Narrowing inequality in human development in Sub-Saharan Africa: does women political empowerment matter?

Abstract

Purpose Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the epicenter of inequalities in human development. This paper investigates the effect of women political empowerment (WPE), a potential but underexplored determinant, on inequalities in human development in this region. Design/methodology/approach The data used for the analyses come from 37 SSA countries over the period 2012–2022. Generalized least squares, two-stage least squares and quantiles via moments regressions are used for the empirical appraisal. Findings The finding reveals that woman political empowerment narrows inequality in human development (IHD). This narrowing effect is greater in lower inequality countries and lower in countries with a higher inequality. Likewise, all three dimensions of WPE reduce IHD. However, civil society is the dimension with the greatest potential for reducing inequalities in human development, followed by civil liberties and political participation. Practical implications The results of the research imply that sub-Saharan countries must pursue efforts to improve WPE in order to reduce inequalities in human development. Originality/value Despite the persistence of inequalities in human development in SSA, less attention has been paid to its determinants. More attention has been paid to the determinants of income inequality, ignoring a no less important part of inequalities: those linked to health and education. This approach does not provide a global view of inequalities. This paper adds news insights by investigating the heterogeneous effect of WPE on inequalities in human development.