Institutional Quality and Health Outcomes: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria

Abstract

Poor quality of institutions is detrimental to the performance of health sector. This study
investigated the nexus between institutional quality and health outcomes in Nigeria. Time
series secondary data were sourced form world development indicators and world
governance indicators from 1988 to 2022. The study employed the Auto-regressive
Distributed Lag Model. The short run result revealed that government effectiveness and
political stability both have a negative and significant impact on maternal mortality rate in
Nigeria while control of corruption on the other hand has a significant positive impact on
life expectancy. The long-run result revealed that all the institutional quality indicators
except control of corruption are positive and significant on both health outcomes. Based on
the findings, the study recommended that efforts should be made to enhance control of
corruption, strengthening the rule of law, promoting political stability, combating violence
and terrorism, and improving government effectiveness. These policy measures can
positively impact maternal health outcomes and overall life expectancy by ensuring
transparent and accountable healthcare systems, equal access to justice, peaceful
environments, and effective governance of healthcare resources.