Title: Assessing Capacity Building and Good Governance Indicators in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Implications for Poverty Reduction
1Assessing Capacity Building and Good Governance
Indicators in Sub-Saharan Africa The
Implications for Poverty Reduction
- By
- Dr. Theodore J. Davis, Jr.
- University of Delaware
- Newark, DE
- United States of America
2Aim of this paper
- To examine two important factors that serve as
the foundation for poverty reduction in
Sub-Saharan Africa - capacity building
- good governance.
3Objectives of Paper
- To do a comparative evaluation of select capacity
building (or human development) markers and
indicators of good governance across regions. - To examine the connection between the select
capacity building measures and the level of
poverty. - To examine the relationship between the
indicators of good governance and level of
poverty. - To discuss the implications for the creation of a
policy approach that results in poverty reduction
and sustainable social, political, and economic
development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
4Capacity Building
- Capacity building has been defined as the
"process of developing and strengthening the
skills, instincts, abilities, processes and
resources that organizations and communities need
to survive, adapt, and thrive in the
fast-changing world." - Capacity building encompass all the human,
scientific, technological, organizational, and
institutional resource capabilities in a country.
- Capacity building occurs on many levels, and
successful capacity building depends heavily upon
human capacity, organizational capacity, and
institutional capacity.
5Good Governance
-
- Governance has been defined as the process of
decision-making and the process of how decisions
are implemented. - Good governance is about how institutions (in
this case public institutions) conduct their
affairs.
6Methods
- Data This study compiles data from the
- World Banks Africa Database,
- the 2010 CIA World Fact Book, and
- the Human Development Report 2010
- Dependent Variables
- Adjusted Human Development Index (HDI)
- The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
7Methods Capacity Building Independent Variables
- Migration/population (or demographic
characteristics) - Population (number)Population growthPercent
urban 2010Annual urban growth 2010Net migration
2011 estimateMedian age - Education
- Mean year of school (adults over 25)Literacy
rate (ages 15 and over)Expected years of
schoolingSchool enrollment, secondary
educationProgression to secondary education
8Methods Capacity Building Independent Variables
- Gender equality
- Percent parliament seats held by womenRatio
male/female with secondary educationRatio
male/female literacyRatio male/female expected
years of schoolRatio male/female in the labor
force - Personal satisfaction.
- With jobWith well-being healthWith your
standard of livingWith affordable housingWith
the health care systemWith the educational
system
9Methods Good Governance Independent Variables
- World Banks Worldwide Governance Indicators
(WGI) - voice and accountability
- political stability and absence of violence
- government effectiveness
- regulatory quality
- rule of law
- control of corruption.
10Findings Regional Differences
- There were significant differences in the
capacity building and good governance measures
across regions. - Differences in gender equality and personal
satisfaction with life opportunities were most
evident across regions. - The data indicated that good governance continues
to be an issue throughout Sub-Saharan Africa
regardless of region.
11Findings Capacity Building and Poverty Level
- The showed that the migration and population
characteristics were associated with producing
change in the level of poverty. - It showed that the level of education among the
nations population had the greatest potential
for explaining variation in the nations level of
poverty.
12Findings Capacity Building and Poverty Level
- The data indicated that gender equality was
important in reducing poverty to the extent that
it relates to inequality in education. - It showed that personal satisfaction with life
opportunities or government services had no
significant influence on the nations level of
poverty.
13Findings Good Governance and Poverty Level
- While some nations (in some regions) had better
good governance scores than others, no single
nation or region in Sub-Sahara Africa could be
identified having the good governance
characteristics necessary to aid in poverty
reduction - Good governance appears to be a stronger factor
influencing changes in poverty level, but weaker
in explaining variation in poverty.
14Models Predicting Levels of Poverty in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Human Development Index Multidimensional Poverty Index
Constant .240 .249
Population growth ---- .101 (.031)
Median age ----
Median Years of School .013 (.004) -.026 (.009)
Expected years schooling ---- ----
Ratio male/female literacy ---- ----
Ratio male/female expected years of school ---- ----
Government Effectiveness .062 (.016) ----
Regulatory Quality __ __
Adjusted R2 .522 .574
Stepwise Regression P lt .01 P lt .001
Standard Error in parenthesizes
15Models Predicting the Multidimensional Poverty
Index Score
B StandardError Significance
Constant .240
Population growth .152 .040 .004
Median age ---- ---- ----
Median Years of School -.040 .011 .001
Expected years schooling .020 .010 .045
Ratio male/female literacy .355 .165 .040
Ratio male/female expected years of school -.436 .197 .036
Government Effectiveness ---- ----
Regulatory Quality ---- ----
Adjusted R2 .626
P lt .01 P lt .001 Standard Error in
parenthesizes
16Closing Thoughts and Policy Suggestions
- If Africa is to become economically viable in an
increasingly globalized world, the nations and
regions must develop educational policies that
will increase literacy and the median years of
formal education. - Non-governmental policy organizations should
encourage a development strategy that - Develops a minimum continental educational
standard - Stresses access to quality public education
- Improves the quality of public education
- Ensures gender equality and equity in public
education
17Closing Thoughts and Policy Suggestions
- The findings suggest that policies and efforts
aimed at improving government effectiveness,
political stability and regulatory quality would
have a significant impact on poverty reduction
efforts. - The findings lend support to the adoption of an
integrated policy approach that takes into
consideration social development alongside with
economic development as a means to reduce poverty
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
18Closing Thoughts and Policy Suggestions
- The social component of the strategy would
emphasize human capital development, while the
economic component would employ an inclusive
growth strategy that improves the delivery of
core public services and spread the benefits of
economic growth more widely among the population.
- Inclusive growth strategy would necessitate the
develop of policies that provide the poor with
opportunities to improve their situation