The role of the manufacturing sector in the structural changes in the Iraqi economy for the period (2003-2018)

Abstract

This research aims to diagnose the role of the manufacturing sector in the Iraqi economy after 2003 by analyzing the trends of structural change in GDP, employment and capital formation, the general budget and the structure of foreign trade, and diagnosing the most important structural changes that occurred in the manufacturing sector at the level of Branches and transformative activities.

   The research used the structural analysis method, to reveal the relative importance of each component of the economic structure, and the research found that the trends of structural change in GDP, employment and capital formation, the general budget and the structure of foreign trade were a variable dependent on the contribution of the oil sector to the output. In conclusion, the research recommended the need to provide government incentives as an effective way to push industries to invest in industrial products with high added value that promote sustainable growth to reduce dependence on crude oil exports. Which confirms the urgent need to adopt new industrial policies in Iraq aimed at raising the level of economic diversification to improve Iraq's contribution to the global product space with the aim of accelerating the achievement of the goal of structural transformation and confronting structural imbalances.