Does Government Education Expenditure Affect Educational Outcomes? New Evidence from Sub-Sahara African Countries

Adesoji Farayibi () and Oludele Folarin ()
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Adesoji Farayibi: University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Oludele Folarin: University of Ibadan, Nigeria

No 21/048, Research Africa Network Working Papers from Research Africa Network (RAN)

Abstract: The human capital crisis, reflected in the weak global competitiveness of African education, has questioned the effectiveness of public spending in increasing educational outcomes in the continent. Thus, this article examines the impact of government education expenditure on educational outcomes in 31 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2000-2019 based on a Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). The study sheds light on the priorities of government education spending in the continent. Findings showed that the effect of government education spending on educational outcomes in SSA was driven by the measure of educational outcome used. Government spending in Africa had focused mainly on primary and secondary education to the detriment of tertiary education because it is convenient and generates political gains. Due to institutional rigidities which emanate from the governance structure, the inequitable allocation of government funding had made higher education in Africa less responsive to the changes in global knowledge and labour market demands. Therefore, the following policy agenda becomes imperative in the SSA: (i) government education spending should equitably target all education levels to improve the aggregate human capital development indicators in the region. (ii) There is a need to enhance government institutions' capacity to increase their level of effectiveness and performance.

Keywords: Government Education Expenditure; Educational Outcomes Higher Education; System GMM; sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 E52 E62 J17 J21 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26
Date: 2020-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-isf and nep-mac
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Forthcoming: African Development Review

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