The efficiency of government expenditure - Experiences from Africa

This paper assesses the efficiency of government expenditure on education a nd health in 37 countries in Africa in 1984-1995, both in relation to each other and compared with countries in Asia and the Western Hemisphere. The r esults show that, on average, countries in Africa are less efficient than c ountries in Asia and the Western Hemisphere; however, education and health spending in Africa became more efficient during that period. The assessment further suggests that improvements in educational attainment and health ou tput in African countries require more than higher budgetary allocations. ( C) 2001 Society for Policy Modeling. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.