Democratic Governance, University Education and Economic Development: Rethinking Possibilities

Abstract

This paper presents a strong advocacy for change and advancement. It argues that understanding the extent to which the symbiotic relationship between democratic governance and university education impacts the Nigerian economy and economic development will provide the challenges for National leaders and stakeholders of university education in Nigeria to rethink possibilities for further development of the education sector and citizenry. It is a descriptive analysis which used an online survey to examine the perceptions of Nigerians accordingly. The mixed method research design was adopted and the Ordinary Least Square Method (OLS)] of the classical linear regression model was used to test the stated hypothesis. Findings reveal that Democratic Governance and University Education significantly impact economic development negatively indicating a disconnect between democratic governance and meeting the core needs of the citizenry, amongst others, and a significant positive impact of the variables of the economic development: quality of university education, healthcare services, poverty level and youth unemployment on economic development. Repositioning of democratic governance and the university education system are recommended, amongst others, for the economic and social wellbeing of the citizenry.