Political party activism in Ghana: Factors influencing the decision of the politically active to join a political party

Abstract

This article analyses the factors that influence some Ghanaians to join a political party and become active in the party. It seeks to illuminate the multi-dimensionality of the motivational basis of party activism in Ghana by exploring the following problematics: Why join the National Democratic Congress (NDC)/New Patriotic Party (NPP)? and Why be active in the NDC and NPP? Based on interviews, it argues that some Ghanaians signed up for the membership of political parties and became party activists because of the selective incentives the parties dispense to their members. The decision to join a party is thus part of a survival strategy and serves practical ends, immediate or remote, social and individual. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.