Investigating the Relationship between Fluctuations of Construction Sector Value-Added and Iranian Economy

This research aims to study the relationship between value-added of the construction sector and the Iranian economy using Iranian National Accounts data for period 1959-2014. The gross domestic product of Iran is broken down into three segments: construction, oil, and the rest, and the cyclical components of each of these variables are extracted. Applying different statistical techniques (correlation, least square regression, and vector autoregressive analysis) along with defining and extracting prolonged relative low-activity periods –times consistent of at least two consecutive periods of negative growth rates of the cyclical component– we have found that: 1) fluctuations of oil sector leads those of the construction and the rest (oil and construction excluded) sectors. 2) prolonged relative low-activity periods in the construction sector often begin concurrent or after the whole economy, and often ends one year later than the whole economy. 3) a shock to the rest sector has a significant impact on the construction sector. 4) the fluctuations in the construction sector do not have a significant effect on the rest sector. All in all, the results provide no evidence that the construction sector leads or drives the Iranian economy.