In both developed and developing countries, life expectancy has been used not only as an indicator of mortality but also as an economic development indicator. Life expectancy has increased dramatically over the past few decades. Demographic studies indicate that no country in the world had a life expectancy longer than 40 years in the 19th century, and the entire world was living in extreme poverty (Roser et al. 2013). There has been an opposite trend in global poverty rates and life expectancy. The World Bank indicates that only 9.2% of the world's population lives in extreme poverty today, living on less than $2.15 per day (World Bank: 2022). At the same time, a significant increase in life expectancy has occurred with the decline in poverty rates, ranging from 30-40 years in the 19th century to 45-85 years in 2005 (Riley:2005). Countries with low life expectancy tend to be in extreme poverty. However, the poorest countries in the world are not necessarily the ones with the lowest life expectancy. Additionally, economic growth does not necessarily translate into high life expectancy growth today. Some countries, for example in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the fastest growing economies, are experiencing a decrease in life expectancy (Shahbaz et al.2015)

This study examines the factors associated with higher life expectancy in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Asia based on recent data collected from 2009 through 2019. Since a number of studies have been using data collected in the past decades, it is important to use novel data to examine what relevant factors determine life expectancy today, which will help in deciding what pertinent factors to prioritize. Our goal is to determine the relevant policies to improve longevity in low- and middle-income countries in those regions.
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Despite its rich natural resource base, the Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks among the world's least developed countries. A complete attribution of this underdevelopment to the notion of the resource curse, which is characterized by rent-seeking corruption, price volatility, and the Dutch disease, fails to recognize other factors that have affected both the economy and the workforce. This paper acknowledges DRC as an excellent example of the resource curse concept but emphasizes DRC’s structural deficiencies resulting from colonialism and slavery, such as poor governance, insufficient transportation networks, a lack of value-added economic infrastructure, and a shortage of skilled labor. Although the DRC has a long history of exploitation, it still maintains significant sources of revenue, which continue to be impacted by insecurity, poor management, and predatory cultures. This paper suggests that the development of an effective governance system is essential to prioritizing initiatives that will enhance the DRC economy. In addition to reforming the political system, the government must invest mineral revenue in agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and quality of labor to increase capital accumulation. The country will therefore transition from a handicraft economy to an industrial, manufacturing economy, with a corresponding increase in output and productivity as a result. See More