Transforming Economic Growth to Human Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Elite Political Instability

In the light of the increasing attention on human development (HD) as well as the importance of political instability (PI) in economic performance, this paper examines the role of PI in the transformation of economic growth to HD. It finds that élite PI—the frequency of coups d'état in sub-Saharan Africa—adversely affected the transformation of economic growth to HD, measured as the change in an index of life expectancy and literacy, between 1970 and 1985. Coupled with an additional indirect negative effect on GDP growth, élite PI is found to have engendered a significant adverse impact on HD.