Examining whether religion is a positive factor in access to self-employment for youths: evidences from Congolese data
International Journal of Social Economics
ISSN: 0306-8293
Article publication date: 22 August 2023
Issue publication date: 4 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
High levels of youth unemployment in Africa, the difficulty of accessing salaried jobs, and the weakness of public institutions in charge of employment issues push youths towards informal channels that can help them find jobs. Among these informal channels, religion has been playing an increasingly important role. Thus, this study aimed to analyse the effects of religion on youths' access to self-employment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used data from the survey on the improvement of youth employment policies in Francophone Africa—conducted in 2018 by the Laboratory for Economic and Social Research and Studies (LARES) of Marien Ngouabi University—to estimate the effects of religion on access to self-employment. The econometric model employed is a two-stage model. Conditional mixed process developed by Roodman (2011) was used to verify the model's robustness.
Findings
The results indicate that religion exhibits a positive and significant effect on access to self-employment. This effect is stronger for youths from Muslim communities than for those from other religious communities, compared to youths who do not engage in religious communities.
Social implications
Based on the current dynamics observed in numerous African countries with respect to employment access, these results imply that religious denominations should be considered when developing policies and programs related to employment, particularly for youths.
Originality/value
The approach followed in this study contributes to the literature predominantly by demonstrating how the network theory approach helps explain, to some extent, the link between religion and access to employment in general and access to self-employment, particularly in developing economies—mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the recourse to informal channels of access to self-employment constitutes a significant solution approach for youths.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-02-2023-0097
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.
The author would also like to thank Professor Ndinga Mathias M. A. for his comments that helped improve this research paper. However, the author is responsible for all opinions expressed in this paper.
Citation
Ngassa, T.C. (2024), "Examining whether religion is a positive factor in access to self-employment for youths: evidences from Congolese data", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 51 No. 3, pp. 392-406. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-02-2023-0097
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited