Political involvement in a democratizing neopatrimonial polity: the case of Ghana -1992-2000

br>In the last decade and half, a consensus emerged that the difficulties that have slowed down Africa's development are more political than economic. Stiglitz (1998) and Ake (1978) note that the key ingredients in a successful development strategy are ownership and participation. Political scientists and Africa's development partners have, consequently, suggested more democratization and good governance as means of bringing Africa out of underdevelopment. This paper draws on the Ghanaian experience of re-democratization in 1992 to reflect upon the efficacy of this route. The underlying assumption of the paper is that, notwithstanding re-democratization in 1992, issue participation in Ghana remains low, and that ingrained informal institutions of neopatrimonial governance bear a heavy, though far from exclusive, responsibility. The study uses as a primary data source survey conducted in five administrative regions of Ghana between October 2002 and February 2003. Three key findings are made. First, it establishes that political participation beyond elections (i.e. issue politics) is low in Ghana. Second, it establishes that informal institutions of neopatrimonial governance are deep-seated and pervasive. Finally, it establishes a strong correlation between neopatrimonialism and political participation. Significantly, it finds that neopatrimonialism accounts for about two-thirds (80%) of the low rates and levels of issue politics in Africa. A major conclusion of the paper is that rather than stimulate a participatory explosion, re-democratization seems to have contributed to the reproduction of neopatrimonialism. The innovative conclusion is drawn that the amplification of neopatrimonialism dims political participation, whilst a reduction in neopatrimonialism would create political space and augment issue politics in Africa. Institute of African Studies: Research Review Vol. 22 (2) 2006: pp 13-3