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This paper calculates an index measuring economic sustainability for the mainstream economy in the MENA region during the period 1999-2016. Our approximation says that a large value of the index indicates more stress on the economy or low sustainability and vice versa. We also explore some macroeconomic variables as potential determinants of economic sustainability. We employ the panel data analysis, in particular the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS). Our results show that economic development, trade openness, and political stability encourage economic sustainability. In contrast, government expenditures and control of corruption hinder the sustainability of the economy. Our paper suggests that policymakers should concentrate on economic development, enhance the trade openness, and create political stability environment to strengthen economic sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper explores the effect of economic performance variables on the carbon intensity of human well-being (CIWB) for 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region over the period (1995–2013). We use a time-series cross-sectional Prais–Winsten regression model with panel-corrected standard errors (PCSEs). We find that economic performance has a statistically significant positive influence onCIWBover the period in question; thus, economic performance harms the environment, but the final effect deviates to a constant level after a while. This finding is not encouraging from the economic sustainability point of view. On the contrary, we find that total health expenditure has a statistically significant negative impact onCIWBby increasing life expectancy, which means less stress on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]