Poor Numbers: explanation of Africa's statistical tragedy

Kodila-Tedika, Oasis (2013): Poor Numbers: explanation of Africa's statistical tragedy.

Abstract

Why does sub-Saharan Africa have statistics of low quality? We try to provide an answer by empirically testing a plethora of hypotheses. Results show that with the exception of English, French and Portuguese colonies, other colonies have a weak statistical capacity. Ethnic fragmentation, openness and revolutions lead to the same conclusion. Government effectiveness positively associated statistical capacity. The level of development has a nonlinear relationship with statistical capacity, while the effect of human capital remains complex.

Pourquoi l’Afrique sub-saharienne a des statistiques de faible qualité ? Nous testons à partir d’un échantillon africain plusieurs hypothèses explicatives, de manière empirique. Les résultats suggèrent que les colonies autres qu’anglaises, portugaises et françaises ont des faibles capacités statistiques. La fragmentation ethnique, l’ouverture et les révolutions conduisent aussi à la même conclusion. L’efficacité du gouvernement est positivement liée à la capacité statistique. Le niveau de développement est associé de manière non linéaire à la capacité statistique. L’effet du capital humain reste complexe.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• English Title: Pauvreté de chiffres : explication de la tragédie statistique africaine
• Language: French
• Keywords: Afrique sub-saharienne, capacité statistique, qualité des données
• Subjects: E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E0 - General > E01 - Measurement and Data on National Income and Product Accounts and Wealth ; Environmental Accounts; N - Economic History > N1 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics ; Industrial Structure ; Growth ; Fluctuations > N17 - Africa ; Oceania

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