Abstract:
This study investigated the relationship between education and corruption in Sub Saharan Africa using a panel dataset spanning from 2012 to 2019 and covering 27
countries. Controlling for government effectiveness, trade openness, inflation, and
GDP per capita, the 2-step system GMM estimator was employed, with panel pooled
OLS and fixed effects estimators for robustness check. The findings reveal a significant
positive relationship between lifelong learning and corruption perception, indicating
that comprehensive education is linked to lower corruption levels. Again, the results
suggest that secondary school education plays a crucial role in combating corruption.
By promoting lifelong learning initiatives and increasing secondary school enrollment,
societies can work towards reducing corruption levels and fostering transparency and
integrity. Furthermore, GDP per capita exhibits a significant negative relationship with
corruption perception, suggesting that higher economic development is associated with
lower corruption levels. These results offer valuable insights for policymakers in Sub Saharan Africa, emphasizing the importance of promoting comprehensive education
systems by the various ministries of educations, agencies and departments responsible
for the implementation of educational policies by governments in the region and
economic development to combat corruption effectively. This study contributes to the
understanding of the role of education in addressing corruption, providing practical
implications for policymakers striving to create more transparent and accountable
societies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Economics Education
Faculty of Social Sciences, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Economics)
in the University of Education, Winneba
