What Determines Military Allocations in Africa: Theoritical and Empirical Investigation

This paper investigates theoretically and empirically the determinants of military spending in Africa. It specifies a formal model and uses time-series and cross-sectional estimates to ascertain the reason behind the variations in military allocations across and within 40 African countries during 1960-1991. The differences in military expenditures appear to reflect a complex of economic, political and military factors at both national and international levels. Strategic political and military considerations are, however, found to be the most important factors in most African countries.