Papers by Ransford Gyampo
Journal of African Politics
Electoral violence often perpetrated by political party vigilante groups in Ghana has been a majo... more Electoral violence often perpetrated by political party vigilante groups in Ghana has been a major setback to Ghana’s drive towards democratic maturity. In particular, acts and incidence of violence have been alarming during parliamentary by-elections at the constituency level, which have often led to major casualties like deaths, injuries, destruction of property, inter-party conflicts, as well as social and communal tensions. Yet, very little attention has been given to electoral violence and vigilantism during parliamentary bye-elections. This study fills this gap by drawing on interviews, general observations, and archival sources to examine the causative factors for the persistence of parliamentary by-election violence, at the constituency level. The central questions addressed in the paper are: what is the motivation for the involvement of political party vigilante groups in parliamentary by-elections and associated conflicts?; what strategies do political parties use to mobil...
African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, Nov 30, 2008
The idea of drafting a Code of Conduct for political parties in the run up to the December 2008 G... more The idea of drafting a Code of Conduct for political parties in the run up to the December 2008 General Elections by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA-Ghana) under the auspices of the Ghana Political Parties' Programme (GPPP) was hailed by many Ghanaians and political analysts as a step in the right direction. Indeed, the establishment and inauguration of enforcement bodies under the Code was seen as a useful initiative by The IEA to give the Code "teeth to bite". This study however reveals that the establishment and inauguration of the enforcement bodies under the Code did not make it unique after all. In more practical terms, the study revealed that the 2008 Political Parties' Code of Conduct is not in anyway different from the ones drafted in 2000 and 2004. It is just as ineffective as a toothless bull dog that can only bark but cannot bite. The whole process of drafting the Code can therefore be described as one of the numerous Ghanaian efforts at looking for solutions to problems through workshops, retreats and symposia whose outcomes and resolutions are never implemented but left on shelves to gather dust.
The youths are the cohort in the age brackets of 15 African Youth Charter and Ghana’s 2010 Nation... more The youths are the cohort in the age brackets of 15 African Youth Charter and Ghana’s 2010 National Youth Policy. They constitute the bulk of the labour and voting population in Ghana and other West African countries. Consequentl ensuring the appropriateness of development plans and their full and committed implementation. In pre since that fell within the jurisdict However, since the council of elders were representatives of the interest of the various families to which the youth also belonged, it was easy for the youth to be mobilized to implement development plans form through colonialism to post colonialism, the youths have played little or no role in development planning. Using Ghana’s Fourth Republic as a case study, this paper notes that the youth were assigned some role albeit weak, in d planning unlike other countries in the sub this role, the constraints they face and the implications of the nature of youth participation in development planning, policy implementation, and ...
This paper is the sixth in a series of publications aimed at addressing the severe challenges pos... more This paper is the sixth in a series of publications aimed at addressing the severe challenges posed to Ghana’s effort at national development and cohesion by the practice of “WinnerTakes-All” (WTA) politics. It discusses WTA politics, highlighting its dangers such as the conferment of excessive powers on the president, marginalization of perceived political opponents and the feeling of exclusion from the governance process by those who do not belong to the government/ruling party. It reviews the performance of Ghana’s current Council of State as a potential countervailing constitutional arrangement to bridle the excessive powers of the executive and promote inclusive politics. The paper finally makes recommendations to strengthen the Council of State as an effective check on the powers of the executive and mechanism for promoting inclusive politics in Ghana.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, 2019
The youth in Africa have been an important political force and performed a wide range of roles in... more The youth in Africa have been an important political force and performed a wide range of roles in the political field as voters, activists, party members, members of parliament, ministers, party “foot soldiers,” and apparatchiks. Although political parties, governments, and other political leaders often exploit young people’s political activity, their participation in both local and national level politics has been significant. In the academic literature and policy documents, youth are portrayed, on the one hand, as “the hope for the future” and, on the other, as a disadvantaged and vulnerable group. However, the spread of social media has created an alternative political space for young people. Active participation of young people in politics through social media channels suggests that they do not lack interest in politics, but that the political systems in Africa marginalize and exclude them from political dialogue, participation, decision-making, and policy implementation. The so...
Application of a Photocatalysis System to Wastewater: A Detailed Organic Removal of different fra... more Application of a Photocatalysis System to Wastewater: A Detailed Organic Removal of different fraction
Rights-based approaches to development tend to emphasise human rights, the right to participate i... more Rights-based approaches to development tend to emphasise human rights, the right to participate in decision making, and rights to social services and goods such as water, housing, and even the city. They tend to exclude land, while land rights research tends to be focused on land law and law courts without analysing ‘the right to land’. It is possible for the courts to play a key role to shape the current transformation of property relations, especially when private property appears to be failing its supposed role as a social trust but, as we show with an original institutional economics methodology, data from court cases, and results from Afrobarometer surveys, the contribution of the courts can be severely constrained. Existing approaches to contesting land grabs – centred on (a) popular protests (b) international guidelines and (c) national laws from the executive and the legislature – are inadequate without the courts, but what the courts can do is contingent on how well cases a...
In 2011, the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) recommended a national development plan that sh... more In 2011, the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) recommended a national development plan that should be entrenched in the constitution and binding on successive governments. While accepting the need for a long-term plan, the recommendation to make it binding on all regimes was rejected by the government. This paper examines the positive side of the recommendation. It argues that Ghana’sdevelopment planning process lacks broad participation. This heightens the feeling of marginalization usually associated with “Winner-Takes-All” politics and undermines inclusivity and policy continuity. The paper examines the current practice of development planning which is characterized by limited participation and also shows policy discontinuity resulting from abandoned plans and high cost of these in terms of development. It makes a case for an entrenched plan that can promote inclusive governance, policy continuity and accelerated national development. Introduction and background In 2010 the go...
The Journal of Pan-African Studies, 2017
This paper examines Ghana's drive towards democratic consolidation and maturity after a t... more This paper examines Ghana's drive towards democratic consolidation and maturity after a third peaceful transfer of political power. It argues that even though some successes have been made, any attempt at describing Ghana's democracy as consolidated, would mean condoning mediocrity and lowering the bar of democratic consolidation. From the minimalists' view of democratic consolidation, the paper concedes the successes made after three turnover and peaceful transfer of power. 56 Africology: The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.10, no.5, 2017 However, this paper takes the view that Ghana's electoral processes continue to be saddled with monumental flaws that undermine the integrity of elections and poses a threat of democratic relapse. From the maximalists view, the study points to some successes in terms of the existence of a multi-party system, the implementation of some electoral reforms, the existence of vibrant civil society and media as well as the acceptance of democratic norms behaviourally, attitudinally
The essence of governance and representative democracy is for elected leaders to formulate and im... more The essence of governance and representative democracy is for elected leaders to formulate and implement appropriate policies on behalf of the people to deal with the quagmires of poverty and under-development among them. In doing this, sometimes it becomes necessary to consult the people, especially, the particular group that a policy is targeted at, to ensure that first-hand and adequate information is gathered to facilitate the design and implementation of appropriate policies to deal with that group’s problems. In Ghana, since 1992, development plans have been formulated and implemented with little or no participation of the youth even though they constitute the bulk of the nation’s labour force and voting population. The youth were also marginalized in the formulation and implementation of the National Youth Employment Programme, a programme intended to benefit them and to deal with unemployment among
The Journal of Pan-African Studies, 2013
While there has been a long tradition in developmen t studies on analyzing types of participation... more While there has been a long tradition in developmen t studies on analyzing types of participation and their effectiveness, the idea that participatio n is not stationary, but that it can evolve with variegated experiences is relatively unexplored. Th is paper takes up the challenge of showing how participation in development planning can change, the role of underlying institutions, and the implications of evolutionary participatory deve lopment for policy making. It uses a critical postcolonial approach and focus on the role of the youth in development planning in Ghana. It knits together the diverse processes and dynamics o f youth participation in postcolonial Ghana since the pre-colonial era, and teases out implicat ions of these 'participation moments', particularly, current moments, for national develop ment in Ghana.
Several arguments have been advanced either in support for or against the current mode of appoint... more Several arguments have been advanced either in support for or against the current mode of appointment of District Chief Executives (DCEs) and mayors in Ghana by the president. While some have argued that the current mode of appointment ensures control over affairs at the grassroots by the central government, others have strongly kicked against it on the grounds that it does not comply with the tenets of democratic decentralisation and therefore fails to give the masses the chance to adequately participate in the affairs of their locality. Political parties themselves in Ghana remain divided on the debate. While some have supported the call for direct election of DCEs and mayors by the people at the grassroots, others strongly feel the status quo must be maintained. This paper examines both arguments and provides various recommendations for the direct election of DCEs and mayors that address concerns from different quarters in a manner that ensures effective decentralization and political stability.
Every government desires to be efficient to be able to provide basic services for the total welfa... more Every government desires to be efficient to be able to provide basic services for the total welfare of the citizens they seek to govern. But what makes for an efficient government? Big- or small-size government? This issue reflects widespread criticisms of governments in Ghana under the Fourth Republican dispensation, namely, that these governments have through ministerial appointments unduly expanded the frontiers of the state while at the same time touting the virtues of privatization. Indeed, the constitutional provision that empower governments to appoint ministers, section 78 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992, does not set an upper limit. As a result of this constitutional lapse, governments have appointed too many ministers culminating in the increase of the size of government. Using Ghana as a case study, but with emphasis on the Fourth Republic, this paper examines the concept of big government and its effect on government expenditure. It also makes appropriate recommendations for a small sized government capable of delivering quality services to the people without incurring much cost to the state and the entire citizenry.
Routledge Handbook of Democratization in Africa, 2019
The African Review, 2018
It is a truism that the practice of democracy in its classical form as occurred in ancient Atheni... more It is a truism that the practice of democracy in its classical form as occurred in ancient Athenian Greek is no longer possible in the modern state. Selecting leaders to represent the interests of the citizenry, particularly in the legislative arm of government is a crucial replacement of the Athenian-styled democracy. However, the quality of representation in many African democracies, including Ghana, is poor as legislators are unable to act in a manner that promotes the interests of their constituents. Indeed, findings of this study points to the fact that even though parliamentarians in Ghana visit their constituents regularly, there is no deliberate effort to dialogue and interact with their constituents on matters directly affecting them. The study concludes that the quality of representation in Ghana is undermined as there is inadequate connection between the interests of constituents and the decisions taken on their behalf by their legislators. Keywords: Parliament, Quality, ...
The African Review, 2017
The government appointed a Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) in 2010 to solicit popular opin... more The government appointed a Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) in 2010 to solicit popular opinion on the need to review Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. The review became necessary against the backdrop of perceived challenges of some provisions of the Constitution that were believed to be obstructive to the maturation of Ghana’s democracy. In order to ensure that the opinion of the public constituted an essential part of the review process, a nation-wide popular opinion survey was conducted by the Governance Unit of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) to ascertain from the citizens regarding their views on aspects of the Constitution that should be reviewed. This article analyzes how the government responded to each of the issues raised by the public in the survey. The analysis shows that public opinion on critical aspects of the constitution that should be reviewed did not receive governmental attention. The article recommends that the government should work together with parliame...
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Papers by Ransford Gyampo