Electricity access, institutional infrastructure and health outcomes in Africa

This study examines both unconditional and conditional roles of poor electricity access and dysfunctional institutions (control of corruption, government effectiveness, regulatory quality and aggregated institutional index) on health outcomes (captured by life expectancy, infant mortality, health expenditure and composite health outcomes) in 45 African economies for the period 2001–2018. Using the system of generalized method of moments (GMM), the study establishes the following findings: first, poor electricity access reduces human life expectancy, increases infant mortality rates and per capita health expenditure and worsens composite health outcomes. Second, institutions unconditionally exert a positive influence on life expectancy, negatively affect infant mortality, have no effect on health expenditure and are found to be indeterminate on composite health outcomes. Third, the marginal effects of interactions between poor electricity access and dysfunctional institutions on health outcomes have contrasting priors but are generally devastating, particularly for electrification schemes in national and urban centers. Fourth, the corresponding net effects of interactions between poor electricity access and the continent’s dysfunctional institutions on health outcomes are similar to that of the marginal effects of interactions. On a final note, the specific covariates driving each of the health metrics are dissimilar across the model specifications. In terms of policy, maintaining quality health status is undeniably contingent on the institutional quality dimensions of electricity access.