Trade openness and women’s empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: the role of governance

Thierry Messie Pondie, Emmanuel Juakaly Wayisovia and Augustin Mumbere Sibayirwandeke

World Development Perspectives, 2025, vol. 38, issue C

Abstract: Despite numerous studies on women’s empowerment, there are still gaps regarding certain determinants in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study fills this gap by focusing on trade openness and women’s empowerment, with governance as a moderating variable. We analyse our model on a panel of 41 Sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2000 to 2022 using World Development Indicator. Using estimation techniques such as OLS, GLS, Lewbel 2SLS and Kinky Least Square to control for endogeneity and heterogeneity, we find a positive and significant effect of trade openness on women’s empowerment. In addition, governance positively moderates the effect of trade opening on women’s empowerment. In view of these results, it would be important for governments to involve women more in the entrepreneurial system through trade between countries in order to empower them.

Keywords: Empowerment of women; Trade openness; Governance; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F14 F66 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:38:y:2025:i:c:s2452292925000293

DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100684

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