Is per capita growth in Africa hampered by poor governance and weak institutions? An empirical study on the ECOWAS countries

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Title:	Is per capita growth in Africa hampered by poor governance and weak institutions? An empirical study on the ECOWAS countries
Authors:	Diop, Abdoulaye Dufrénot, Gilles Sanon, Gilles
Year:	2010
Periodical:	African Development Review (ISSN 1467-8268)
Volume:	22
Issue:	2
Pages:	265-275
Language:	English
Geographic term:	West Africa
Subjects:	economic development gross national product governance
External link:	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8268.2010.00236.x/pdf
Abstract:	This paper proposes an empirical study of the links between poor governance, weak institutions and the growth of per capita income in the countries that belong to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The authors estimate a conditional beta-convergence model using panel data. They find that variables such as the rule of law, property rights, the regulatory burden, political violence, and government ineffectiveness hinder growth in these countries. An interesting question is then the following: what can the countries do to improve their situations? To answer this question, the authors give several examples (Ghana, Nigeria and NEPAD) of measures that are undertaken in order to strengthen institutions and improve governance. App., bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]