Ethnic Diversity and Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Do Institutions Reduce the Noise?

Abstract

Studies on the causes of income differences between the rich and the poor have received an extensive attention in the inequality empirics. While ethnic diversity hasalso been identified as one of the fundamental causes of income inequality, the role of institutions as a mediating factor in the ethnicity-inequality nexus has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. To this end, this study complements the existing literature by investigating the extent to which institutional framework corrects the noisy influence originating from the nexus between "ethnic diversity" and inequality in 26 sub-Saharan African countries for the period 1996-2015. The empirical evidence is based on pooled OLS, fixed effects and system GMM estimators. The main findings reveal that the mediating influences of institutional settingsaredefective, thus making it extremely difficult to modulatethe noisy impacts of ethno-linguistic and religious heterogeneity on inequality. In addition, the negative influencesorchestrated by ethnolinguistic and religious diversities on inequality fail toattenuate the impact of income disparityeven when interacted with institutions. On the policy front, institutional reforms tailored toward economic, political and institutional governances should be targeted.

Constructing undesirables: A critical discourse analysis of othering of Fulani nomads in the Ghanaian news media

“…The research has also examined the discursive strategies of (de)legitimation used in the representations and evaluations given to minority groups, bringing to the fore the role of language in identity construction, argumentation, and the reproduction of ideologies. Despite this burgeoning research, there is a paucity of studies in the African context, even though discourses on especially ethnic minorities are predominant in the media given the ethnically heterogeneous nature of Africa’s populations (Ajide et al, 2019). The work of Innocent Chiluwa on the Niger Delta crisis (Chiluwa, 2011) and herder-farmer conflict (Chiluwa and Chiluwa, 2020) in Nigeria touches on ethnic minorities issues, but does so indirectly as the focus is on conflict and the language of aggression.…”

Urbanisation, qualité des institutions et santé publique dans les pays d'Afrique subsaharienne

“…Des institutions fortes peuvent en effet garantir dans les zones urbaines, l ' équité dans l ' accès à des services sociaux de base modernes. En outre, de bonnes institutions sont associées à la croissance économique (Abubakar, 2020), à la réduction de la pauvreté et des inégalités (Ajide et al, 2019) et à l ' augmentation du bien-être subjectif (Sulemana, 2015), ce qui améliore finalement l ' espérance de vie des personnes et réduit les taux de mortalité.…”

“…La bonne qualité des institutions en garantissant les droits de propriété et le respect de la loi, constitue une bonne incitation à la performance économique (Acemoglu & Robinson, 2012) alors que les institutions extractives, caractérisées par la recherche de rente et la corruption conduisent à une prolifération de l ' économie informelle et à la paupérisation (Friedman et al, 2000). Des décennies de recherches ont confirmé, particulièrement en ASS, que la faiblesse des institutions réduit la croissance économique (Abubakar, 2020 ;Fayissa & Nsiah, 2013 ;Iheonu et al, 2017), tout en augmentant la pauvreté, les inégalités (Ajide et al, 2019 ;Asongu, 2014 ;Sulemana & Kpienbaareh, 2018) et les contraintes environnementales (Eregha & Mesagan, 2016 ;Perveen et al, 2020 ;Solarin et al, 2017 ;Yameogo et al, 2021). Cependant, peu de travaux ont intégré cet aspect dans leurs analyses de l ' urbanisation et de son effet sur la santé publique.…”