Relationship between Trade Openness, Institutions and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Further Look at the Evidence
Usenobong F. Akpan, Johnson A. Atan
Journal of Economics, Management and Trade · pp. 1–20 · Published 8 Sep 2016
10.9734/BJEMT/2016/28877Abstract
Both theoretical and empirical literatures have present mixed evidence on the impact of trade openness on growth. Recent studies indicate that the mixed results are conditioned, amongst others, on the quality of domestic institutions. This paper examines the evidence for a sample of 23 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using the Pooled OLS and dynamic GMM system estimation techniques over the period 1996-2011. The results suggest that trade openness alone brings significant negative impact on growth performance in SSA. However, once the interaction between trade openness and institutions is allowed for, growth was found to be positively affected by openness. This confirmed that positive impact of trade openness on growth is conditional on the quality of domestic institutions, especially as it relates to control of corruption, government effectiveness and the rule of law. For policy, our results imply that governments in SSA should first strengthen their institutions while adopting a gradual approach to trade liberalization. Also, the paper cautions that for SSA countries to reap from trade openness, consideration must be given to the nature of imports especially those with high R&D contents.
Cited by 19
Muhammad Atiq-ur-Rehman, Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Fatima Farooq · 2021
Shahid Ali, Naved Ahmad · 2021
T. Akinlo, Charles O. Okunlola · Jurnal Perspektif Pembiayaan dan Pembangunan Daerah · 2021
T. Akinlo, Olusola Joel Oyeleke · The Indian Economic Journal · 2020
Semanur Soyyiğit, Seyhun Doğan · 2020
E. Duodu, S. T. Baidoo · 2020
H. Doan · Economies · 2019
Şule Akkoyunlu, Debora Ramella · 2018
Ebenezer Ayaaba, Anuwoje Abonongo · American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics · 2025
Related research
- Utilisation of HIV Self-Testing Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review of Delivery Models, Barriers and Outcomes — shares topic coverage
- A Review of Nosocomial Infections in Sub-Saharan Africa — shares topic coverage
- Women's Participation in Labor Force in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A Review of Determinants and Impacts — shares topic coverage
- Prevalence and Correlates of Major Depressive Disorder among Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis — shares topic coverage
- A Review of User Vulnerabilities Associated with Shared Sanitation Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa — shares topic coverage
Article metrics
Real usage data collected on this platform.
36
Page views
0
PDF downloads
2
Outbound clicks
19
Citations
Views over time
Views by country
Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".
Traffic sources
Referring site, by host.
Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.