The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approaches

Addressing income disparity is essential to attaining long-term economic development and social fairness, especially in unstable governments, such as Somalia. This assessment, which investigates the period from 1980 to 2022—a period marked by significant political, economic, and social transitions—p...

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Main Authors: Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey, Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed, Abdikani Yusuf Abdulle, Mahdi Mohamed Omar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Economics & Finance
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23322039.2025.2528444
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author Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey
Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed
Abdikani Yusuf Abdulle
Mahdi Mohamed Omar
author_facet Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey
Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed
Abdikani Yusuf Abdulle
Mahdi Mohamed Omar
author_sort Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey
collection DOAJ
description Addressing income disparity is essential to attaining long-term economic development and social fairness, especially in unstable governments, such as Somalia. This assessment, which investigates the period from 1980 to 2022—a period marked by significant political, economic, and social transitions—provides fresh insights into the dynamics of income inequality in Somalia, an area that has received little attention in earlier research. Using ARDL and NARDL models, this study examines the symmetric and asymmetric impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness, and foreign aid on income inequality. The findings reveal that trade openness is associated with lower income inequality, with positive shocks narrowing disparities and negative shocks worsening them in both the short and long term. In contrast, foreign aid and FDI show no significant effect. Long-run inequality is significantly worsened by GDP per capita, inflation, and urbanization, while short-term effects are either insignificant or marginal. The study’s results highlight the need for targeted policies supporting trade openness with protections, encouraging sustainable urbanization, and adopting inclusive economic growth measures to minimize inequality. This study offers a comprehensive framework for policymakers to promote sustainable urban development, inclusive inflation control, and effective FDI and aid management, while tailoring growth strategies to ensure equity, redistribution, and reduced income inequality.
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issn 2332-2039
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spelling doaj-art-237f9d5a1f1d455781df9d17da9ef5ca2025-08-20T03:13:22ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Economics & Finance2332-20392025-12-0113110.1080/23322039.2025.2528444The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approachesAbdi Majid Yusuf Ibey0Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed1Abdikani Yusuf Abdulle2Mahdi Mohamed Omar3Faculty of Economics and Management, Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology, Mogadishu, SomaliaFaculty of Economics and Management, Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology, Mogadishu, SomaliaFaculty of Economics and Management, Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology, Mogadishu, SomaliaFaculty of Economics and Management, Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology, Mogadishu, SomaliaAddressing income disparity is essential to attaining long-term economic development and social fairness, especially in unstable governments, such as Somalia. This assessment, which investigates the period from 1980 to 2022—a period marked by significant political, economic, and social transitions—provides fresh insights into the dynamics of income inequality in Somalia, an area that has received little attention in earlier research. Using ARDL and NARDL models, this study examines the symmetric and asymmetric impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness, and foreign aid on income inequality. The findings reveal that trade openness is associated with lower income inequality, with positive shocks narrowing disparities and negative shocks worsening them in both the short and long term. In contrast, foreign aid and FDI show no significant effect. Long-run inequality is significantly worsened by GDP per capita, inflation, and urbanization, while short-term effects are either insignificant or marginal. The study’s results highlight the need for targeted policies supporting trade openness with protections, encouraging sustainable urbanization, and adopting inclusive economic growth measures to minimize inequality. This study offers a comprehensive framework for policymakers to promote sustainable urban development, inclusive inflation control, and effective FDI and aid management, while tailoring growth strategies to ensure equity, redistribution, and reduced income inequality.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23322039.2025.2528444Income inequalitytrade opennessFDIforeign aidautoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)non-linear ARDL
spellingShingle Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey
Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed
Abdikani Yusuf Abdulle
Mahdi Mohamed Omar
The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approaches
Cogent Economics & Finance
Income inequality
trade openness
FDI
foreign aid
autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)
non-linear ARDL
title The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approaches
title_full The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approaches
title_fullStr The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approaches
title_full_unstemmed The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approaches
title_short The symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness, FDI, foreign aid on income inequality in Somalia: evidence from the ARDL and non-linear ARDL approaches
title_sort symmetric and asymmetric impact of trade openness fdi foreign aid on income inequality in somalia evidence from the ardl and non linear ardl approaches
topic Income inequality
trade openness
FDI
foreign aid
autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)
non-linear ARDL
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23322039.2025.2528444
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