Ghana Social Science Journal
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Item Aboakyer: A traditional festival in decline(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2019-06) Akyeampong, O.A.Over the last two decades, events have assumed increased significance in Ghana’s tourism industry as new events are added every year. Meanwhile, centuries-old festivals such as Aboakyer, face decline even before a systematic framework for analysing events as tourism products is propounded. This study proposes the ‘festivals-as-products’ framework and applies that to investigate the underlying causes of the decline of Aboakyer and the chances of its revival, using qualitative data. Loss of habitat, protracted chieftaincy feud and demise of the asafo institution were the key causes. Two suggestions to stem the tide were either devising a new mode of appeasing the gods or using reared but still hunted game for the rituals. In either case, Aboakyer, literally, ‘animal hunt,’ loses its excitement but there still remains a festival to be celebrated.Item Academic Capitalism: Globalization, Universities and the Paradox of the Neoliberal Marketplace(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2016-06) Dzisah, J.The concept and practice of globalization have not only impacted countries in a variety of ways but have equally induced strong emotions across varying spectrums. As a concept, the fingerprint of Karl Marx and his adherents remains in their recognition of the vitality of transnational trade and the exploitative tendencies inherent in capitalism as a world system. In recent decades however, the concept of globalization has resurfaced in the capitalist toolkit of neoliberalism where it is deployed in promoting their self-centered capitalistic annihilation in all spheres. The paper assesses the connection between universities and globalization in terms of the increasing market-oriented approach to knowledge production. It argues that though the process of globalization has influenced the conduct of knowledge production in a variety of expected and unexpected ways, the transformation of aspects of the university has equally left visible imprints on the modicums of globalizationItem Adopting and Sustaining Green Electricity Energy Technologies in Ghana: A Review of Policy Perspectives(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2017-12) Jabik, B.B.; Bawakyillenuo, S.As an effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), countries need to reorient policy directions towards green approaches and initiatives including green energy initiatives. Energy from renewable sources contributes to environmental protection, security of energy supply, employment generation, promotion of sustainable development and reduction of greenhouse gas emission. Though Ghana is much endowed with renewable energy resources only 0.6% of the energy supply (excluding hydropower) is from renewable sources. This paper reviews policy options and lessons from countries which successfully promoted green energy market and how Ghana could adopt such policies to develop her green electricity energy market. The review reveals that, for effective and efficient green electricity market to be developed in a country, a wide range of policy instruments such as promoting voluntary green electricity schemes, establishing renewable energy fund, providing tax incentives, promoting green certification schemes and feed-in tariffs must be developed and implemented using participatory approaches. These policies must proceed research and development which will stimulate clear policy objectives, cost effective considerations and long term visioning. Institutions must be designated for policy implementation and must receive capacity building for effective monitoring, evaluation and provision of feedback on the implementation process. This implies that green energy production can be improved in a country when effective policies are implemented.Item Analysing the Dynamics of Decentralisation and the Creation of New District Assemblies in Ghana(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2020-06) Arthur, D.D.Item Application of the Hypergeometric Model in Electoral Disputes Settlement(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2016) Somaayin, N.H.; Tibie, K.; Doku-Amponsah, K.Judges or members of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of many less developed democracies are often faced with reviewing electoral complaints and coming out with a decision that is acceptable to all parties involved. Some judges have ruled for complete cancellation of all votes in the affected polling stations. Where the electoral irregularities are widespread, it is very difficult to declare a winner without incurring the additional cost of a re-run. In this article, we use the hypergeometric model to provide an alternative method to direct cancellation or proportional deduction approach used by many EMBs in the settlement of electoral disputes. To be specific, we provide a bound on the margin of victory when either a re-run or fresh election is not necessary to determine the winner of the polls, i.e., the non-overturn condition. We use this method to investigate whether or not the decision by the Electoral Commission of Ghana to declare the NDC candidate the winner of the presidential run-off of 2008 is statistically correct given the data available to the Commission on the day to declare the winner. Using this approach in the review of electoral complaints could help developing nations to save some money for development that would otherwise have been spent on election re-runsItem Archaeological Indications of Past Lifeways on the Krobo Mountain, Ghana(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2008) Gblerkpor, W.N.Data from a recent archaeological survey and excavations conducted on the Krobo Mountain confirm claims that the settlement was the main religious and political centre for the Krobo people of south-eastern Ghana. Despite the physical separation of the settlement into Yilo and Manya sections, there is a remarkable similarity in the cultural landscape of the two groups. The ruins of shrines, houses, palaces, as well as the advanced nature of the set-tlement pattern suggest that the communities had attained a high level of socio-cultural and landscape development before their expulsion in 1892. The typical association of schnapps bottles, with palm-wine tap-ping/storage vessels, mumui indicates the twin utility of imported and local liquor during traditional rites and festivals in the past. The identification of iron anklets and bells, cowries, and glass beads in contexts similar to those found in communities in present-day Krobo suggests retention of some as-pects of ancient customs and religious ritesItem Archaeological Perspectives of the Danish-Dangbe Encounter along the Eastern Coastal Belt of Ghana and their Implications for Understanding Dangbe Culture(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2016-06) Biveridge, F.This research presents results of historical archaeological investigations undertaken along the eastern coastal belt of Ghana on how the Danish- Dangbe encounter which spanned circa, 1650–1800, shaped the socioeconomic history of the indigenous Dangbe who occupied the area. Data for the study was derived primarily from archaeological, historical and ethno-historical investigations conducted at Kpone, Prampram, Sega and Ningo. The study revealed that European cuisines, dress codes, weaponry and architecture constituted some major material culture embraced by the ancestors of the Dangbe. The large quantum and wide array of European trade goods recovered from the excavations is also evident of the importance of commercial relations that developed between the two groups during the periodItem Are the poor getting worse off? A decomposition of inequality in under-five malnutrition over time and space in Ghana(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2018-12) Abekah-Nkrumah, G.The study used two rounds of Demographic and Health Survey data from Ghana (2003 and 2014) to estimate levels and changes in inequality in under-five malnutrition, and examine factors that explain levels and changes in inequality. The results suggest that though under-five malnutrition reduced by 24%, with household assets (household wealth) increasing by over 200% between 2003 and 2014, inequality in under-five malnutrition increased by 19.2%. Consistent with prior studies, the results also suggest that socioeconomic welfare, regional-related resource disparities, women and their partners’ education, household size and access to and availability of health services are key factors explaining the levels and changes in under-five malnutrition inequality over time, both at the national and sub-national levels. The study suggests the need for policy on inclusive cross-sectoral interventions that can lead to fairer distribution of opportunities and consequently access to social services in other to reduce inequality in under-five malnutrition. In this regard, existing social protection programmes in Ghana that have implications for the nutrition of children (e.g. LEAP, School Feeding Programme, National Health Insurance) should be tweaked to target poorer households for the purposes of reducing inequality in under-five malnutritionItem Attainment of the Millennium Development Goal of Poverty Reduction in Nigeria - An Appraisal(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2016-06) Emediegwu, L.E.; Monye-Emina, A.Fifteen years ago, the largest-ever gathering of heads of State and Government, under the aegis of the United Nations (UN), adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the fundamental objectives of the MDGs is to free countries, especially developing countries, from the poverty trap. Despite the enormous resources and efforts expended by the Nigerian government for the purpose of achieving the MDG1 of halving the proportion of poor persons by 2015, statistics show that no progress has been made. The authors use descriptive analysis to examine how and why Nigeria has been unable to achieve this fundamental goal of poverty eradication. This challenge is connected with the uncoordinated policy actions in areas that MDGs aim to address as well as the problems of poverty, corruption, and focus on election issues etc. The paper recommends that the country will attain the goal of poverty reduction if the government develops and implements pro-people poverty reduction programmes and policies.Item Bank erosion and other channel processes of a tropical forest river basin in Ghana(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2018-12) Kusimi, J.M.Bank erosion is one of the major sources of fluvial sediments. However, very little is known about the bank erosion rates, channel processes and volume of eroded sediments of tropical rivers. The study, therefore, assessed the annual bank erosion of a tropical river in Ghana using the erosion pin method from which estimates of annual sediment detached into the fluvial sediment system was determined. The underlying channel, fluvial, sub-aerial processes and soil characteristics influencing channel stability were investigated and discussed. There is a spatial variability in river channel processes; very active channel and bank erosion and deposition of fluvial materials along channel walls. Bank erosion is low at certain reaches of the rivers and channel deposition occurs at the inner bends of meander loops. Large volumes of bank sediments were delivered from the more eroding banks. Channel geometry, discharge/fluvial hydraulics or processes and bank materials are the major driving forces influencing bank erosion and deposition of river channels. Longer timescale of erosion pin measurements involving greater number of sites are required to get a better understanding of bank erosion rates and the fluvial sediment budget of tropical riversItem A Brief Survey of the Literature on Microfinance and Agriculture(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2012-06) Ahiakpor, F.; Asmah, E.The factors that affect agrarian transformation are complex and often interrelated. Access to financial services is an important input necessary for such transformation. A type of financial service that has become of increasing importance to farmers is microfinance. An important question concerns the role that microfinance initiatives have played regarding the development of agriculture in developing countries, especially those in Africa. This brief literature review suggests that while microfinance may have had some positive impacts on agricultural development and transformation, it has not been the panacea for the myriad of problems facing farmers and the rural poor.Item Challenges to British Policy of Direct Taxation among the Northern Ewes of Ghana(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2015-12) Yayoh, W.K.Taxation is important in analysing the colonial economy and the functions of the colonial state. Historians often imagine a highly oppressive state forcing people to pay tax. But in the Ewedome region, the colonial administrators appeared weak. They were reluctant to push direct taxation too hard because they wanted to keep the peace and avoid protests or violent responses. This article extends the discussion of local influence on colonial policy to the little examined topic of taxation. It identifies what is special about Ewedome and describes how direct taxation was introduced, the concerns of administrators and reactions of the local people, and argues that this enables us to draw some important conclusions about the gendered and generational nature of responses to taxation and the surprising weakness of the colonial state.Item The Changing Role of CSOs in Public Policy Making in Ghana(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2008) Abdulai, A-G.; Quantson, R.The last two decades have seen significant changes in the relationship among the State, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Development Partners (DPs) in many developing countries. In Ghana, this relationship has ranged from mutual suspicion and exclusion to one of greater en-gagement and accommodation. Between the 1950s and the years of Structural Adjustment in the 1980s, the state was seen as the central mechanism for economic and social development. Consequently, policy making centered on a small team of government officials with support from development partners. Since the mid-1990s, however, Ghana has witnessed a major para-digm shift in the relationship among the State, Development Partners and CSOs with regard to development policy dialogue in particular and pub-lic policy making in general. Indeed the role of civil society is growing, as exemplified in its role in some important national development policies such as the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II: 2006-2009) and the National Budget Processes since 2005. The new development paradigm is further exemplified in the emergence of numerous civil soci-ety networks and coalitions that seek to increase the penetrating powers of CSOs in the policy making processes. While skeptics may still view the policy making environment with mixed signals, there is clearly a discern-able trend for all key stakeholders – government, development partners and civil society – to look to one other not as competitors or enemies, but as partners in the development processItem Changing the Dynamics of Human Resources Management in the Public Services of Ghana: An Organizational Learning Perspective(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2016) Ohemeng, F.The quality of human resources is critical to the development of any country. To enhance sustainable development and poverty reduction, governments need human capacities, especially in the public sector, to transform their commitments on these issues into results. In view of this, in 2015, the government of Ghana through the Public Services Commission developed a new human resources management policy for the public sector. The principal idea is that the new policy will lead to the transformation of the Public Service into an ethical, responsive, and citizen-oriented service that will provide, and continue to provide into the future high quality and timely services to Ghanaians. This paper examines the policy with the view of understanding whether it will transform a sector that has suffered considerable neglect since independence from the perspective of organisational learning. Will the new policy lead to fundamental shift in HRM in the public sector? Has it unearthed the fundamental issues underpinning the effective management of human resources in the sector? And has it proposed capable solutions to these issues?Item Child labour or child work? Children and tobacco production in Gbefi, Volta Region(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2018-06) Appiah, S.O.Child labour has attracted global attention in recent times but remains an important but controversial issue. This is because conceptually, where to draw the distinction between child labour and child work is still debated within the academic community based on apparent differences among International conventions, developmental strategies, policies, social norms and backgrounds. For a developing nation like Ghana, the participation of children in agricultural production is culturally accepted but their involvement affects their educational attainment, and also constitutes child labour according to ILO conventions. The paper assesses the involvement of children in tobacco production in the Gbefi community of the Kpando Municipal Assembly through a qualitative in-depth interview with forty (40) children and ten (10) household heads. Six key informants (an official of the Social Welfare Department, the assembly member of the town, the secretary to the Community Child Protection Committee, two headmasters and a teacher) were also interviewed. The paper argues that, increased involvement of children in tobacco production was a means by which smallholder farmers have generally relied on family labour to perform some of their activities. In this way, engaging in tobacco production helps children, especially, orphans and those whose parents are incapable of taking care of them to acquire money, farming skills and enable them cater for themselves despite its negative effects on their educational attainment and moral lives. The study recommends policies and programmes that would provide job opportunities and viable income generating activities for the local people to ensure a gradual shift from tobacco production to other economically viable activities provided by the state.Item Child marriage in Ghana: Who cares?(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2019-12) Afranie, S.; Gyan, E.S.; Tsiboe-Darko, A.Child marriage is one of the major social problems that have attracted attention in recent times. The practice denies children the opportunity to develop their human capital potentials to participate fully in society, and also constitutes a violation of the rights of children to freely and fully consent to the choice of a spouse. Consequently, many institutions and organizations have rolled out several initiatives and interventions to help fight against the practice. This study aimed at mapping out institutions responding to the menace of child marriage in Ghana and examining the effectiveness and challenges of their initiatives and interventions. The researchers used purposive and snowballing sampling techniques to select eleven institutions working in the area of child marriage and engaged them in in-depth interviews to gather relevant information for the study. The findings show that, many institutions are variously, directly and indirectly, responding to the practice of child marriage in the country. These institutions offer variety of initiatives which can technically be classified as preventive, protective, promotive and transformative interventions. One major weakness identified from the various initiatives is the lack of a specific national policy direction to support and coordinate the initiatives and interventions.Item Citizenship, Authenticity, and Belonging in Europe and Ghana: The Case of the Ghanaian Migrant(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2012-06) Gyekye-Jandoh, M.A.This study analysed the perspectives of first generation Ghanaian migrants to and from Europe regarding the changing definition of citizenship in Europe, and how these perspectives, including the notion of authenticity, impacted Ghanaian migrants' feelings of 'home' and 'belonging'. It examined 'belonging' and authenticity in relation to the family at 'home', and looked at migrants' feelings of belonging in the 'host' country in Europe in relation to their feelings of belonging in their country of origin or 'home' country. The results indicated that Ghanaian migrants tended to exhibit a more instrumental approach to the acquisition of citizenship in Europe and were sceptical of 'belonging' in their host country. When it came to the issue of 'belonging' in their home country, Ghana, these migrants tended to exhibit less of an instrumental approach and more of an emotional approach, making reintegration possibleItem Civil society engagement in Ghana’s public-private partnership regime: A study of Imani and Ghana integrity initiative (GII)(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2018-06) Ansah, J.W.; Takyiakwaa, D.This paper explores the patterns of civil society engagement in Ghana’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) regime. It examines the forms of civil society participation in the PPP regime, the political contexts within which they participate, and how the patterns of civil society participation reflect current theoretical claims in development partnership and cooperation. Using purely qualitative methods, the study relied on interviews as sources of primary data. Secondary data were drawn from reports and media interviews. Using both inductive and abductive frames of reasoning the study discovered that civil society participation has been fundamentally fringe-like, albeit some traces of inclusion in PPP arrangements. Their forms of participation have been largely accounted for by inadequate and unsatisfactory political responses to anomalies in the PPP. Moreover, it was evident that while some of the modes of participation of civil society in the PPP regime reflected current claims in development partnership and cooperation others did not. In this paper, we observe that a CSO may play crucial roles in PPP projects by reacting constructively to the actions and inactions of the coalition of state and private actors. The usefulness of their roles in reorganizing PPP regimes will be enhanced if they remain objective, consistent and factual in their claimsItem Client Satisfaction Survey of Healthcare Delivery in Rural Ghana Using Service Quality Measurement (SERVQUAL) Approach(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2008) Turkson, P.K.Client satisfaction surveys have been emphasised over recent years to help identify barriers to quality service delivery. To identify what needs to be improved the clients’ satisfaction with the service process as well as the out-comes need to be tapped and used as bases for improved quality in service delivery. The objective of the study was to assess client satisfaction with de-livery of health care at the district level in a rural setting in Ghana. The study used questionnaire (modified SERVQUAL) that asked questions on expectations and perceptions relating to dimensions of quality connected to health care delivery - reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles. It found that the gaps between scores for perceptions and expecta-tions were widest in the subcomponents of tangibles (the appearance of physical facilities, equipment and personnel) compared to the other dimen-sions. The mean scores for perception for the district were 3.0 (out of a maximum score of 5) for tangibles, 3.4 for responsiveness, 3.7 for reliability, and 3.9 each for assurance and empathy, respectively. The use of the modi-fied SERVQUAL instrument helped in identifying various components of dimensions of quality that were perceived to be unsatisfactory by clients could be specifically targeted initially for improvement, rather than trying to improve all areas simultaneously. This is critical in a resource-poor envi-ronment as it helps in prioritisation and efficient use of resourcesItem Climate change and changing productive activities in Ghana: A gendered perspective(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2018-12) Codjoe, E.A.; Seshie-Nasser, H.A.There is consensus on the adverse consequences of climate change on the world economy, particularly on countries that are vulnerable to rising sealevels. Nevertheless, another area of concern in recent years is the impact on the poor in developing countries, especially on women. This paper explores the gender dimensions of climate change on economic activities in Ghana. In specific terms, it examines the link between climate change and changes in economic activities from agriculture to services. We use data from several rounds of the Ghana Living Standards Surveys (GLSS) to explore the extent to which changing patterns of economic activities are linked to climate change. We find possible linkages between climate change and changing economic activities. In general, we find that there has been a gradual decline in the proportion of women, and men, engaged in agricultural activities, with a corresponding increase in the proportion of women and men engaged in some service sector activities