Women’s Political Empowerment and Political Instability in Sub-Saharan African Countries

Autonomisation politique des femmes et instabilité politique dans les pays d’Afrique subsaharienne

Eric Fina Kamani, Yannick Kitutila and Tobignaré Yabré
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Eric Fina Kamani: LEO - Laboratoire d'Économie d'Orleans [2022-...] - UO - Université d'Orléans - UT - Université de Tours - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne, LéP [Poitiers] - Laboratoire d'économie de Poitiers [UR 13822] - UP - Université de Poitiers = University of Poitiers
Yannick Kitutila: LEO - Laboratoire d'Économie d'Orleans [2022-...] - UO - Université d'Orléans - UT - Université de Tours - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne
Tobignaré Yabré: BETA - Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée - AgroParisTech - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg - Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) - Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar - UL - Université de Lorraine - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, UTS - Université Ouaga II Thomas-Sankara

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Abstract: Despite the widespread recognition of political instability as a major constraint to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, our understanding of the key factors influencing these countries' ability to achieve a more stable political environment remains limited. Drawing on a sample of thirty-four sub-Saharan African countries, this study provides robust evidence of the importance of women's political empowerment in reducing political instability. This finding is supported by accounting for potential biases, including reverse causality, the effect of observed or unobserved confounders on this relationship, and measurement errors. In-depth analyses reveal that reductions in military expenditures and improvements in democratic governance serve as key mechanisms through which women's political empowerment influences political instability. These findings strengthen the case for policies promoting women's political empowerment as a means of fostering political stability in sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: Women’s political empowerment; Political instability; Transmission channels; Sub-Saharan Africa; Afrique Subsaharienne; Canaux de transmission; Instabilité politique; Autonomisation politique des femmes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-09-25
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Published in Revue d'économie politique, 2025, 135 (4), pp.643-675. ⟨10.3917/redp.354.0643⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05397564

DOI: 10.3917/redp.354.0643

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