The state, development and politics in Ghana

The State, Development and Politics in Ghana is a collection of essays that provide a focussed and serious analysis of the country's political, economic, agrarian and social development within the African continent. Ghana's political rule has encompassed virtually the whole gamut of political power, ranging from military dictatorships, parliamentary democracy to populism. Its economic policies in turn have ranged from state nationalism to neo-colonialist laissez-faire. It is this wide ranging experience that singles Ghana out as one of the singularly fascinating and complex examples of economic management under structural adjustments programmes. Previous studies have tended to treat the state in Ghana as an essentially irrelevant incumbrance on Ghanaians themselves, portraying in idyllic terms the social struggles that are taking place, concentrating on the exotic and the ephemeral. In an attempt to share the lessons of Ghana's experience, this collection edited by the late Emmanuel Hansen and Kwame A. Ninsin is a serious attempt by Ghanaian scholars to come to grips with the reality of their country, adding a particularly and, more rare, inherently indigenous voice to the debate on the country's development. They clearly point out that as long as social struggles are a main feature of the society the question of the role of the state will remain central to it.