This collection of ten essays focuses and analyses Ghana's political, economic, agrarian and social development. The authors are all Ghanaian scholars, and they reflect on their country's experience from different perspectives, providing an indigenous voice to the debate about the country's development. The subjects covered are the state, capital and labour relations 1961-1987; from GTP to Assene: aspects of industrial working class struggles 1982-1986; women's political organizations 1951-1987; changing relations between the IMF and the Government of Ghana 1960-1987; financial intermediation and economic development; trends in foreign policy after Nkrumah; the land question since the 1950s; the state and food agriculture; policies and politics of export agriculture; and the problems of the health care delivery system.

Since it achieved independence in 1957, the West African state of Ghana has become the torchbearer of African liberation, as well as a laboratory for the study of endemic problems facing the African continent. In terms of democratic consolidation, the country holds a unique position on the continent as beacon of stability and democracy. Politics, Governance, and Development in Ghana takes critical stock of the landmark themes that have dominated its history since independence. The contributors address issues such as citizenship, civil society, the military, politicians, chiefs, transnational actors, the public sector and policies, the executive branch, decentralization, the economy, electoral politics, natural resources, and relations with Asia and the diaspora. These themes support “mobilizing for Ghana’s future,” which is the theme for the diamond jubilee celebration of Ghana’s independence. Edited by Joseph R.A. Ayee, this book will deepen the literature on studies on Ghana especially in the areas of politics, governance, economy and development; serve as a resource for academics, students, practitioners; and commemorate the diamond jubilee celebration of Ghana’s independence.

Is globalization beneficial to Africa? Does it open infinite opportunities for economic growth, development and social transformation of the continent? It is the assertion of contributions to this collection that for Africa, globalisation is a counter-revolutionary movement that is stalling the drive of the continent's societies to transform themselves into developed and prosperous entities. Included in this volume are contributions from scholars such as Samir Amin, Horace Campbell, Thandika Mkandawire and Cyril Obi.

In 1993 a new democratic order was initiated in Ghana. In 1997 the elected Government ran its full mandate and was re-elected, for the first time infour decades. The authors in this volume question the prevailing trendsand tendencies in the country's democratisation process. Given its historyof incomplete transitions, a thorough analysis of the extremely complexnature of the Ghanaian transition process was needed to look at previousand existing orders. The papers in this collection identify and discussthe interplay of factors impinging on the current process: the intertwinedrelationships between economic and political liberalisations, theinstitutional and non-institutional structures in the emergence ofnational mass consciousness and movements, and the connections between themilitary, party politics and chances of sustainable democratictransitions.

Ghana has witnessed a 'revolution through the ballot box', since its return to constitutional rule in 1993. Yet this period of sustained democratic government in an era of globalization and liberal triumphalism has brought with it new demands. How has Ghana faced up to the problems of institution-building, state-market relations and democratic leadership? Can it deal with the challenges posed by security, human rights and foreign policy in the twenty-first century? This unique collection interrogates all these issues and assesses the future of the democratic experiment in one of sub-Saharan Africa's rare 'islands of peace'. In doing so, it provides an invaluable guide to Ghana's political past, present and future.