Trade openness as a globalization index is an area that has attracted the attention of many economists, planners and policy makers. In this study the effect of trade openness on human development has been examined. Today, human development is the most modern criterion that determines the status of any country in the UN and human development index (HDI) and its growth rate have major role in preparing countries for their participation in the global economy arena. In this regard, the effect of trade openness on human development has been studied in this research in 11 oil-rich developing countries over the period 1998-2009 by panel data approach. The results indicate that the degree of trade openness and school life expectancy have significant positive effect on human development, while the infant mortality rate has significant negative effect on it.

Keywords