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" An assessment of the impact of political regime type on socioeconomic development in Nigeria, 1972–2001 "
Jonathan Chima Ogbonna
M. C. Nwanze
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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53472
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| Doc. No
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TL23426
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| Call number
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3228591
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| Main Entry
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Jonathan Chima Ogbonna
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| Title & Author
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An assessment of the impact of political regime type on socioeconomic development in Nigeria, 1972–2001\ Jonathan Chima Ogbonna
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| College
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Howard University
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| Date
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2005
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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2005
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| Page No
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316
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| Abstract
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Economists have been seeking for over 200 years to understand why some countries are rich and others are poor. Much of the debate has centered on the type of political regime. Yet despite several cross-country regressions to search for empirical linkages between political regimes and socioeconomic development, there is still lack of consensus regarding the nature of the relationship. This study is a comprehensive attempt to revisit the issue in the context of Nigeria. At the beginning of the decade of the 1970s, Nigeria was considered one of the most promising nations in Africa. Its per capita income was in the top twenty in the world. But in the past three decades, the country has moved in the opposite direction, and has provided a depressing model of social and economic stagnation. The study attempts to answer a major question: Was the nature of political regimes (regime type) a significant determinant of socioeconomic development performance in Nigeria between 1972 and 2001? In short, did it matter whether the regime was a Civilian-Democracy or Military-Authoritarian? The study utilized the Freedom House's indexes of democracy (political rights and civil liberties) as barometer for regime types. The subjective indexes were regressed against selected socioeconomic indicators (GNP per capita growth rate, annual inflation rate, foreign debt per capita growth rate, foreign debt ratio growth rate, and physical quality of life index (PQLI) growth rate). The results of the regression analyses did not support the proposition, along with the hypotheses that Civilian-Democratic regime is more favorable for socioeconomic development performance in Nigeria. Indeed, Civilian-Democracy is found to be negatively and significantly correlated with GNP per capita growth rate. The regime type is also found to be positively and significantly correlated with foreign debt ratio growth rate. No significant relationship is found between Civilian-Democracy and foreign debt per capita growth rate, annual inflation rate, and physical quality of life index growth rate. The results also show that Military-Authoritarian regime is negatively and significantly correlated with annual inflation rate via civil liberties, thus suggesting that even under authoritarianism, an improvement in civil liberties can have consumer price stabilizing effect. No significant relationship is found between Military-Authoritarianism and GNP per capita growth rate, foreign debt per capita growth rate, foreign debt ratio growth rate, and physical quality of life index (PQLI) growth rate. The conclusion of this study is that Military-Authoritarianism is not a necessary condition for socioeconomic wellbeing in Nigeria. Civilian-Democracy did not fair well in that context. A different result might be obtained if this study is replicated in the future when democracy takes a foot hold in the country. However, a valid moral argument can be made regarding the intrinsic value of democracy in that it upholds political freedom and nurtures civil liberties, hence, a prerequisite of social justice. Social justice combined with good leadership and governance, all things being equal, will provide economic justice in Nigeria.
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| Subject
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Social sciences; Nigeria; Political regime; Socioeconomic development; Political science; 0615:Political science
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M. C. Nwanze
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Howard University
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