The Influence of Democracy on Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa

Malaria forms a severe health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Various attempts have been made to combat the disease, but none have succeeded. To understand why this is the case, it is essential to research what political factors can contribute to eradicating malaria. Previous research has claimed that democracy has a positive influence on health outcomes. Nevertheless, very little is known about the causality between democracy and its influence on malaria. This thesis aims to close this gap by answering the following research question: Are democracies better at handling malaria than non-democracies? Several linear regressions are done to test different democratic mechanisms, following the electoral accountability-, public goods- and political trust theory. The overall research findings show a positive but small and insignificant effect on the influence of democracy on malaria. Thus, this thesis does not provide evidence that suggests that democracies are better at handling malaria...Show moreMalaria forms a severe health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Various attempts have been made to combat the disease, but none have succeeded. To understand why this is the case, it is essential to research what political factors can contribute to eradicating malaria. Previous research has claimed that democracy has a positive influence on health outcomes. Nevertheless, very little is known about the causality between democracy and its influence on malaria. This thesis aims to close this gap by answering the following research question: Are democracies better at handling malaria than non-democracies? Several linear regressions are done to test different democratic mechanisms, following the electoral accountability-, public goods- and political trust theory. The overall research findings show a positive but small and insignificant effect on the influence of democracy on malaria. Thus, this thesis does not provide evidence that suggests that democracies are better at handling malaria compared to non-democracies.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The Influence of Democracy on Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa