Natural resources, child mortality and governance quality in African countries

Tadadjeu, Sosson; Njangang, Henri; Asongu, Simplice; Kamguia, Brice

doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103702

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…It increases life expectancy from 0.1745 to 0.599 years while improving the effect of school enrollment rates on lowering infant mortality rates from 0.0318 to 0.0484%. These outcomes partially support the findings of Opeloyeru et al 188 , Tadadjeu et al 189 , Iddrisu et al 190 , Alimi and Ajide 191 , Dhrifi 53 , and Asgher et al 192 , who also found the direct and spillover effects of institutional quality on health outcome indicators across different economic contexts. Interestingly, AIQ has been found to be effective in reducing the negative impact of inflationary shocks and economic volatility shocks on both life expectancy and infant mortality rates in the panel under review.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

Unveiling the health consequences of air pollution in the world’s most polluted nations

Azimi,

Rahman

2024

Sci Rep

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Air pollution poses a persuasive threat to global health, demonstrating widespread detrimental effects on populations worldwide. Exposure to pollutants, notably particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm (PM2.5), has been unequivocally linked to a spectrum of adverse health outcomes. A nuanced understanding of the relationship between them is crucial for implementing effective policies. This study employs a comprehensive investigation, utilizing the extended health production function framework alongside the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) technique, to scrutinize the interplay between air pollution and health outcomes. Focusing on a panel of the top twenty polluted nations from 2000 to 2021, the findings yield substantial insights. Notably, PM2.5 concentration emerges as a significant factor, correlating with a reduction in life expectancy by 3.69 years and an increase in infant mortality rates by 0.294%. Urbanization is found to increase life expectancy by 0.083 years while concurrently decreasing infant mortality rates by 0.00022%. An increase in real per capita gross domestic product corresponds with an improvement in life expectancy by 0.21 years and a decrease in infant mortality rates by 0.00065%. Similarly, an elevated school enrollment rate is associated with a rise in life expectancy by 0.17 years and a decline in infant mortality rates by 0.00032%. However, a higher population growth rate is found to modestly decrease life expectancy by 0.019 years and slightly elevate infant mortality rates by 0.000016%. The analysis reveals that per capita greenhouse gas emissions exert a negative impact, diminishing life expectancy by 0.486 years and elevating infant mortality rates by 0.00061%, while per capita energy consumption marginally reduces life expectancy by 0.026 years and increases infant mortality rates by 0.00004%. Additionally, economic volatility shock presents a notable decrement in life expectancy by 0.041 years and an increase in infant mortality rates by 0.000045%, with inflationary shock further exacerbating adverse health outcomes by lowering life expectancy by 0.70 years and elevating infant mortality rates by 0.00025%. Moreover, the study scrutinizes the role of institutional quality, revealing a constructive impact on health outcomes. Specifically, the institutional quality index is associated with an increase in life expectancy by 0.66% and a decrease in infant mortality rates by 0.0006%. Extending the analysis to examine the nuanced dimensions of institutional quality, the findings discern that economic institutions wield a notably stronger positive influence on health outcomes compared to political and institutional governance indices. Finally, the results underscore the pivotal moderating role of institutional quality in mitigating the deleterious impact of PM2.5 concentration on health outcomes, counterbalancing the influence of external shocks, and improving the relationships between explanatory variables and health outcome indicators. These findings offer critical insights for guiding evidence-based policy implications, with a focus on fostering resilient, sustainable, and health-conscious societies.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

Unveiling the health consequences of air pollution in the world’s most polluted nations

Azimi,

Rahman

2024

Sci Rep

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“…The dependent variable of interest in this study is welfare, which is measured using two indicators: The Human Development Index (HDI) and the mortality rate represented by the under‐five mortality rate per 1000 live births. In the literature, the most commonly used measure of welfare is GDP per capita, as it is known to reflect the living standard of people (Tadadjeu et al, 2021). However, human well‐being is multidimensional and encompasses not only income but also aspects, such as health, education, and access to essential resources like water and sanitation, which are crucial for overall welfare.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This nexus on welfare shows that resource‐dependent countries are battling with environmental quality, and, as a consequence, African welfare is at stake given the increasing degradation of the environment. In addition, Tadadjeu et al (2021) examined the impact of natural resource rents on child mortality and governance quality and found that dependence on natural resources by resource‐rich countries is detrimental to child health and thus increases child mortality.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, not much has been done to analyze how dependence on natural resources influences under‐five mortality and human capital development. The closest studies are Sinha and Sengupta (2019), and Noumba et al (2022), which have used HDI as a measure of well‐being and child mortality by Tadadjeu et al (2021). However, none of these has attempted to analyze the mitigating role of PIES on the welfare of resource‐dependent countries in Africa.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Natural resource dependence, policy and institutions for environmental sustainability and African welfare

Mpuure,

Mengba

2023

Sustainable Development

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In developing countries, particularly in Africa, dependence on natural resources poses a threat to development, leading to poor health, reduced productivity, and increased poverty among nations. This raises significant concerns for the prospects and welfare of Africa, given the rising environmental pollution. However, the literature on the mitigating effect of policies and institutions for environmental sustainability (PIES) on resource‐dependent countries in Africa is scarce. As a result, this study explores the effects of natural resource dependence and the mediating effect of PIES on under‐five mortality and human development in Africa. This novel hypothesis may contribute to the divergent differences in African welfare. Using a panel of 30 resource‐dependent countries spanning 2005 to 2021 and employing the two‐step dynamic generalized method of moments, the study provides evidence in support of the novel hypothesis. The findings show that dependence on natural resources can be either a blessing or a curse for African countries, depending on the degree to which environmental sustainability is embraced. Furthermore, a heterogeneous analysis demonstrates significant support for countries with high policies and institutions for environmental sustainability in mitigating the negative impacts of natural resource dependence on welfare. The study concludes that dependence on natural resources without environmental sustainability cannot guarantee a balance between the well‐being of the economy and the environment. Therefore, environmental management should not be politically motivated so as to sustainably improve human well‐ being in Africa.

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“…The dependent variable, which is represented by natural resource revenue, excludes social contributions, and is defined as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It comes from the ICTD and represents the most appropriate measure in the literature (Tadadjeu et al, 2023;Turan and Yanıkkaya, 2020).…”

Section: Variables and The Empirical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rich for its creditors: is tax evasion in the natural resources sector helping to reduce Africa's external debt?

BIKOULA,

PONDIE,

BATE

2023

Preprint

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The massive drain on resources that tax evasion represents, is undermining the dynamic of optimal mobilisation of national resources. In particular, it is essential to recover the resources needed to finance the State's activities and ensure its external and internal solvency. The ability of economies to achieve sustainable development objectives depends essentially on the security of public finances. The mobilisation of both tax and non-tax revenues is a key element for many governments. This study therefore analyses the effect of tax evasion in the natural resources sector on the external debt of 14 African countries, over the period 2009-2022. The results of this analysis are revealing on two levels: firstly, the use of several estimation techniques, such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Pooled Least Squares (PLS), shows a positive and significant direct effect of tax evasion in the natural resources sector on external debt in Africa. This basic result is robust to alternative estimation techniques such as Instrumental Variable Least Squares (IV-2SLS) and System Generalized Least Squares (S-GMM). Second, the consideration of governance variables as transmission channels, shows negative and moderating effects on indebtedness. On the basis of these results, we suggest that good governance should be put in place to mobilise tax revenues and strengthen controls on international profit transfers. Jel codes: H26, H61, P48, H63

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Natural resources, child mortality and governance quality in African countries

Cited by 11 publications

References 99 publications

Unveiling the health consequences of air pollution in the world’s most polluted nations

Unveiling the health consequences of air pollution in the world’s most polluted nations

Natural resource dependence, policy and institutions for environmental sustainability and African welfare

Rich for its creditors: is tax evasion in the natural resources sector helping to reduce Africa's external debt?

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