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Towards a measure of local government performance in Ghana: Conceptual framework, data, and results

Author

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  • Daniel Chachu
  • Michael Danquah
  • Rachel M. Gisselquist

Abstract

In recent decades, decentralization reforms have surged across the Global South, aiming to bring governance closer to citizens. Despite extensive debate on their effectiveness, systematic methods to assess local government performance remain underexplored, particularly in data-constrained contexts like sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Inspired by Putnam et al. (1994), this paper proposes a conceptual framework to measure local government performance, applying it to Ghana—a stable democracy and a leader in decentralization reforms in SSA.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Chachu & Michael Danquah & Rachel M. Gisselquist, 2025. "Towards a measure of local government performance in Ghana: Conceptual framework, data, and results," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2025-26, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2025-26
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2025-26-towards-measure-local-government-performance-Ghana.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    2. Norris, Pippa, 2001. "Making Democracies Work: Social Capital and Civic Engagement in 47 Societies," Working Paper Series rwp01-036, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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