Determinants of Quality of Life in Selected African Countries

International Journal of Economics and Management Studies
© 2018 by SSRG - IJEMS Journal
Volume 5 Issue 3
Year of Publication : 2018
Authors : Sani Muhammad & Abubakar Sabo
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How to Cite?

Sani Muhammad & Abubakar Sabo, "Determinants of Quality of Life in Selected African Countries," SSRG International Journal of Economics and Management Studies, vol. 5,  no. 3, pp. 14-21, 2018. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23939125/IJEMS-V5I3P103

Abstract:

This paper sets out to establish whether the determinants of quality of life identified in the literature on developed countries are valid for developing countries like Africa. The study used a panel sample of twenty three (23) countries for the period of 2008 – 2014 on the basis of availability of data in the region.Thus, fixed effects and random effects model were used to estimate the variables under investigation. The Hausman specification test of 1978 was applied to select the appropriate and better model for the estimation where fixed effects estimation was chosen over random effects estimation. The findings revealed that education, material wellbeing and access to safe drinking water had positive and statistically significant impact on quality of life while mortality rate proxied for health had negative and statistically significant impact on quality of life. However, the leading determinants that highly influenced quality of life are material wellbeing and access to safe drinking water. Consequent upon the major findings, the following recommendations are given; the need for the countries to intensify provision of health care facilities in order to reduce mortality rate; there is also need to boost infrastructural facilities with respect to construction of more schools, provision of more boreholes, more pipe water and other improved water sources; similarly, provision of required facilities and machineries to make best utilization of electricity with a view to improving quality of life.

Keywords:

 Quality of life, education, health, access to safe drinking water, Africa

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