Overview

This title was first published in 2001. When Ghana became independent in 1957, becoming the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to banish colonialism, there was a general optimism that irreversible socio-economic development was about to unfold. But by the end of the 1970s Ghana paradoxically became the first country in Twentieth Century Africa to have experienced socio-economic decline. What failed Ghana? This book seeks to answer this question. By combining sociological, economic, political and institutional perspectives, this book focuses on the interplay between state politics and socio-economic development. It provides a model, which suggests that Ghana’s postcolonial development has suffered mainly as a result of the failure or inability of governing elites to develop consensual politics and a clearly specified long-term development objective that could be widely understood, accepted and have relevance for policy making. This book presents a much-needed self-assessment of the post-colonial development experience which contends that governance, economic management and institution building are basic challenges without which the search for development is likely to falter.

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9781138637450

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'...it is important to give credit to Dzorgbo for attempting an arduous task of summarising the contemporary developmental history of Ghana in one volume...an important introductory history for undergraduate teaching and a quick reference point for those who want to learn about Ghana.' Journal of Modern African Studies '...an impressive historical account of the paradox of Ghana's development effort...contains very valuable information and analysis of what went wrong in Ghana's search for development...' International Development Planning Review

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