Centre for Social Policy Studies
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Item 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.Item 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.Item 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.Item ). 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.Item 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.Item 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.Item 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.Item Household Composition and Well-Being of Older Persons in Ghana(University of Wisconsin Press, 2016) Domfe, G.; Bortei-Doku Aryeetey, E.Ghana’s population is aging in line with global trends. While this has implications for household composition and well-being of older persons, discussions on it have not received much attention in the various welfare studies on Ghana. This paper examines changes in household composition and their overall correlation with well-being of the older person. The data sets of the last four rounds of Ghana Living Standard Surveys were used to analyse trends in household composition in Ghana from 1991–1992 survey period to 2012–2013 survey period. A probit regression analysis was employed to identify key household characteristics and resources that correlate with well-being of older persons. The findings suggest that higher number of economically active household members, acquisition of formal education, receipt of remittances and ownership of certain material and social resources correlate positively with the well-being of the older persons. The paper concludes that household composition and resources owned by household members can affect the well-being of the older persons in the household. Household members are therefore encouraged to remain economically active while conserving resources to improve their well-being later in life.Item Gender of Household Heads, Assets and Choice of Basic Services(Ghana Social Science Journal, 2017-06-01) Domfe, G.; Bortei-Doku Aryeetey, E.The paper examines how assets owned by men- and women-headed households could help in enhancing the choice of different basic social services. It uses the data of a comprehensive field survey conducted by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research in 9,310 households across 23 MiDA intervention districts in Ghana in 2008. A multinomial logistic regression was employed to assess how ownership of a particular asset could enhance the choice of basic social services such as education, health and sanitation. The results of the study indicate that women-headed households control less productive assets and are therefore more likely to depend on the cheaper but lower quality public educational facilities than on the expensive but higher quality private educational facilities. Recommendations were therefore made for policy to ensure that opportunities are provided for women-headed households to own more productive assets.Item Politics, Public Policy and Social Protection in Africa(Routledge, 2017) De-Graft Aikins, A.; Alidu, S.; Bortei-Doku Aryeetey, E.; Domfe, G.; Armah, R.Africa is now in a much-improved position to support its poor and vulnerable people. It has more money, more policy commitment and abundant intervention programmes. Yet the number of citizens living lives of desperation, or at risk of destitution, is at an all-time high, and still rising. What is turning such positive prospects into such a disappointing result? Politics, Public Policy and Social Protection in Africa reveals key answers, drawing on empirical studies of cash transfer programmes in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. Social cash transfer might be the most effective "safety net" formula to emerge so far. The country chapters in this book explore why it works and how it might be harnessed for poverty alleviation. The studies uncover the very different motives of donors, politicians and the poor themselves for making it their preferred choice; why governments are not expanding the donor-driven pilot programmes as expected, and why ruling elites are not trying to help or hinder a concept which, on the face of it, could derail one of their most lucrative gravy trains. This book will be of value and interest to researchers and students of African politics, African social policy and sociology, as well as policy maker and donors.