Effect of Institutions on Health Outcomes in Nigeria

Abstract

This research study investigates the effect of institutions on health outcomes in Nigeria between 1984 and 2020. Two measures of health outcomes used are life expectancy and infant mortality. Using the ARDL bound estimator, this study found that institutions negatively influenced life expectancy both in short run and long run. Thus, the negative influence was only significant statistically in the short run. It means that weak institutional settings do not have 
the impetus to improve the expected average number of years an individual lives after birth. Also, institutional framework has no significant effect on infant mortality both in short run and long run. On the policy front, proper governance and institutional handling must be maintained to ensure appropriate and efficient use of public sector health funds, as well as accountability and transparency to ensure improve life expectancy and curtail infant mortality.