scholarly journals Causes of corruption: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Ato Forson ◽  
Theresa Yaaba Baah-Ennumh ◽  
Ponlapat Buracom ◽  
Guojin Chen ◽  
Peng Zhen
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Instrumental Variable ◽  
National Development ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Press Freedom ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Government Effectiveness ◽  
Regulatory Quality ◽  
Sub Saharan

This study explores the causes of corruption in 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa from 1996 to 2013. The sources of corruption are grouped into three main thematic areas – historical roots, contemporary causes and institutional causes to make way for subjective and objective measures. The subjective measures allow for assessment of the effectiveness of anticorruption policies. Using pooled OLS, fixed-effect and instrumental-variable approaches, and focusing on the perceived level of corruption as the dependent variable, we find that ethnic diversity, resource abundance and educational attainment are markedly less associated with corruption. In contrast, wage levels of bureaucrats and anticorruption measures based on government effectiveness and regulatory quality breed substantial corruption. Press freedom is found to be variedly associated with corruption. On the basis of these findings, we recommend that the fight against corruption on the continent needs to be reinvented through qualitative and assertive institutional reforms. Anticorruption policy decisions should focus on existing educational systems as a conduit for intensifying awareness of the devastating effect of corruption on sustainable national development.

Do Institutions Promote Firm Performance? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-137
Author(s):  
Adamu Jibir ◽  
Musa Abdu ◽  
Farida Bello ◽  
Iliya Garba
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Regulatory Quality ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Control Of Corruption

This article examines the roles of institutions in driving firms’ performance using merged Enterprise Panel Survey data sets collected and compiled by World Bank for 23 sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study used labour productivity as a proxy of firms’ performance due to its advantages over total factor productivity. To address the problems of multiple sources of heterogeneity and simultaneity biases, the study employed high-dimensional fixed-effects model together with its instrumental variable version to estimate the impacts of institutions on firms’ performance in SSA. The study established that institutions contribute significantly and positively to firms’ performance in SSA. The study infers that control of corruption, government effectiveness, regulatory quality and rule of law are pro-market institutions that effectively create favourable business and investment climates. Other findings of the study include capital–labour ratio, export, high school, average labour costs, research and development (R&D) and capacity utilisation, which all drive the firm’s performance in SSA. Thus, the findings imply that prevailing and future policies on business, trade and investment in SSA should also incorporate institutional reforms as one of the essential measures to rapidly and sustainably boost economic performance in the region.

scholarly journals Enhancing governance for environmental sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 014459871990065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice A Asongu ◽  
Nicholas M Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Governance ◽  
Institutional Governance ◽  
Government Effectiveness ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Political Governance

This study assesses whether improving governance standards affects environmental quality in 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2000–2012. The empirical evidence is based on generalized method of moments. Bundled and unbundled governance dynamics are used, notably: (i) political governance (consisting of political stability and “voice and accountability”); (ii) economic governance (entailing government effectiveness and regulation quality), (iii) institutional governance (represented by the rule of law and corruption-control); and (iv) general governance (encompassing political, economic, and institutional governance dynamics). The following hypotheses are tested: (i) Hypothesis 1 ( improving political governance is negatively related to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions); (ii) Hypothesis 2 ( increasing economic governance is negatively related to CO2 emissions); and (iii) Hypothesis 3 ( enhancing institutional governance is negatively related to CO2 emissions). Results of the tested hypotheses show that the validity of Hypothesis 3 cannot be determined based on the results; Hypothesis 2 is not valid, while Hypothesis 1 is partially not valid. The main policy implication is that governance standards need to be further improved in order for government quality to generate the expected unfavorable effects on CO2 emissions.

The Urban Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

10.1068/c3p ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 466-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Kessides
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
National Development ◽  
Favourable Outcome ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Urban Transition ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Sub Saharan

In this paper I ask how the ongoing processes of urban and local government development in Sub-Saharan Africa can and should benefit the countries, and what conditions must be met to achieve this favourable outcome. The region faces close to a doubling of the urban population in fifteen years. This urban transition poses an opportunity as well as a management challenge. Urban areas represent underutilised resources that concentrate much of the countries' physical, financial, and intellectual capital. Therefore it is critical to understand how they can better serve the national growth and poverty reduction agendas. The paper challenges several common ‘myths’ that cloud discourse about urban development in Africa. I also take a hard look at what the urban transition can offer national development, and what support cities and local governments require to achieve these results. I argue that, rather than devoting more attention to debating the urban contribution to development in Africa, real energy needs to be spent unblocking it.

An Historical Assessment and Analysis of Economic Imperialism in West Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale ◽  
Natewinde Sawadogo
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
National Development ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Coast ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Economic Imperialism

Abstract The West African political economy has been shaped by the policies, decisions and actions of dominant European imperialist countries since about over 500 years. Starting with imperial merchant capitalism along the West African coast in the 16th Century and French gradual acquisition of Senegal as a colony as from 1677, West Africa has remained under the imperialist hold. West Africa remains economically dependent on its former colonial masters despite more than 60 years since the countries started gaining independence. The consequences of economic imperialism on West Africa have included exploitative resource extraction, proxy and resource influenced civil wars, illegal trade in natural resources, mass poverty, and external migration of skilled workers necessary for national development. The world sees and broadcasts poverty, starvation, conflict and Saharan migration in the West African sub-continent, but hardly reports the exploitative imperialistic processes that have produced poverty and misery in West Africa in particular and across sub-Saharan Africa in general.

Literacy: Gateway to a World of Exploits

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Biale Zua
Keyword(s):  
Personal Development ◽  
National Development ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
National Governments

The importance of literacy to the personal development of an individual and existence of any nation cannot be overemphasized. Literacy is the foundation for meaningful development of any nation. It is not a single entity but an interconnection of several fields―education, health, agriculture, and more. For example, a literate individual can have access to information relating to her career or business. However, not every individual in the society is literate enough to contribute to national development. Thus, strong literacy skills are necessary to function in today’s contemporary society. This research examines literacy across African countries with a view of determining countries with high literacy rates. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa have low literacy rates with gender and regional disparity. Therefore, sub-Saharan Africa national governments need to develop strong literacy skills in their countries to participate effectively in the globalized society.

Foreign Land Acquisitions, Corruption, and Sustainable Livelihood in Sub-Saharan Africa

2015 ◽  
pp. 237-261
Author(s):  
James E. Conable
Keyword(s):  
National Development ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Land Acquisition ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Negotiated Settlement ◽  
Land Acquisitions ◽  
Foreign Land ◽  
Sub Saharan

This chapter investigates the link between foreign land acquisitions and corruption and its implications for sustainable livelihoods in two countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania. The leading question is, Does foreign land acquisition provide support for sustainable livelihoods or threaten it and why? The findings reveal that foreign land acquisition provides the prospect to build the capacity necessary for the development of Mozambique and Tanzania, but the local communities that host biofuel industries are being exploited and their livelihoods threatened due their marginalization in the land transactions. At a glance, it appears as if land deals are transparent, communities, governments, and foreign investors reach a negotiated settlement that benefits all sides, but land deals are being facilitated by power dynamics, corruption, community cohesion, and promises without fulfillment. Therefore, given local communities equal opportunity to influence land deals will create the environment necessary for cooperation, fulfillment of promises, national development, and improve livelihood opportunities.

scholarly journals Finance, governance and inclusive education in Sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice A. Asongu ◽  
Nicholas M. Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Credit Access ◽  
Government Effectiveness ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of credit access in modulating governance for gender-inclusive education in 42 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with data spanning the period 2004–2014. Design/methodology/approach The generalized method of moments is used as empirical strategy. Findings The following findings are established: First, credit access modulates government effectiveness and the rule of law to induce positive net effects on inclusive “primary and secondary education.” Second, credit access also moderates political stability and the rule of law for overall net positive effects on inclusive secondary education. Third, credit access complements government effectiveness to engender an overall positive impact on inclusive tertiary education. Originality/value Policy implications are discussed with emphasis on sustainable development goals.

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