Examining the relationships among oil exports, foreign aid, and standard of living

This study was a regional level analysis of the relationships between oil exports, foreign aid, and standard of living in Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 1996 to 2006. A series of bivariate analyses were used in the examination of the variables in this quantitative study. The dataset complied for this study was a composite of raw and secondary data from the International Trade Commission, the United States Department of Commerce, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United Nations Human Development Program. The two basic questions in this research are, (a) what relationship exists between foreign aid and oil exports, and (b) that relationship exists between oil exports and standard of living in SSA? The overall results of this research supported that a relationship exists between standard of living and oil exports in SSA. Sub-Saharan Africa countries that exported oil had a higher mean HDI than those countries which did not export oil. However, there was not a significant relationship between oil exports and foreign aid. The scope of future research should be broadened to include the examination strategic mineral exports that may impact the standard of living in the region.