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Health expenditure and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: An empirical investigation

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  • Odhiambo, Nicholas M
Abstract
In this study, the causal relationship between health expenditure and economic growth is examined using panel data from sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2008-2017. The study decomposes health expenditure into two components: public health expenditure and private health expenditure. In order to establish whether the causal relationship between health expenditure and economic growth depends on a country?s level of income, the study divides the studied countries into two groups: low-income countries and middle-income countries. In order to address the omission-of-variable bias, which is associated with some of the previous studies, the study incorporates life expectancy as an intermittent variable between health expenditure and economic growth ? thereby creating a system of multivariate equations. Using a panel ECM-based Granger-causality model, the study found that when public expenditure is used as a proxy, a distinct unidirectional causality from health expenditure to economic growth is found to prevail in low-income countries, but no causality is found to exist in middle-income countries. However, when private health expenditure is used, a short-run causality from economic growth to health expenditure is found to prevail in middle-income countries, but no causality is found to exist in low-income countries. Policy implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Odhiambo, Nicholas M, 2021. "Health expenditure and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: An empirical investigation," Working Papers 27167, University of South Africa, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:uza:wpaper:27167
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Babar Nawaz Abbasi & Zhimin Luo & Ali Sohail & Liu Yang & Liang Huimin & Chen Rongrong, 2024. "Global Shocks of Education, Health, and Environmental Footprint on National Development in the Twenty-First Century: A Threshold Structural VAR Analysis," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 992-1028, March.
    3. Ayfer Ozyilmaz & Yuksel Bayraktar & Esme Isik & Metin Toprak & Mehmet Bilal Er & Furkan Besel & Serdar Aydin & Mehmet Firat Olgun & Sandra Collins, 2022. "The Relationship between Health Expenditures and Economic Growth in EU Countries: Empirical Evidence Using Panel Fourier Toda–Yamamoto Causality Test and Regression Models," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-17, November.
    4. Fredrick Nsambu Kijjambu & Benjamin Musiita & Asaph Kaburura Katarangi, 2024. "Human Capital Development and Unemployment in Uganda: The Keynesian Theory of Unemployment in Perspective," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 16(1), pages 94-108.

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    Keywords

    Health Expenditure; Economic Growth; Sub-Saharan Africa; Panel Granger Causality;
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