Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T10:54:04.878Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

STATISTICS AND INTELLIGENCE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A NOTE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2016

Oasis Kodila-Tedika ,
Simplice A. Asongu  and
Florentin Azia-Dimbu
Oasis Kodila-Tedika*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Kinshasa, DRC
Simplice A. Asongu
Affiliation:
African Governance and Development Institute, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Florentin Azia-Dimbu
Affiliation:
Faculté de Psychologie, Université Pédagogique Nationale, DRC
*
1Corresponding author. Email: oasiskodila@yahoo.fr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between intelligence (or human capital) and the statistical capacity of developing countries. The line of inquiry is motivated essentially by the scarce literature on poor statistics in developing countries and an evolving stream of literature on the knowledge economy. A positive association is established between intelligence quotient (IQ) and statistical capacity. The relationship is robust to alternative specifications with varying conditioning information sets and control for outliers. Policy implications are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 49 , Issue 3 , May 2017 , pp. 309 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alesina, A., Devleeschauwer, A., Easterly, W., Kurlat, S. & Wacziarg, R. (2003) Fractionalization. Journal of Economic Growth 8(2), 155–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrés, A. R., Asongu, S. A. & Amavilah, V. H. S. (2015) The impact of formal institutions on knowledge economy. Journal of the Knowledge Economy 6(4), 682–703.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anyanwu, J. C. (2012) Developing knowledge for the economic advancement of Africa. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences 1(2), 73–111.Google Scholar
Asongu, S. A. (2013) How has mobile phone penetration stimulated financial development in Africa? Journal of African Business 14(1), 7–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asongu, S. A. (2014) Software piracy and scientific publications: knowledge economy evidence from Africa. African Development Review 26(4), 572–583.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asongu, S. A. (2015a) The comparative economics of knowledge economy in Africa: policy benchmarks, syndromes, and implications. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. URL: http://link.springer.com/journal/13132/onlineFirst/page/1.Google Scholar
Asongu, S. A. (2015b) Knowledge economy gaps, policy syndromes and catch-up strategies: fresh South Korean lessons to Africa. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13132-015-0321-0 Google Scholar
Asongu, S. A. & Nwachukwu, J. C. (2016a) Foreign aid and inclusive development: updated evidence from Africa, 2005–2012. Social Science Quarterly. doi:10.1111/ssqu.12275.Google Scholar
Asongu, S. A. & Nwachukwu, J. C. (2016b) Finance and inclusive human development: evidence from Africa. Brussels Economic Review (in Press).Google Scholar
Batey, M. & Furnham, A. (2006) Creativity, intelligence, and personality: a critical review of the scattered literature. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs 132, 355–429.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Besley, T., Montalvo, J. G. & Reynal‐Querol, M. (2011) Do educated leaders matter? Economic Journal 121(554), F205–F208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Botero, J., Ponce, A. & Shleifer, A. (2012) Education and the quality of government. NBER Working Paper 18119.Google Scholar
Devarajan, S. (2013) Africa’s statistical tragedy. Review of Income and Wealth 59 (Supplement S1), S9–S15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fosu, A. K. (2015a) Growth and Institutions in African Development. Routledge Studies in Development Economics, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fosu, A. K. (2015b) Growth and institutions in African development. In Fosu, A. K. Growth and Institutions in African Development, Chapter 1, pp. 1–17. Routledge Studies in Development Economics, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furnham, A. & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2004) Personality and intelligence as predictors of statistics examination grades. Personality and Individual Differences 37(5), 943–955.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanushek, E. A. & Woessmann, L. (2008) The role of cognitive skills in economic development. Journal of Economic Literature 46(3), 607–668.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanushek, E. A. & Kimko, D. D. (2000) Schooling, labor-force quality, and the growth of nations. American Economic Review 90, 1184–1208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harttgen, K., Klasen, S. & Vollmer, S. (2013) An African growth miracle? Or: what do asset indices tell us about trends in economic performance? Review of Income and Wealth 59 (Supplement S1), S37–S61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, J. V., Storeygard, A. & Weil, D. N. (2012) Measuring growth from outer space. American Economic Review 102(2), 994–1028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huber, P. J. (1973) Robust regression: asymptotics, conjectures and Monte Carlo. Annals of Statistics 1, 799–821.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IMF (2011) Macroeconomic and Operational Challenges in Countries in Fragile Situations. International Monetary Fund, Washington.Google Scholar
Jauk, E., Benedek, M., Dunst, B. & Neubauer, A. C. (2013) The relationship between intelligence and creativity: new support for the threshold hypothesis by means of empirical breakpoint detection. Intelligence 41(4), 212–221.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jerven, M. (2013a) African growth miracle or statistical tragedy? Interpreting trends in the data over the past two decades. Paper presented at the UNU-WIDER Conference on Inclusive Growth in Africa: Measurement, Causes, and Consequences, 20–21st September 2013, Helsinki, Finland.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jerven, M. (2013b) Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
Jones, G. & Schneider, W. J. (2006) Intelligence, human capital, and economic growth: a Bayesian averaging of classical estimates (BACE) approach. Journal of Economic Growth 11, 71–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaufmann, D., Kraay, A. & Mastruzzi, M. (2010) The worldwide governance indicators: methodology and analytical issues. Policy Research Working Paper Series 5430. World Bank.Google Scholar
Kim, K. H., Cramond, B. & Van Tassel-Baska, J. (2010) The relationship between creativity and intelligence. In Kaufman, J. C. & Sternberg, R. J. (eds) The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 395–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klauer, K. J. & Phye, G. D. (2008) Inductive reasoning: a training approach. Review of Educational Research 78, 85–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. (2013) Pauvrete´ de chiffres: explication de la tragédie statistique africaine. MPRA Paper No. 43734, University Library of Munich, Munich.Google Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. (2014a) Africa’s statistical tragedy: best statistics, best government effectiveness. International Journal of Development Issues 13(2), 71–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. (2014b) Governance and intelligence: empirical analysis from African data. Journal of African Development 16(1), 83–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. & Asongu, S. A. (2015a) The effect of intelligence on financial development: a cross-country comparison. Intelligence 51, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. & Asongu, S. A. (2015b) Intelligence, human capital and HIV/AIDS: fresh exploration. Intelligence 53, 154–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. & Asongu, S. A. (2016) Genetic distance and cognitive human capital: a cross-national investigation. Journal of Bioeconomics 18(1), 35–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. & Bolito-Losembe, R. (2014) Poverty and intelligence: evidence using quantile regression. Economic Research Guardian 1, 25–32.Google Scholar
Kodila-Tedika, O. & Mutascu, M. (2014) Tax revenues and intelligence: a cross-sectional evidence. MPRA Paper 57581. University Library of Munich, Germany.Google Scholar
Kuada, J. (2015) Private Enterprise-Led Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Human Side of Growth. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leautier, F. A. (2012) What role for Africa after 50 years of independence: provider of natural resources or a new global leader? Journal of African Development 14(1), 127–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, R. & Meisenberg, G. (2010) The average IQ of sub-Saharan Africans: comments on Wicherts, Dolan, and van der Maas. Intelligence 38, 21–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, R., Meisenberg, G., Mikk, J. & Williams, A. (2007) National differences in intelligence and educational attainment. Journal of Biosocial Science 39, 861–874.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, R. & Mikk, J. (2007) National differences in intelligence and educational attainment. Intelligence 35, 115–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, R. & Vanhanen, T. (2002) IQ and the Wealth of Nations. Praeger, Westport, CT.Google Scholar
Lynn, R. & Vanhanen, T. (2006) IQ and Global Inequality. Washington Summit, Augusta, GA.Google Scholar
Lynn, R. & Vanhanen, T. (2012) Intelligence: A Unifying Construct for the Social Sciences. Ulster Institute for Social Research, London.Google Scholar
Martin-Raugh, M. P., Kell, H. J. & Motowidlo, S. J. (2016) Prosocial knowledge mediates effects of agreeableness and emotional intelligence on prosocial behavior. Personality and Individual Differences 90, 41–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meisenberg, G. & Lynn, R. (2011) Intelligence: a measure of human capital in nations. Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies 36(4), 421–454.Google Scholar
Meisenberg, G. & Lynn, R. (2012) Cognitive human capital and economic growth: defining the causal paths. Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies 37(4), 141–179.Google Scholar
Meisenberg, G. & Woodley, M. A. (2013) Are cognitive differences between countries diminishing? Evidence from TIMSS and PISA. Intelligence 41, 808–816.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neter, J., Wasserman, W. & Kutner, M. H. (1985) Applied Linear Statistical Models, 2nd edition. Irwin, Homewood, IL.Google Scholar
Obeng-Odoom, F. (2015) Africa: on the rise, but to where? Forum for Social Economics 44(3), 234–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oluwatobi, S., Efobi, U., Olurinola, I. & Alege, P. (2015) Innovation in Africa: why institutions matter? South African Journal of Economics 83(3), 390–410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Park, G., Lubinski, D. & Benbow, C. P. (2008) Ability differences among people who have commensurate degrees matter for scientific creativity. Psychological Science 19, 957–961.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pinkivskiy, M. & Sala-i-Martin, X. (2014) Africa is on time. Journal of Economic Growth 19(3), 311–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potrafke, N. (2012) Intelligence and corruption. Economics Letters 114, 109–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preckel, F., Holling, H. & Wiese, M. (2006) Relationship of intelligence and creativity in gifted and non-gifted students: an investigation of threshold theory. Personality and Individual Differences 40, 159–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ram, R. (2007) IQ and economic growth: further augmentation of Mankiw–Romer–Weil model. Economics Letters 94, 7–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynal-Queroln, M. & Besley, T. (2011) Do democracies select more educated leaders? American Political Science Review 105(3).Google Scholar
Rindermann, H. (2013) African cognitive ability: research, results, divergences and recommendations. Personality and Individual Differences 55, 229–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rindermann, H., Falkenhayn, L. & Baumeister, A. E. E. (2014) Cognitive ability and epistemic rationality: a study in Nigeria and Germany. Intelligence 47, 23–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rindermann, H., Kodila-Tedika, O. & Christainsen, G. (2015) Cognitive capital, good governance, and the wealth of nations. Intelligence 51, 98–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, K. F., Smeets, S., Lubinski, D. & Benbow, C. P. (2010) Beyond the threshold hypothesis: even among the gifted and top math/science graduate students, cognitive abilities, vocational interests, and lifestyle preferences matter for career choice, performance, and persistence. Current Directions in Psychological Science 19, 346–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silvia, P. J. (2008) Another look at creativity and intelligence: exploring higher-order models and probable confounds. Personality and Individual Differences 44, 1012–1021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tchamyou, S. V. (2015) The role of knowledge economy in African business. African Governance and Development Institute Working Paper No. 15/049, Yaoundé.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vickers, D., Mayo, T., Heitmann, M., Lee, M. D. & Hughes, P. (2004) Intelligence and individual differences in performance on three types of visually presented optimisation problems. Personality and Individual Differences 36, 1059–1071.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weede, E. & Kämpf, S. (2002) The impact of intelligence and institutional improvements on economic growth. Kyklos 55, 361–380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wicherts, J. M., Dolan, C. V., Carlson, J. S. & Maas, H. L. J. V. D. (2010a) Raven’s test performance of sub-Saharan Africans: average performance, psychometric properties, and the Flynn Effect. Learning and Individual Differences 20, 135–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wicherts, J. M., Dolan, C. V. & Maas, H. L. J. V. D. (2010b) A systematic literature review of the average IQ of sub-Saharan Africans. Intelligence 38, 1–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, A. (2012) The African growth miracle. Journal of Political Economy 120(4), 696–739.CrossRefGoogle Scholar