Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional quality

The challenge of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations is to improve the living conditions of citizens, particularly in developing countries. This is crucial for sub-Saharan African countries, as this region has one of the lowest average human development indices in the world....

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Main Authors: Hamidou Ouedraogo, Noël Thiombiano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Economics & Finance
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23322039.2025.2452888
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author Hamidou Ouedraogo
Noël Thiombiano
author_facet Hamidou Ouedraogo
Noël Thiombiano
author_sort Hamidou Ouedraogo
collection DOAJ
description The challenge of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations is to improve the living conditions of citizens, particularly in developing countries. This is crucial for sub-Saharan African countries, as this region has one of the lowest average human development indices in the world. This study examined the role of institutional quality in the effect of financial inclusion on human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries from 2007 to 2022. The results using the Newey-West standard error method reveal that financial inclusion positively affects the human development index. The results also show that institutional quality amplifies the positive effect of financial inclusion on human development. These results are robust to life expectancy, education, GDP per capita, and under-five infant mortality rate. Moreover, the effects on life expectancy are greater in women than men. In terms of implications, our results suggest that improving institutional quality is a prerequisite for promoting sustainable and equitable financial inclusion. In particular, strong institutions that protect women’s rights are essential to foster inclusive human development, enabling greater participation of women in the economy.
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publishDate 2025-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-c7996edf3d774d7eaa8d8fa1f53cfe142025-01-20T07:46:05ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Economics & Finance2332-20392025-12-0113110.1080/23322039.2025.2452888Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional qualityHamidou Ouedraogo0Noël Thiombiano1Department of Economics, Economic and Social Studies, Documentation and Research Center, CEDRES, Thomas SANKARA University, Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoDepartment of Economics, Economic and Social Studies, Documentation and Research Center, CEDRES, Thomas SANKARA University, Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoThe challenge of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations is to improve the living conditions of citizens, particularly in developing countries. This is crucial for sub-Saharan African countries, as this region has one of the lowest average human development indices in the world. This study examined the role of institutional quality in the effect of financial inclusion on human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries from 2007 to 2022. The results using the Newey-West standard error method reveal that financial inclusion positively affects the human development index. The results also show that institutional quality amplifies the positive effect of financial inclusion on human development. These results are robust to life expectancy, education, GDP per capita, and under-five infant mortality rate. Moreover, the effects on life expectancy are greater in women than men. In terms of implications, our results suggest that improving institutional quality is a prerequisite for promoting sustainable and equitable financial inclusion. In particular, strong institutions that protect women’s rights are essential to foster inclusive human development, enabling greater participation of women in the economy.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23322039.2025.2452888Human developmentlife expectancyfinancial inclusioninstitutional qualityWAEMUEconomics
spellingShingle Hamidou Ouedraogo
Noël Thiombiano
Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional quality
Cogent Economics & Finance
Human development
life expectancy
financial inclusion
institutional quality
WAEMU
Economics
title Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional quality
title_full Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional quality
title_fullStr Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional quality
title_full_unstemmed Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional quality
title_short Financial inclusion and human development in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): the role of institutional quality
title_sort financial inclusion and human development in the west african economic and monetary union waemu the role of institutional quality
topic Human development
life expectancy
financial inclusion
institutional quality
WAEMU
Economics
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23322039.2025.2452888
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