Contribution of Islamic Finance to Inclusive Growth: A Comparative Study of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and North African Countries

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose — In recent years, economic growth in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) has been positive, but the precariousness of the population has remained virtually unchanged. Thus, the search for inclusive growth should be considered, and that is the subject of this comparative study to determine the contribution of Islamic finance to inclusive growth. Design/Methodology/Approach — First, this paper sets up an inclusive growth index to undertake a comparative study between WAEMU countries and North African countries before and after the integration of Islamic finance in order to examine the impact of Islamic finance in these countries. The paper then compares these two areas, WAEMU countries and North African countries, variable-by-variable, using a Student’s t-test over the period 2010–2023. The group of North African countries included in this study is found to have a high Islamic finance development indicator compared to the WAEMU zone. Findings — The results show that growth is more inclusive in North African countries. However, the lack of data on Islamic financial institutions operating in the countries examined makes it impossible to determine the extent of their contribution to the economies of these countries. Originality/Value — The studies that have dealt with this topic have been limited to the relationship between finance and the components of inclusive growth. Others have chosen the quality of economic growth as the variable for inclusive growth. However, this study goes beyond that by showing the influence of Islamic finance on an index of inclusive growth that takes into account eight components. This adds value to the existing literature.