The politics of government-business relations in Ghana : 1982-2008

Since the early 1980s, the World Bank, backed by aid donor countries, has been involved in a determined effort to stimulate capitalist growth in Africa by prescribing a set of orthodox, neoliberal economic policies. Even in the relative success stories, such as in Ghana, there has been a notable failure to achieve the East Asian-style economic takeoff that some World Bank officials still optimistically envisioned in the early 1990s. Using Ghana as a case study, this book considers why this is the case, and what the implications are for the adequacy of orthodox, neoliberal policies. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 List of Abbreviations......Page 12 Map of Ghana......Page 15 Introduction......Page 16 One: Ghanaian Entrepreneurs and Ghanaian Governments......Page 30 Two: The First Eighteen Months of PNDC Rule......Page 40 Three: The Achievements and Limitations of Economic Reform......Page 60 Four: Strains in Government-Business Relations, 1983–1991......Page 90 Five: Government-Business Relations in the Democratic Era......Page 116 Six: The Changing Face of Ghanaian Business: The Rise of P/NDC Stalwarts......Page 156 Seven: NDC-Business Relations: The Case of Brong-Ahafo......Page 176 Eight: Constraints of the Institutional Environment on Capitalist Expansion......Page 204 Nine: The Theoretical Implications of Ghana’s Experience......Page 228 Conclusion......Page 242 Notes......Page 248 Bibliography......Page 254 Index......Page 268 Since the early 1980s, the World Bank, backed by aid donor countries, has been involved in a determined effort to stimulate capitalist growth in Africa by prescribing a set of orthodox, neoliberal economic policies. Using Ghana as a case study, this book considers why this is the case. Since the early 1980s, the World Bank, backed by aid donor countries, has been involved in a determined effort to stimulate capitalist growth in Africa by prescribing a set of orthodox, neoliberal economic policies. Even in the relative success stories, such as in Ghana, there has been a notable failure to achieve the East Asian-style economic takeoff that some World Bank officials still optimistically envisioned in the early 1990s. Using Ghana as a case study, this book considers why this is the case, and what the implications are for the adequacy of orthodox, neoliberal policies Ghanaian entrepreneurs and Ghanaian governments The first eighteen months of PNDC rule : background to the PNDC The achievements and limitations of economic reform Strains in government-business relations, 1983-1991 Government-business relations in the democratic era The changing face of Ghanaian business.