Centre for Social Policy Studies

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    Building the adaptive capacity for livelihood improvements of Sahel Savannah farmers through NGO-led adaptation interventions
    (Climate Risk Management, 2019-09-24) Tahiru, A.; Sackey, B.; Owusu, G.; Bawakyillenuo, S.
    The paper explores the extent to which NGO-led interventions on climate change adaptation over the years have developed the adaptive capacity of farmers in Ghana. Drawing on the experiences of farmers from the Savelugu Municipal Assembly in Ghana, the paper investigates whether the adaptation practices by NGOs are localized and sufficiently progressive to ensure sustainable adaptation. The study is situated within the interpretive paradigm using a qualitative approach. Data was collected through interviews and focus group discussions with NGOs and farmers in the municipality. The study finds that institutions, particularly international NGOs and the various interventions they led, have been very critical for developing potential of farmers to be actively involved in the processes of change to minimize the negative impacts of climate change. They provide direct and indirect capacity building activities such as providing farmers with information on climate change and its impact on their yields and livelihoods, building farmers skills and knowledge to deal adequately with climate variability, laying the foundations for individuals to build various capitals, directly assisting in coping and adaptive livelihood activities, financial assistance to build livelihood capitals and engaging in impact offsetting strategies. These determinants of the adaptive capacity provide interesting input in terms of guidance for management options to enhance the adaptive capacity of the communities in the face of climate change. Such results are significant in informing policy and practice at the national and local levels.
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    Effective Project Management of a Pan-African Cancer Research Network: Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate (MADCaP)
    (Journal of Global Oncology, 2018-09) Odiaka, E.; Lounsbury, D.W.; Jalloh, M.; Adusei, B.; Diallo, T.A.; Kane, P.M.S.; Rockson, I.; Okyne, V.; Irusen, H.; Pentz, A.; Makinde, I.et.al.
    Purpose Health research in low- and middle-income countries can generate novel scientific knowledge and improve clinical care, fostering population health improvements to prevent premature death. Project management is a critical part of the success of this research, applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to accomplish required goals. Here, we describe the development and implementation of tools to support a multifaceted study of prostate cancer in Africa, focusing on building strategic and operational capacity. Methods Applying a learning organizational framework, we developed and implemented a project management toolkit (PMT) that includes a management process flowchart, a cyclical center-specific schedule of activities, periodic reporting and communication, and center-specific monitoring and evaluation metrics. Results The PMT was successfully deployed during year one of the project with effective component implementation occurring through periodic cycles of dissemination and feedback to local center project managers. A specific evaluation was conducted 1 year after study initiation to obtain enrollment data, evaluate individual quality control management plans, and undertake risk log assessments and follow-up. Pilot data obtained identified areas in which centers required mentoring, strengthening, and capacity development. Strategies were implemented to improve project goals and operational capacity through local problem solving, conducting quality control checks and following compliancy with study aims. Moving forward, centers will perform quarterly evaluations and initiate strengthening measures as required. Conclusion The PMT has fostered the development of both strategic and operational capacity across project centers. Investment in project management resources is essential to ensuring high-quality, impactful health research in low- and middle-income countries.
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    Parental Wellbeing, Parenting and Child Development in Ghanaian Families with Young Children
    (Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 2018-09) Huang, K.Y.; Bornheimer, L.A.; Dankyi, E.; De-Graft Aikins, A.
    Approximately one-third of early childhood pupils in Ghana are struggling with meeting basic behavioral and developmental milestones, but little is known about mechanisms or factors that contribute to poor early childhood development. With a lack of developmental research to guide intervention or education program and policy planning, this study aimed to address these research gaps by examining a developmental mechanism for early childhood development. We tested a mediational mechanism model that examined the influence of parental wellbeing on parenting and children's development. Two hundred and sixty-two Ghanaian parents whose children attended early childhood classes (nursery to 3rd grade) were recruited. Data were gathered through parent interviews and Structural Equation Modeling was utilized to examine pathways of the model. Results support the mediational model that Ghanaian parents' depression was associated with less optimal parenting, and in turn greater child externalizing behavioral problems. This study adds new evidence of cross cultural consistency in early childhood development.
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    Implementation of Social Protection Interventions in Africa. "The Trend in the Outcomes of Free Basic Education in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda"
    (Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2018-12) Brenyah, J.K.
    Social protection interventions have been used as a poverty reduction strategy in many countries. Free Basic Education is one of the social protection interventions implemented in most developing countries. This review assessed the outcome of the implementation of Free Basic Education in Africa, using Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi as a test case. Thirty-Seven (37) published documents were used for the study. The study is underpinned by Bagozzi’s Goal Theory and Conceptualized with Knowledge Gaps and Knowledge Management Strategies. The study noted that, the Free Basic Education Policy has increased primary school net enrolment rates in these countries holding all other confounders constant. The study also revealed that, the implementation of the Free Basic Education Policy did not reduce educational expenditure as expected as school authorities continue to levy pupils. The objective of removing financial barriers was therefore not met, and the quality of teaching and learning delivery in most schools has fallen due to high pupils-teacher ratio and other implementation challenges. Based upon these findings, the study concluded that, there is the need for constant stakeholder interaction, efficient financial practices, fiscal space creation, provision of more educational infrastructure, recruitment of additional teachers, measures to ensure quality of teaching and learning delivery and effective monitoring of social protection intervention programmes in Africa.
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    Women’s wealth and intimate partner violence: Insights from Ecuador and Ghana.
    (Routledge, 2015) Oduro, A.D.; Deere, C.D.; Catanzarite, Z.
    Intimate partner violence (IPV) by men against their partners is one of the most glaring indicators of women’s lack of empowerment. Drawing upon the 2010 Ecuador Household Asset Survey (EAFF) and the 2010 Ghana Household Asset Survey (GHAS), nationally representative surveys for Ecuador and Ghana, respectively, this study investigates the relationship between women’s ownership of assets and physical and emotional abuse by spouses against currently partnered women over the previous twelve months. It uses the value of a woman’s total assets compared to those of her partner as the main proxy for a woman’s bargaining power. Differentiating between physical and emotional violence in both countries, the study finds that women’s share of couple wealth is significantly associated with lower odds of physical violence in Ecuador and emotional violence in Ghana. Moreover, the association between women’s share of couple wealth and IPV is contingent on the household’s position in the wealth distribution.
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    Engendering economic policy in Africa.
    (Taylor & Francis, 2015) Oduro, A.D.; van Staveren, I.
    Despite Africa's relatively commendable growth performance since 2000, growth has not been accompanied by structural transformations. First, there has been little diversification from agriculture into industry, particularly manufacturing. Second, the poverty headcount and inequality remain high in many countries, even as African countries continue to rank lowest on the United Nations Development Programme's Gender Inequality Index. This contribution goes beyond the individualistic approach of supply-side policies and unveils deeper mechanisms that need to be tackled for the two transformations (diversification and inequality reduction) to occur. It demonstrates that gender inequality relies on unwritten but dominant social norms, hence, informal institutions. The removal of formal legislation that constrains women's agency, the enactment of formal laws, and the implementation of economic policies designed specifically to create incentives for behavior change are recommended.
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    ). Delayed primary school enrolment among boys and girls in Ghana
    (Elsevier Science, 2016) Seshie-Nasser, H.A.; Oduro, A.D.
    Using the fifth Ghana Living Standards Survey, this paper examines whether delayed entry is as likely among girls as it is among boys and the importance of the household's poverty status in understanding delayed entry. No gender difference is found in the likelihood of delayed entry. However boys are much older for their grades than girls suggesting that they may experience a more extended period of delayed entry. The poverty status of the household is not an important correlate of delayed entry among girls or children in urban households but is important for boys and rural children.
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    The economy of Ghana sixty years after indpendence
    (Oxford University Press, 2017) Oduro, A.D.; Ackah, C.J.
    his chapter assesses gender issues in the national discourse and policy agenda since independence and presents evidence on trends in gender gaps in education, employment, time use, and asset ownership. Although progress has been made in introducing legislation and policies to promote gender equality, important legislation remains to be enacted. Gender parity in primary enrolment has been achieved but gender gaps persist in other education levels and in education outcomes. More women are in wage employment, but the proportion of working women classified as unpaid family workers remains stubbornly high. The gender gap in time spent on unpaid domestic work persists despite women’s increased labour force participation and there is a gender gap in asset ownership. Closing the gender gap will require crafting appropriate strategies based on a clear understanding of gender relations in order to change values, norms, and behaviours.
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    Political settlements, the deals environment and economic growth: The case of Ghana.
    (Effective States and Inclusive Development, 2015) Osei, R.D.; Ackah, C.; Domfe, G.; Danquah, M.
    The paper explores the extent to which political settlements, and consequently the deals environment, have influenced the growth and development outcomes for Ghana. This is done using a conceptual framework which tries to demonstrate how political settlements and the deals environment help explain sustained economic growth. Some of the key findings are summarised as follows. First, the paper notes that political settlements in Ghana have been largely personalised over the years, with electoral competition becoming a feature of the last two decades. Second, it notes that the product space for Ghana has remained largely unchanged over the years, reinforcing the argument that growth has not been structurally transformative. Third, it argues that the deals space in Ghana is largely a product of the nature of the political settlement and this in turn has contributed to growth without structural transformation of the economy. The paper concludes by noting that Ghana finds itself in a position where change to its deals space, in a way that promotes sustained accelerated growth, will be difficult.
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    Reducing Exclusion through Social Intervention Programme: Lessons from Implementation of MDGs in Ghana and South Africa
    (Ghana Social Science Journal, 2016) Mohammed, I.; Domfe, G.
    Reducing exclusion within and among countries in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa would require basic understanding of the effectiveness of the various policies and programmes currently being implemented to improve welfare. The paper contributes to this discussion through a comparative analysis of the social protection paradigms applied during the era of the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana and South Africa. The authors investigated whether transformative measures such as changing regulatory framework to protect vulnerable groups, operationalizing economic, social and cultural rights of citizens, and public sensitisation campaigns have in-built mechanisms for tackling exclusion. The main approach of the study was a review of empirical literature that has examined the paradigms of so cial protection in the two countries. The study revealed that investment in education and enforcement of laws on social rights could reduce inequality within and between the two countries. It was therefore recommended that much effort should be made to imp rove investment in education and enforce laws on social rights in order to achieve better results from the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.