A panel data analysis of social cohesion and human development causality

PDF (English)
Veröffentlicht: gen 21, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/scad.44247
Arsene Honore Gideon Nkama
The University of Yaounde 2, Cameroon
Abstract

The literature on human development is mostly centered on human development core dimensions: health, education and living standard. Studies centered on non-core dimensions such as human rights, participation, and social dimensions are relatively less abundant compared to the formers. With regard to non-core dimensions, few cases consider the relationship between social cohesion and human development. For the few cases considering such aspect, none assesses the bidirectional relationship between the two concepts. This paper uses a panel data approach to investigate the relationship between social cohesion and human development in 61 countries all over the world. Two indices are used for this end: the Human Development Index (HDI) of the Human Development Report Office and an index of social cohesion from the Institute of Development Studies’ database for the period 1990 to 2010. The main findings suggest that in the long run there is a positive and significant bidirectional relationship between social cohesion and human development. No relationship is found in the short run. The study recommends investment in social cohesion to build human
development.

Article Details
  • Rubrik
  • Articles
Creative-Commons-Lizenz
Dieses Werk steht unter der Lizenz Creative Commons Namensnennung - Nicht-kommerziell - Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen 4.0 International.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Keine Nutzungsdaten vorhanden.
Autor/innen-Biografie
Arsene Honore Gideon Nkama, The University of Yaounde 2, Cameroon

Arsene Honore Gideon Nkama is Associate Professor in The University of Yaounde 2, Cameroon. He teaches Microeconomics and transport economics (Post graduate level) and Industrial economics (undergraduate level). He has worked for UNDP and World Bank (E-mail: ahgnkama@ yahoo.com)

Literaturhinweise
Albert, Cecilia and Maria A. Davia (2011) ‘Education is a Key Determinant of Health in Europe: A Comparative analysis of 11 Countries’. Health Promotional International, vol. 26, no. 2: 163-170.
Alkire, Sabina (2002) ‘Dimensions of Human Development’. World Development, vol. 30 no. 2,181-205.
Alkire, Sabina (2004) The Capability Approach and Human Development. PPt Presentation, Somerville College and Queen Elizabeth House.
Alkire, Sabina (2010) Human Development: Definitions, Critiques and Related Concepts. HDRP 2010/1.
Alkire, Sabina (2016) Measures of Human Development: Key Concepts and Properties. OPHI
working Papers no. 107.
Almudena, Fernandez and Luis F. Lopez-Calva (2009) Transitory Shocks, Permanent Effects:
Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Well-Being of Households in Latin America and the
Caribbean. Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP, draft.
Alvi, Shahzad and Ahmed Alther Maqsoud (2014) ‘Analysing the Impact of Health and
Education on Total Factor Productivity: A Panel Data Approach’. Indian Economic Review,
vol. XLIX, no. I: 109-123.
Alderman, Harold, Hoddinott John and Bill Kinsey (2003) Long-Term Consequences of Early
Childhood Malnutrition. International Food Policy Research Institute.
Anan, Sudhir and Amartya Sen (2000) ‘The Income Component of the Human Development
Index’. Journal of Human Development, vol. 1, no 1: 83-106.
Barro, Robert J. (1996a) Health and Economic Growth. Harvard University.
Barro, Robert J. (1996b) Determinants of Economic Growth: A Cross-Country Empirical Study. NBER Working paper 5698.
Bayraktar, Erdal (2022) Were capabilities secure and human rights observed during the Covid19 pandemic? A field study on municipalities in Istanbul (Turkey). Paper presented at the annual conference of the HDCA 2022.
Becker, Gary S. (1962) ‘Investment in Human Capital: Effects on Earnings’. Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education, NBER, 13-44.
Behrman, Jere R. (1996) ‘The Impact of Health and Nutrition on Education’. The World Bank
Research Observer, vol. 11, no.1: 23-37.
Behrman, Jere R. and Victor Lavy (1994) Children's Health arid Achievement in School. LSMS
Working Paper 104. Washington, D.C, the World Bank.
Berger-Schmitt, R. (2002) ‘Considering social cohesion in quality of life assessments: Concept
and measurement’. Social Indicators Research, vol.58, 403–428.
Bernard, P. (1999) Social cohesion: A dialectical critique of a quasi-concept. Paper SRA-491,
Ottawa: Strategic Research and Analysis Directorate. Department of Canadian Heritage.
Birdsall, William F. (2014) ‘Development, Human Rights, and Human Capabilities: The Political
Divide’. Journal of Human Rights, vol. 13 no. 1: 1-21.
Bloom, David E., David Canning, and J. Sevilla (2002) The Demographic Dividend: A New
Perspective on the Economic Consequences of Population Change. Santa Monica, Calif.:
RAND, MR-1274.
Bottoni Gianmaria and Felice Addeo (2024) ‘The Effect of Social Cohesion on Subjective
Individual Quality of Life in European Countries’. Social Indicators Research, vol. 171:
– 1133 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03284-6
Card, David (1994) Earning, Schooling and Ability Revisited. NBER WP 4832.
Card, David (1999) ‘The Causal Effects of Schooling on Earnings’. Handbook of Labor
Economics. Orley Ashenfelter and David Card (eds.) North Holland
Cole, Matthew A. and Eric Neumayer (2006) ‘The impact of Poor Health on Total Factor
Productivity’. The Journal of Development Studies, vol. 42, issue 6.
Conceição, Pedro and others (2009) Human Development in Crisis: Insights from the Literature,
Emerging Accounts from the Field, and the Correlates of Growth Accelerations and
Decelerations. Social Policy Working Paper, UNICEF, New York.
Dickes, P., Valentova, M. and Borsenberger, M. (2010) ‘Construct validation and application
of a common measure of social cohesion in 33 European countries’. Social Indicators
Research, vol. 98, no. 3, 451-473.
Diori HI and NaRanong A. (2022) ‘Multiparty democracy, social cohesion, and human
development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A panel data analysis’. F1000Research 2022, 11:797
(https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.122648.1)
Duhaime, G., Searles, E., Usher, P. J., Myers, H. and Frechette, P. (2004) ‘Social cohesion and
living conditions in the Canadian Arctic: From theory to measurement’. Social Indicators
Research, vol. 66 no. 3, 295-318.
Fonseca, Raquel and Yuhui Zheng (2011) The Effect of Education on Health: Cross-country
Evidence. Rand Labour and Population Working Paper, WR 864.
Frankenberg, Elisabeth and Thomas Duncan (2017) Human Capital and Shocks: Evidence on
Education, health and Nutrition. NBER.
Glewwe, Paul, Hanan Jacoby and Elisabeth King (2001) ‘Early Childhood Nutrition and
Academic Achievement: A longitudinal Analysis’. Journal of Public Economics vol. 81, no.
: 345-368.
Glewwe, Paul and Miguel Edward (2008) The Impact of Child Health and Nutrition on
Education in Less Developed Countries’ Handbook of Development economics, vol. 4:
- 3606.
Griliches, Zvi (1977) ‘Estimating the Returns to Schooling: Some Econometric Problems’.
Econometrica vol. 45 no. 1, 1-22.
Hakkio, Craig S. and Mark Rush (1991) ‘Cointegration: How short is the long run?’ Journal of
International Money and Finance vol. 10, no. 4: 571-581.
Heckman, James J., Humphires John Eric, and Gregory Veramendi (2016) Returns to Education:
The Causal Effects of Education on Earnings, Health and Smoking. NBER WP 22291.
Huang, Wei (2015) Understanding the Effects of Education on Health: Evidence from China. IZA
DP no. 9225.
Jenson, J. (1998) Mapping social cohesion: The state of Canadian research. Paper SRA-321,
Family Network, Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc
Jhoner, P.; Mauricio, P. and L. Sary (2020) 'Dimensions of Sustainable Wellbeing.
Operationalization and measurement, based on the central capabilities of M. Nussbaum's
approach'. Paper presented at the annual conference of the HDCA 2020.
Khim, Venus and Sen Liew (2004) ‘Which Lag Length Selection Criteria Should We Employ?’
Economics Bulletin, vol. 3, no. 33: 1-9.
Klugman, Jeni, Francisco Rodriguez and Hyung-Jin Choi (2011) The HDI 2010: New
Controversies, Old Critiques. HDRP 2011/01.
Krueger, Alan B. and Mikael Lindahl (2000) Education for Growth: Why and for Whom? NBER
WP 7591.
Lengfelder Christina (2023) ‘Strengthening Social Cohesion - an Opportunity for Mental Health
and Human Development?’ International Perspectives, vol 9, Issue 1, 77-89.
Marks, Stephen (2022) Critical Issues in Human Rights and Development. Paper presented at
the annual conference of the HDCA 2022.
Max-Neef, Manfred (2007) ‘Development and Human Needs’. Human Needs and Aspiration,
-214.
Mincer, Jacob (1974) Schooling, Earnings and Experience. Columbia University Press.
Noll, H. H. (2002) ‘Towards a European system of social indicators: Theoretical framework and
system architecture’. Social Indicators Research, vol. 58 no. 1-3, 47-87.
Nussbaum, Martha C. (1997) ‘Capabilities and Human Rights’. 66 Fordham L. Review no. 273
available from: http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/flr/vol66/iss2/2.
Nussbaum, Martha C. (2000a) ‘Women’s Capabilities and Social Justice’. Journal of Human Development, vol. 1, no. 2: 2019-247.
Nussbaum, Martha C.(2000b) Women and Human Development. The Capability Approach. Cambridge University Press.
Nussbaum, Martha C. (2003) ‘Capabilities as Fundamental Entitlements: Sen and Social Justice’. Feminist Economics, vol. 9, no. 2-3: 33-59.
Palmer, Eric (2020) Central capabilities and important capabilities. Paper presented at the
annual conference of the HDCA 2020.
Ramirez, Alejendro, Ranis Gustav and Frances Stewart (1998) Economic Growth and Human
Development. QEH Working Paper Series, no. 18.
Rajulton, F., Ravanera, Z. R. and Beaujot, R. (2007) ‘Measuring social cohesion: An experiment
using the Canadian national survey of giving, volunteering, and participating’. Social
Indicators Research, vol. 80, no. 3, 461-492.
Ranis, Gustav (2004) Human Development and Economic Growth. Center Discussion Paper, no. 887. Yale University.
Ranis, Gustav and Frances Stewart (2001) ‘Growth and Human Development: Comparative Latin American Experience’. The Developing Economies, vol. 49, no. 4, 333-365.
Ranis, Gustav, Stewart Frances, and Emma Samman (2006) ‘Human Development: Beyond the Human Development Index’. Journal of Human Development, vol. 7 no. 3, 323-358.
Ranis, Gustav, Ramirez Alejendro, and Frances Stewart (2000) ‘Economic Growth and HumanDevelopment’. World Development, vol. 28, no. 2, 197-219.
Ravallion, Martin (2008) Bailing out the World’s Poorest. Policy Research Working Paper No.4763, the World bank.
Razmi, M. J., Salimifar, M. and S. S. Bazzazan (2013) ‘A Study of the Effect of Social Capital on Human Development in Islamic Countries’. Revista Atlántica de Economía, vol. 1.
Rodonaia, Nino (2022) Human Rights, Human Autonomy, Fear and the Corona Crisis. Paper
presented at the annual conference of the HDCA 2022.
Saha, Sanjoy (2013) ‘Impact of Health on Productivity Growth in India’. International Journal of Economics, Finance and Management, vol. II no.4, 303-312.
Sen, Amartya K. (1985) Commodities and Capabilities. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Sen, Amartya K. (1988) ‘The Concept of Development’. Handbook of Development Economics,vol. L, H. Chenery and T.N. Srinivasan (eds.), Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
Sen, Amartya K. (1999) Development as Freedom. Anchor Books, New York.
Serageldin, Ismael (1998) The Initiative on Defining, Monitoring and Measuring Social Capital.
The World Bank.
Seyoum B (2020) ‘State fragility and human development: a study with special emphasis on
social cohesion’. Int. J. Soc. Econ., no 48, 39–61.
Shiller, Robert J. and Pierre Perron (1985) Testing the Random Walk Hypothesis: Power versus
Frequency of Observation. Technical Working Paper no. 45, NBER.
T
he Sarkozy Commission (2009) Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance
and Social Progress. Report. Available from: www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr
The World Bank (2011) Rethinking School Health: A Key Component for Education for All. The
World Bank.
Whelan, C. T. and Maître, B. (2005) ‘Economic vulnerability, multidimensional deprivation and
social cohesion in an enlarged Europ