Are current account deficits sustainable? new evidence from Iran using bounds testing approach to level relationships

Abstract

his paper provides new evidence on the long-run relationship between exports and imports of the Iranian economy by employing bounds testing approach to level relationships. In Iran, there have been many unusual policy changes and/or external shocks to the economy; this has resulted in the occurrence of a multitude of structural breaks in macroeconomic variables. By taking these breaks into account, results of the present study reveal that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between imports and exports over the sample period, 1960-2007. This result confirms the finding of Arize (Imports and exports in 50 countries: Tests of cointegration and structural breaks, 2002) by employing bounds tests to level relationships and suggests that current account deficits in Iran are sustainable. © Author(s) 2012.