Public Health Expenditure, Institutional Quality, and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Synergistic Dynamics Approach

Abstract

This study investigates public health expenditure, institutional quality and economic growth in sub-Sahara Africa: A synergistic Dynamics Approach an ex-post facto research covering from 2000 to 2022, sourced from the World Bank Development Indicators and World Governance Indicators. The study adopted Pooled Mean Group Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PMG/ARDL) as an estimation technique. It was found that in isolation public health expenditure has negative impact on the growth, at the 5% level of significance, while it was equally observed that institutional quality has same negative on the growth at 1% significant level. But when combined they have positive impact on the growth of the economy at 1% significance level. At the same time, it was equally observed from the findings that, life expectancy demonstrated a positive impact on the growth at 1% level of significance, gross fixed capital formation exhibits positive impact at 5% statistically significant while trade openness contributes positive impact on economic at 1% all in the long-run. However, coming from the findings, the study therefore concludes, with the recommendations, that government should strengthen institutions by enhancing governance and of course reducing high level of corruption, so that there would be an improvement in public health expenditure and also implement policies to optimise and minimise mismanagement of public spending.