salarvand, B., hasanvand, A., & Jafari, M. (2025). Investigating the Role of Government Investment in Ports on Economic Growth in Iran with a Focus on the Blue Economy. Public Sector Economics Studies, 4(3), -. doi: 10.22126/pse.2025.11938.1186
MLA
Bahar Salarvand; ali hasanvand; Mohammad Jafari. "Investigating the Role of Government Investment in Ports on Economic Growth in Iran with a Focus on the Blue Economy". Public Sector Economics Studies, 4, 3, 2025, -. doi: 10.22126/pse.2025.11938.1186
HARVARD
Salarvand, B., hasanvand, A., Jafari, M. (2025). 'Investigating the Role of Government Investment in Ports on Economic Growth in Iran with a Focus on the Blue Economy', Public Sector Economics Studies, 4(3), pp. -. doi: 10.22126/pse.2025.11938.1186
VANCOUVER
Salarvand, B., hasanvand, A., Jafari, M. Investigating the Role of Government Investment in Ports on Economic Growth in Iran with a Focus on the Blue Economy. Public Sector Economics Studies, 2025; 4(3): -. doi: 10.22126/pse.2025.11938.1186
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