Facilitating inclusive social development through decentralisation

Daniel Doh

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

Abstract

Decentralisation as a practice has become topical in the debate on good governance and participatory democracy. The practice became more pronounced in the wake of the 1980s with the pressure on third world countries to liberalise markets and to democratize governance processes. Donors and development organisations adopted the strategy of linking development assistance to evidence of participatory governance (Bergh 2004) as a form of conditionality. Indeed the practice of decentralisation has direct reverberations on how social development policies are implemented and how such policies translate into promoting the wellbeing of people in a country. Given the implications of the practice of decentralisation for social services delivery, it is important to note that Ghana throughout its history has practiced different systems of decentralisation. This chapter discusses the concept and practice of decentralization in Ghana and how it is used to harnesses social development opportunities for the benefit of local people. The chapter also focuses on local capacity building for inclusive governance, social accountability and citizenship responsiveness for social service delivery.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationContemporary Social Policy Issues in Ghana
EditorsEllen Bortei-Doku Aryeetey, Brigid Sackey, Stephen Afranie
Place of PublicationGhana
PublisherFor the University of Ghana by Sub-Saharan Publishers
Pages178-198
Number of pages22
ISBN (Print)9789988860349
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • decentralization in government
  • political participation
  • social service
  • social policy
  • Ghana

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