Nigeria and Ghana's Health and Defense Budgets Reflect Political System Influences
Nigeria and Ghana's budget allocations for health and defense reveal the impact of political systems on fiscal priorities. Nigeria's N58.47 trillion budget proposes N5.41 trillion for defense and N2.48 trillion for health, while Ghana allocates a larger portion of its 357.1 billion cedis budget to health. Scholars argue that autocracies prioritize military spending over health, while democracies favor health expenditures. Nigeria's hybrid regime results in unpredictable budget behavior compared to established democracies like Germany and the UK.

Budget allocations for health and defense in Nigeria and Ghana highlight the influence of political systems on fiscal distribution. Nigeria's appropriation bill of N58.47 trillion proposes N5.41 trillion for defense and N2.48 trillion for health, focusing on security and human capital development.
Conversely, Ghana allocates a larger share of its 357.1 billion cedis budget to health. Political scientists David Fidelis and Nana Baah suggest that regime type affects the balance between military and health spending, with autocracies favoring military expenditures. Their research indicates that democracies, such as Ghana, allocate proportionately more to health, while Nigeria's hybrid regime leads to less predictable budget outcomes.



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