Local social networks and decentralization in Ghana

Abstract

Developing countries have been undergoing decentralization on the premise that involving local people in the identification of their needs will bring them closer to participatory democracy. However, the effectiveness of decentralization may be contingent upon local social networks contributing to political participation, as shown by Ghana's efforts at decentralization. This thesis examines how local social networks determine the extent and quality of decentralization in different regions in Ghana. To test this connection, I ran ordered logit regressions on public opinion data from the 1999 and 2005 Afrobarometers. The findings and discussion of these findings suggest that while less decentralized societies are more likely to raise issues with their local government representatives, more decentralized societies may depend on political discussions and issue-raising. Local social interactions may have proved to be fundamental for adoption of decentralization values, but there is a need to examine the quality of these interactions for effective decentralization.