Institutional Quality and Economic Performance in Nigeria: A New Evidence

Abstract

The question of whether institutional quality is an important driver of growth has been the subject of a growing literature in both developed and developing economies across the globe. This study revisits this relationship in Nigeria from 1981Q1 to 2016Q4 and discusses the relevant policy implications for post Covid-19 Nigeria. The study adopted the ARDL approach which uses a bounds test approach based on unrestricted error correction model (UECM) to test for a long run relationship among the relevant variables. The findings indicate that institutional quality impacts negatively but insignificantly on growth in Nigeria, both at the aggregate and sectoral levels. However, initial output growth levels, capital and labour were found to be important drivers of growth in the country, while trade is growth-retarding. The study concludes that in this post Covid-19 era in Nigeria, there is need to improve the quality of socio-economic and political institutions in the country so that a more robust impact of these institutions can be felt in the economic performance of the country both at the aggregate and sectoral levels.