Pro-poor and inclusive growth in West Africa
African Journal of Economic and Management Studies
ISSN: 2040-0705
Article publication date: 2 December 2021
Issue publication date: 15 February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This paper focuses on three key metrics of poverty, income distribution and employment to ascertain the pro-poor and inclusive-growth position of the western African region. The roles of governance structures and their interactive effects are also accommodated to capture the peculiarity of the region.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs fixed and dynamic models.
Findings
Evidence suggests that growth is pro-poor, although virtually all governance indicators are sterile in stimulating poverty reduction. The authors observe that health and education spending coupled with trade-openness stimulate pro-poor growth potentials, whereas conflicts culminate the pervasiveness of poverty in the region. By empirically answering the question of how inclusive is economic growth through the lens of income-distribution and employment, the authors show that growth has been exclusive as per-capita-GDP growth rather dampens income shared by the poorest 20%. Also, it is observed that growth has not been inclusive as the jobless-growth argument remains valid while high inequality further exacerbates unemployment in the region. It is further shown that governance has been generally weak in propelling inclusive growth except where the institutional-component of governance stimulates inclusive growth through improvement in equality and labor employability.
Originality/value
The study jointly examines the metrics of poverty, income distribution and employment to ascertain growth pro-poorness and inclusivity which are key for the achievement of African-union (AU) agenda 2063. The study captures cross-sectional dependence among selected countries which previous studies ignored.
Keywords
Citation
Adeosun, O.A. and Tabash, M.I. (2022), "Pro-poor and inclusive growth in West Africa", African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 105-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-08-2021-0359
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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