Domestic resource dataset

This dataset supports the empirical analysis of illicit financial flows (IFFs) and regional policy spillovers within African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), with a focus on ECOWAS and SADC. The core hypothesis is that regional anti-IFF instruments and institutional coordination affect both the magnitude and spatial distribution of IFFs across member states, generating cross-border spillovers rather than uniform reductions.

The data combine annual macroeconomic, financial, institutional, and spatial information for African countries over the period 1980–2024. IFFs are estimated using the World Bank Residual (WBR) approach, extended to incorporate personal remittances and balance-of-payments components from the IMF. Additional variables capture domestic resource mobilization, trade openness, income growth, governance quality, and financial development. Spatial relationships are defined using GIS shapefiles of African countries to construct spatial weight matrices consistent with regional membership.

The dataset includes raw data files (Excel and Stata), estimation scripts (do-files and R scripts), and GIS files required to reproduce IFF estimates, spatial panel regressions, and map visualizations. Missing observations are imputed using a procedure implemented in R software. The data allow users to replicate the results, explore alternative spatial specifications, and extend the analysis to other regions or policy instruments.