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Decoding the Paradox of Decentralization with Centralized Characteristics in Democratic Ghana

In: Democratic Decentralization, Local Governance and Sustainable Development

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  • Nene-Lomotey Kuditchar

    (Legon
    University of Ghana)

Abstract

The promise of decentralization is said to lie in the possibility of deepened democratic development. This has been the justification for local government policy designs in Ghana since the 1980s. Three decades on, even though observers detect a paradox of decentralization with characteristics of centralization, no scholarly attempt has been made to resolve the implied contradiction. This chapter seeks to address this lacuna with the contention that notwithstanding government policy designs and intent, decentralization initiatives are not meant to take power to the people per se. Rather, local government initiatives constitute one of several mechanisms through which state elites attempt to extend the reach and control of their power by seeking either to co-opt or corrode primordial systems of political rivalry.

Suggested Citation

  • Nene-Lomotey Kuditchar, 2022. "Decoding the Paradox of Decentralization with Centralized Characteristics in Democratic Ghana," Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development, in: Prince Osei-Wusu Adjei & Samuel Adu-Gyamfi (ed.), Democratic Decentralization, Local Governance and Sustainable Development, pages 43-62, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:aaechp:978-3-031-12378-8_3
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12378-8_3
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