Democracy and Economic Growth in Nigeria: Implications for the Environmental Kuznets Curve

E.0. Okon¹

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.5 , Issue.9 , pp.61-69, Sep-2019

Online published on Sep 30, 2019

Copyright © E.0. Okon . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
This paper seeks to contribute to existing debates on the relationship between democracy and environmental quality by using the Environmental Kuznets Curve analysis approach to investigate the case of Nigeria. The econometric tests resorted to were group unit root tests and Engle-Granger co-integration test. The Conical Co-integration Regression technique was used to estimate the co-integration equation for time span of 1980 to 2018. Finding indicates no existence of EKC hypothesis in Nigeria because of statistical insignificance of the coefficients of GDP per capita and GDP per capita squares at any conventional level of 1%, 5%, or 10%. Rather, improvement of democracy contributes to reduction of carbon dioxide emissions per capita (environmental degradation). Gross domestic investment has a negative and significant effect on carbon dioxide emissions per capita (environmental degradation) but income inequality worsens environmental degradation in Nigeria. In order to maintain and improve the existing level of environmental quality in Nigeria, roadblocks to a strong democracy in Nigeria at all levels of government should be removed. Likewise, environmental laws and policies targeted at ameliorating environmental degradation situation in Nigeria should be effectively enforced.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Conical Cointegraton Regression (CCR), Democracy, Environmental Kuzet Curve, Economic Growth, Income Enequality

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