Impact of Institutional Quality on Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis of Male and Female Youths

This paper investigates the influence of institutional quality on youth unemployment in Nigeria, focusing on gender differences among male and female youths, using annual data from 1991 to 2023. Institutional quality is measured through political rights and civil liberties, and the analysis employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The findings reveal that, in the long run, improved political rights are associated with a 0.93% increase in female youth unemployment, highlighting structural challenges that disproportionately affect women. Conversely, enhanced civil liberties contribute to a 0.56% reduction in female youth unemployment, underscoring their importance in fostering equitable employment opportunities. In the short run, better political rights correlate with a 0.39% decrease in female youth unemployment and a 0.25% reduction in overall youth unemployment. Results for male youths were not statistically significant in both the long- and short-run. These findings emphasise the critical role of institutional reforms and governance frameworks in addressing gender disparities and promoting labour market equity to combat youth unemployment effectively in Nigeria.