---

Casual relationship between financial developments and economic growth is one of the striking empirical macroeconomic relationships. Following the development of financial issues, our attention turns from economic growth to another issue of economic welfare. In this study, we try to examine the relationship between financial developments, economic growth, poverty and inequality in OPEC countries. The simulation of the models and statistical inferences, in this study, are based on the static and dynamic panel data approach. The empirical models are estimated by using GMM estimators, fixed effects and random effects using the data between 1990 and 2004. The results of this study show that financial developments through its effect on economic growth can mainly contribute poverty alleviation and inequality reduction in these countries.

---

In this paper, we analyze the determinants of Intra-Industry trade (IIT) between Iran and her trading partners, i.e. European :union:, ECO, GCC and ASEAN countries using dynamic panel data and GMM during 1997-2009. This study uses country-specific characteristics such as economic size, per capita income, foreign direct investment, geographical distance, and trade imbalance as explanatory variables. The results indicate that economic size, per capita income, and geographical distance explain most of IIT between Iran and her trading partners. According to econometric findings, the economic size has high and positive correlation with IIT, however per capita income affects negatively IIT. Thus, differences in aggregate demand and supply should be considered in selecting trade partners. The similarity in income structure leads to same demand structure and expansion of trade volume. In addition, geographical distance and trade imbalance has negative effect on IIT flow in Iran. 

---

The economic distance refers to the ease or difficulty for goods, services, labor, capital, information, and ideas to traverse space. This variable affects the regional economic growth through influencing location of firms, knowledge spillover and market size. This paper examines the effects of economic distance on regional economic growth by using Dynamic Panel Data model for 28 provinces of Iran over the period 2000-2009. The results show that economic distance has negative effect on regional economic growth.  

---

Energy carriers including elasticity play central roles in development of societies. In this paper, we estimate residential electricity demand among the selected counties of Tehran province, i.e., Tehran, Varamin, Firouzkooh, Damavand, using dynamic panel data model over the period 2000- 2014. The most effective variables which explain demand for residential electricity are per capita income, natural gas real price, weather coldness and hotness index and electricity real price. The estimation results of the short run model reveal that demand for electricity decreases by 0.42 percent for one percent increase in electricity real price. The price of substitute energy carrier such as natural gas is of low effect on electricity demand. There is a positive and significant relationship between electricity demand and household's income. The last period electricity demand is the key effective factor in explaining the current electricity demand with a coefficient of 0.65. The estimation results of the long run model show that one percent change in electricity price changes the demand for electricity by -1.2 percent. In addition, demand for electricity increases by 0.1 percent with one percent increase in income.