Thesis (MSc) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research Economics Department

Includes bibliography (sheets 44-46)

ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to determine the factors that influence the standard of
living of Cameroonian citizens. The study aimed to find the factors that influence the
standard of living of the citizens of Cameroon in the short and long run, where real
GDP per capita was used to denote the standard of living and educational level, poverty
rate, global economic policy, and government expenditure on healthcare were used as
the factors that influence the standard of living.
The data used for the study were downloaded from the World Bank Indicator. The data
were between the years 2000 and 2020. The analysis used Ordinary Least Square
(OLS) method in estimating the parameters of a typical Autoregressive distributed lag
regression model (ARDL). Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) tests were used to check
the stationery of the data set, and the data were stationary at the first difference.
The study found that government expenditure on healthcare has a negative and
statistically significant effect on the standard of living in the long run. Educational
level and global economic policy uncertainty were found to have positive and
statistically insignificant effects on the standard of living. However, poverty was found
to have a positive and statistically significant effect on the standard of living. In the
short run, expenditure by the government and global economic policy uncertainty were
found to have a negative and statistically insignificant effect on the standard of living.
Keywords: Cameroon, Education, Global Economic Policy Uncertainty, Poverty,
Real GDP Per Capita.