Multiparty democracy, social cohesion and human development in sub-saharan africa
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2022
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2565
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eng
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171 leaves
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application/pdf
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b216137
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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National Institute of Development Administration. Library and Information Center
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Diori, Hamidou Issaka (2022). Multiparty democracy, social cohesion and human development in sub-saharan africa. Retrieved from: https://repository.nida.ac.th/handle/662723737/6572.
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Multiparty democracy, social cohesion and human development in sub-saharan africa
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Abstract
The reintroduction of multiparty democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa during the early 90s and the persistent poor human development performance of the region have sparked several controversies regarding the need for such a political system in Africa. In the extant literature, these controversies have been characterized by fierce theoretical debates as to whether multiparty democracy influences human development. Until recently, the most commonly held view in this context has been that multiparty systems ameliorate human development and that, they were imperative for a country struggling with development. Lately however, that view has been fiercely challenged and debunked, with a multitudinous number of quantitative and qualitative studies conducted to corroborate the absence of a tangible correlation between multiparty democracy and various measures of human development across the world. On a different level all the while, other scholars seeking to push the debate a little further, have contended that social cohesion, rather than multiparty democracy, has the potential to ameliorate human development. The present dissertation examines these controversies along with the perception of Sub-Saharan African populations concerning the democratic transition and its effect on their well-being. A panel data analysis of 35 countries was conducted within the time spanning 1995 to 2019 to determine the effect of multiparty democracy, social cohesion, and their interaction on human development. Ordinary least squares (OLS), random effects (RE), fixed-effects (FE), and system generalized methods of moments (system-GMM) estimations were used to control for specific characteristics. The study found the following. First, multiparty democracy, which was measured by democracy scores, civil liberties, and political rights, has a positive but distal relationship with human development in sub-Saharan Africa. Second, social cohesion, measured by the state fragility index, has a positive but long-term effect on human development. Third, the interaction between multiparty democracy and social cohesion has a positive long-term effect on human development. Another significant finding of this study was that social cohesion decreases the negative influence of multiparty democracy on human development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, multiparty democracy is likely to improve the well-being of the populations of sub-Saharan Africa if the degree of social cohesion is high. That also means that social cohesion is susceptible to dampening the negative effect of multiparty democracy on human development in the context of this study. As such, social cohesion is critical in terms of the extent to which multiparty democracy wields influence on human development outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is especially true in high cohesive societies where socioeconomic divisions are low and the institutions are inclusive and effective. Hence, citizens enjoy high public spending, a fair revenue share, and fewer disparities in the level of social solidarity. A number of policy recommendations are discussed in the present study towards the achievement of sustained human development in the Sub-Saharan African region.
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Thesis (Ph.D. (Development Administration))--National Institute of Development Administration, 2022