African social development index: measuring human exclusion for structural transformation: West Africa report

Abstract

Africa’s positive economic growth during the past two decades has shown its resilience in the wake of the international crisis of 2008. Nevertheless, this positive performance has not yet translated its economic gains into meaningful social development. The African Social Development Index fulfills the need for a tool enabling African countries to measure the problems of development that are specific to the continent. The Index is built on the premise that development should be reflected in improved human conditions. By adopting a life-cycle approach, the Index can measure the extent of human exclusion in six key dimensions of well-being, namely, survival, health, education, employment, means of subsistence and life expectancy at 60. One of the key features of the Index is that it can be measured across time and dis-aggregated by gender and geographical location of residence, thereby helping to capture patterns of inequality and exclusion within and between countries. In this way, the Index offers a new conceptual framework for identifying the drivers of human exclusion in Africa, providing guidance for improving public policies in nutrition, education, employment and social protection.