IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/vrs/quageo/v41y2022i2p21-35n9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regional Economic Integration and Its Impact on Income Distribution and the Poverty Level: The Case of the WAEMU Zone

Author

Listed:
  • Yameogo Claire E. W.

    (Department of Economics, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria)

  • Omojolaibi Joseph A.

    (Department of Economics, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria)

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of regional economic integration (REI) on poverty reduction and the revenue distribution in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) over the period 1994–2018. The second generation panel unit root tests and the Westerlund panel cointegration test were employed for preliminary analysis. The elasticities of the variables were investigated using the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) approach. The results showed that REI reduced income inequality and increased the poverty rate. Moreover, the causal relationship revealed the presence of a bidirectional relationship between REI and poverty. The feedback causal effect operated between REI and remittances, while unidirectional causality runs from REI to income inequality, from economic growth per capita to income inequality, from remittances to poverty, from the control of corruption to income inequality, and from remittances to economic growth. Consequently, the study recommends an easing of governmental regional integration restrictions and provision of subsidies that help to increase the volume of trade and financial development while reducing poverty in the union.

Suggested Citation

  • Yameogo Claire E. W. & Omojolaibi Joseph A., 2022. "Regional Economic Integration and Its Impact on Income Distribution and the Poverty Level: The Case of the WAEMU Zone," Quaestiones Geographicae, Sciendo, vol. 41(2), pages 21-35, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:quageo:v:41:y:2022:i:2:p:21-35:n:9
    DOI: 10.2478/quageo-2022-0014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.2478/quageo-2022-0014
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.2478/quageo-2022-0014?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    2. Tien Dung Nguyen & Misuo Ezaki, 2005. "Regional Economic Integration And Its Impacts On Growth, Poverty And Income Distribution: The Case Of Vietnam," Review of Urban & Regional Development Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(3), pages 197-215, November.
    3. Foster, James & Greer, Joel & Thorbecke, Erik, 1984. "A Class of Decomposable Poverty Measures," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 761-766, May.
    4. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    5. Joakim Westerlund, 2007. "Testing for Error Correction in Panel Data," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 69(6), pages 709-748, December.
    6. Dumitrescu, Elena-Ivona & Hurlin, Christophe, 2012. "Testing for Granger non-causality in heterogeneous panels," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 1450-1460.
    7. Julien Gourdon & Nicolas Maystre & Jaime de Melo, 2015. "Openness, Inequality and Poverty: Endowments Matter," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Developing Countries in the World Economy, chapter 20, pages 497-532, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    8. Park, Cyn-Young & Claveria, Racquel, 2018. "Constructing the Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation and Integration Index: A Panel Approach," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 544, Asian Development Bank.
    9. T. S. Breusch & A. R. Pagan, 1980. "The Lagrange Multiplier Test and its Applications to Model Specification in Econometrics," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 47(1), pages 239-253.
    10. Castilho, Marta & Menéndez, Marta & Sztulman, Aude, 2012. "Trade Liberalization, Inequality, and Poverty in Brazilian States," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 821-835.
    11. Bui, Tuan & Dungey, Mardi & Nguyen, Cuong & Pham, Phuong, 2016. "Impacts of Economic Integration on Living Standards and Poverty Reduction of Rural Households," MPRA Paper 71129, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Mishkin, Frederic S., 2009. "Globalization and financial development," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 164-169, July.
    13. Stock, James H & Watson, Mark W, 1993. "A Simple Estimator of Cointegrating Vectors in Higher Order Integrated Systems," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 61(4), pages 783-820, July.
    14. Adams, Richard H. & Cuecuecha, Alfredo, 2013. "The Impact of Remittances on Investment and Poverty in Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 24-40.
    15. Eyram Silo Ametoglo, Muriel & Guo, Ping & Ossadzifo Wonyra, Kwami, 2018. "Regional Integration and Income Inequality in ECOWAS Zone," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 33(3), pages 604-627.
    16. Bergh, Andreas & Nilsson, Therese, 2011. "Globalization and Absolute Poverty – A Panel Data Study," Working Paper Series 862, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    17. Jason Beckfield, 2006. "European Integration and Income Inequality," LIS Working papers 447, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    18. Giovanni Andrea Cornia, 2011. "Economic Integration, Inequality and Growth: Latin America Versus the European Economies in Transition," Review of Economics and Institutions, Università di Perugia, vol. 2(2).
    19. John Anyanwu, 2011. "Working Paper 135 - International Remittances and Income Inequality in Africa," Working Paper Series 325, African Development Bank.
    20. Tarun Bose & Jannatul Bristy, 2017. "Are Countries Participating into Regional Integration Performing Better in Growth and Liberalization Than Non-Participators? A Study on European Countries," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(2), pages 171-171, January.
    21. repec:dau:papers:123456789/5833 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Bukhari, Mahnoor & Munir, Kashif, 2016. "Impact of Globalization on Income Inequality in Selected Asian Countries," MPRA Paper 74248, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    23. Saikkonen, Pentti, 1991. "Asymptotically Efficient Estimation of Cointegration Regressions," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(1), pages 1-21, March.
    24. Meschi, Elena & Vivarelli, Marco, 2009. "Trade and Income Inequality in Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 287-302, February.
    25. John C. ANYANWU, 2011. "International Remittances And Income Inequality In Africa," Review of Economic and Business Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 7, pages 117-148, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muhammad Ibrahim Shah, 2021. "Investigating the Role of Regional Economic Integration on Growth: Fresh Insights from South Asia," Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, Emerging Markets Forum, vol. 13(1), pages 35-57, January.
    2. Duc Hong Vo & Thang Cong Nguyen & Ngoc Phu Tran & Anh The Vo, 2019. "What Factors Affect Income Inequality and Economic Growth in Middle-Income Countries?," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Angeliki N. Menegaki, 2019. "The ARDL Method in the Energy-Growth Nexus Field; Best Implementation Strategies," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-16, October.
    4. Shrestha, Santosh & Kotani, Koji & Kakinaka, Makoto, 2021. "The relationship between trade openness and government resource revenue in resource-dependent countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. Liu, Xuyi & Kong, Hao & Zhang, Shun, 2021. "Can urbanization, renewable energy, and economic growth make environment more eco-friendly in Northeast Asia?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 23-33.
    6. Hasanov, Fakhri J. & Bulut, Cihan & Suleymanov, Elchin, 2016. "Do population age groups matter in the energy use of the oil-exporting countries?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 82-99.
    7. Terver Theophilus Kumeka & Isiaka Akande Raifu & Oluwatosin Adeniyi, 2024. "Globalisation and Inclusive Growth in Africa: The Role of Institutional Quality," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 59(1), pages 62-97, February.
    8. Ali, Adnan & Ramakrishnan, Suresh & Faisal, Faisal & Ghazi H Sulimany, Hamid & Bazhair, Ayman Hassan, 2022. "Stock market resource curse: The moderating role of institutional quality," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Muhammad Shafiullah & Vassilios G. Papavassiliou & Muhammad Shahbaz, 2021. "Is There an Extended Education-Based Environmental Kuznets Curve? An Analysis of U.S. States," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 80(4), pages 795-819, December.
    10. Ogali, Oscar I.O. & Okoro, Emeka E. & Olafuyi, Saburi G., 2023. "Assessing consensus on nexus between natural gas consumption and economic growth," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    11. Nimonka Bayale & Brigitte Kanga Kouassi, 2022. "The Devil is in the Details: On the Robust Determinants of Development Aid in G5 Sahel Countries," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 64(4), pages 646-680, December.
    12. Kostakis, Ioannis & Arauzo-Carod, Josep-Maria, 2023. "The key roles of renewable energy and economic growth in disaggregated environmental degradation: Evidence from highly developed, heterogeneous and cross-correlated countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1315-1325.
    13. Jaunky, Vishal Chandr, 2011. "The CO2 emissions-income nexus: Evidence from rich countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1228-1240, March.
    14. Muhammad Shahbaz & Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad & Mantu Kumar Mahalik & Perry Sadorsky, 2018. "How strong is the causal relationship between globalization and energy consumption in developed economies? A country-specific time-series and panel analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(13), pages 1479-1494, March.
    15. Aladejare, Samson Adeniyi, 2022. "Natural resource rents, globalisation and environmental degradation: New insight from 5 richest African economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Ma, Yechi & Chen, Zhiguo & Shinwari, Riazullah & Khan, Zeeshan, 2021. "Financialization, globalization, and Dutch disease: Is Dutch disease exist for resources rich countries?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    17. Murshed, Muntasir & Saboori, Behnaz & Madaleno, Mara & Wang, Hong & Doğan, Buhari, 2022. "Exploring the nexuses between nuclear energy, renewable energy, and carbon dioxide emissions: The role of economic complexity in the G7 countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 664-674.
    18. Usman, Muhammad & Makhdum, Muhammad Sohail Amjad, 2021. "What abates ecological footprint in BRICS-T region? Exploring the influence of renewable energy, non-renewable energy, agriculture, forest area and financial development," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 12-28.
    19. Cuicui Ding & Khatib Ahmad Khan & Hauwah K. K. AbdulKareem & Siddharth Kumar & Leon Moise Minani & Shujaat Abbas, 2024. "Towards a healthier future for the achievement of SDGs: unveiling the effects of agricultural financing, energy poverty, human capital, and corruption on malnutrition," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    20. Francisco García-Lillo & Eduardo Sánchez-García & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Pedro Seva-Larrosa, 2023. "Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Overview," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic integration; poverty; income inequality; remittances; WAEMU; PMG;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:vrs:quageo:v:41:y:2022:i:2:p:21-35:n:9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciendo.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.