Parliament and Public Policy Making Under Ghana's Fourth Republic, 1993-2008

Abstract

The role of Parliament in the policy making in Ghana has been found to be limited as the institution has suffered from the unstable political environment within which it operated especially from independence in 1957 to 1992. The lack of consistency and continuity of democratic governance undermined Parliament's ability to be properly institutionalized and benefit from path dependency. The inauguration of the Fourth Republic and the restoration of parliamentary democracy brought in its wake a parliament that was, to all intents and purposes, a one party parliament house of the boycott of the 1992 parliamentary elections by a coalition of opposition parties. The lack of virile opposition not withstanding. Parliament discharged its duties creditably, albeit modestly. The first parliament faced enormous challenges such as lack of personnel with institutional memory, MPs with little or no experience in parliamentary procedures and practices, weak support systems such as a poor library facilities. weak research base, lack of financial autonomy. excessive partisanship, weak committee system and poor condition of service of MPs among others. The study demonstrates that Parliament of Ghana works within a constitutional framework called the hybrid system that tilts power in favour of the executive and leaves parliament almost at the mercy of the magnanimity of the President in terms of resource allocation. Parliament also operates within a constitutional framework that largely subordinates II to the executive by promoting an institutional configuration that results in the depletion of its core materials for the purpose of forming government The study revealed that the combining effect of weak institutional configuration and the growing demands on the MP to provide both public and private goods have literally produced MPs who are keen in catching the President's eye rather than the Speaker's eye. In the process, MPs have become utility maximizers because of the desire to protect one's political fortunes. The study recommends that considering the growing demand for institutional efficiency and good governance, there is the need for a total institutional re-configuration to balance the power between the legislature and the executive. It also recommends rigorous development of the institutional capacity of Parliament to enable it playa meaningful role in policy making in the country.