Globalization and the “zero hunger” goal in Africa: Starving in an open world?

Abstract

Despite commendable efforts to end hunger and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2, the prevalence of undernourishment is still inadmissibly high, especially in Africa. Though important determinants of undernourishment have been documented, little is known about the role of globalization. This paper aims to fill this gap using a sample of 48 African countries over 2000–2020 period and data from the KOF globalization index and the World Bank dataset. The results from Driscoll and Kraay's Standard Errors and Instrumental Variable Generalized Method of Moments (IVGMM) methods show that globalization reduces both the prevalence of undernourishment and child stunting in African countries. Accounting for the dimensions of globalization, the results show that while economic globalization is negatively associated with food security, social and political globalization enhances it. Moreover, income growth, government size and access to electricity are identified as channels through which globalization reduces hunger in Africa. African governments should develop evidence-based policies and interventions that leverage the opportunities presented by globalization to ensure food security.