IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v11y2021i3p21582440211031513.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ghana’s Competitive Clientelism and Space for Long-Term Stable Policies

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Ehis Odijie
  • Mohammed Zayan Imoro

Abstract

Given the close election results and the winner-takes-all nature of politics in Ghana, researchers have argued that the two parties are now characterized by a high degree of vulnerability, which in turn provides strong incentives for ruling elites in both parties to find strategies to ensure their political survival. This results in the distribution of state resources to political supporters and short-termism, which weakens the possibility of building a broad political consensus on any national development issues. Using the case of Ghana’s Right to Information Bill, this article will argue that there are conditions under which elite commitment to long-term development could be fostered and sustained in competitive clientelist political settings like Ghana.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Ehis Odijie & Mohammed Zayan Imoro, 2021. "Ghana’s Competitive Clientelism and Space for Long-Term Stable Policies," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:21582440211031513
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440211031513
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440211031513
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/21582440211031513?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Appiah & Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, 2017. "Competitive clientelism and the politics of core public sector reform in Ghana," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-082-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    2. Ehis Michael Odijie, 2017. "Oil and democratisation in Ghana," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(153), pages 476-486, July.
    3. Mkandawire, Thandika, 2001. "Thinking about Developmental States in Africa," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 25(3), pages 289-313, May.
    4. Whitfield,Lindsay, 2018. "Economies after Colonialism," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108426145, January.
    5. Nahomi Ichino & Noah L. Nathan, 2013. "Do Primaries Improve Electoral Performance? Clientelism and Intra‐Party Conflict in Ghana," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(2), pages 428-441, April.
    6. Pritish Behuria, 2020. "The domestic political economy of upgrading in global value chains: how politics shapes pathways for upgrading in Rwanda’s coffee sector," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 348-376, March.
    7. Sam Hickey & Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai & Angelo Izama & Giles Mohan, 2015. "The politics of governing oil effectively: A comparative study of two new oil-rich states in Africa," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-054-15, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Emmanuel Debrah & Emmanuel Graham, 2015. "Preventing the Oil Curse Situation in Ghana: The Role of Civil Society Organisations," Insight on Africa, , vol. 7(1), pages 21-41, January.
    9. Keith R. Weghorst & Staffan I. Lindberg, 2013. "What Drives the Swing Voter in Africa?," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(3), pages 717-734, July.
    10. Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, 2017. "Competitive clientelism and the political economy of mining in Ghana," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-078-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    11. Franklin Oduro & Mohammed Awal & Maxwell Agyei Ashon, 2014. "A dynamic mapping of the political settlement in Ghana," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-028-14, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Arhin, Gerald Emmanuel, 2024. "Investigating the differential politics of competitive bidding in Ghana’s hydrocarbon and mining industries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    2. Jörg Wiegratz & Pritish Behuria & Christina Laskaridis & Lebohang Liepollo Pheko & Ben Radley & Sara Stevano, 2023. "Common Challenges for All? A Critical Engagement with the Emerging Vision for Post‐pandemic Development Studies," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 54(5), pages 921-953, September.
    3. Asante, Kofi Takyi, 2023. "The politics of policy failure in Ghana: The case of oil palm," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
    4. Michael Odijie, 2024. "Nigeria's Sugar Master Plan: Ignoring losers from industrial policy can be costly," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 42(2), March.
    5. Resnick, Danielle, 2019. "Strong democracy, weak state: The political economy of Ghana’s stalled structural transformation," IFPRI book chapters, in: Ghana’s economic and agricultural transformation: Past performance and future prospects, chapter 3, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai & Giles Mohan, 2019. "The politics of bureaucratic ‘pockets of effectiveness’ - Insights from Ghana’s Ministry of Finance," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-119-19, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    7. Joanna Buckley & Neil McCulloch & Nick Travis, 2017. "Donor-supported approaches to improving extractives governance: Lessons from Nigeria and Ghana," WIDER Working Paper Series 033, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Aaron Yao Efui Ahali & Ishmael Ackah, 2015. "Are They Predisposed to the Resources Curse? Oil in Somalia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 5(1), pages 231-245.
    9. Paul Mosley & Abdul‐Gafaru Abdulai, 2020. "The political economy of progressive fiscal contracts in Africa and Latin America," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 38(4), pages 411-427, July.
    10. Jana M. Kleibert & Laura Mann, 2020. "Capturing Value amidst Constant Global Restructuring? Information-Technology-Enabled Services in India, the Philippines and Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(4), pages 1057-1079, September.
    11. Jerven , Morten & Austin , Gareth & Green, Erik & Uche , Chibuike & Frankema , Ewout & Fourie , Johan & Inikori , Joseph & Moradi , Alexander & Hillbom , Ellen, 2012. "Moving Forward in African Economic History: Bridging the Gap Between Methods and Sources," African Economic History Working Paper 1/2012, African Economic History Network.
    12. Lebdioui, Amir, 2022. "The political economy of moving up in global value chains: how Malaysia added value to its natural resources through industrial policy," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 107523, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Bizuneh Yimenu, 2023. "Measuring and Explaining de facto Regional Policy Autonomy Variation in a Constitutionally Symmetrical Federation: The Case of Ethiopia, 1995–2020," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 53(2), pages 251-277.
    14. Samuel Adams & Kingsley S. Agomor, 2015. "Democratic politics and voting behaviour in Ghana," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 18(4), pages 365-381, December.
    15. Dereje Alemayehu, 2022. "Challenges to The Assumption That Economic Success Could Enhance State Legitimacy in Africa, Ten Years Later," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 65(2), pages 161-177, December.
    16. Jana M. Kleibert & Laura Mann, 0. "Capturing Value amidst Constant Global Restructuring? Information-Technology-Enabled Services in India, the Philippines and Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 0, pages 1-23.
    17. Richard Mbunda, 2016. "The Developmental State and Food Sovereignty in Tanzania," Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, vol. 5(2-3), pages 265-291, August.
    18. Ben Fine & Seeraj Mohamed, 2022. "Locating Industrial Policy in Developmental Transformation: Lessons from the Past, Prospects for the Future," Working Papers 247, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, UK.
    19. DeMartino, George & Grabel, Ilene & Scoones, Ian, 2024. "Economics for an uncertain world," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    20. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Yannis Psycharis & Vassilis Tselios, 2016. "Liberals, Socialists, and pork-barrel politics in Greece," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(8), pages 1473-1492, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:21582440211031513. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.