Achieving Infant Mortality SDG 3 Target in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Carbon Emission Matter?

Abstract

This study is necessitated by the high rate of infant mortality in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and the need to enhance the chances of these regions achieving SGD 3. The endemic nature of infant mortality in these regions constitutes a threat to attaining the 2030 sustainable development goal (SDG) 3 target. This study examined whether carbon emission matters and how other socio-economic factors militate against the attainment of the infant mortality target in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 1981 to 2019. The study analyzed annual panel series using the Robust Least Squares estimator. The result revealed that carbon emission per capita is the most critical impediment to attaining the SDG 3 target (25 infant mortality rate per 1000 in 2030) in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Fortunately, an increment in per capita income would be the strategic action to attaining the infant mortality target in these regions, and it is imperative to promote maternal education through improvement in female school enrolment rates. While the South Asian economies could afford to rely on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in addition to the aforementioned strategies, the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries should not strongly depend on FDI to address the menace of infant mortality, rather improved social spending that is devoid of corruption and other systemic encumbrances would be more productive in arresting infant mortality in this region. Also, policymakers in Sub-Saharan African economies are encouraged to rely less on FDI and are strongly advised to improve government social spending and to implement pollution abatement policies and environmental regulations in line with international treaties and best practices.