The Economy of Ghana Sixty Years after Independence

As Ghana approaches its 60th birthday, optimism and worries for the future continue to be present in equal measure. Economic growth in the last decade has been high by historical standards. However, structural transformation has lagged behind. This volume brings together leading established and young economists, from within and outside Ghana, to analyze and assess the challenges facing Ghana's economy as it enters its seventh decade and the nation heads towards three quarters of a century of independence. The chapters cover the major macroeconomic and sectoral issues, social issues, and the implications of the oil boom for Ghanaian development.

Edited by:   Ernest Aryeetey (Former Vice Chancellor University of Ghana), Ravi Kanbur (T.H. Lee Professor of World Affairs, International Professor of Applied Economics and Management, and Professor of Economics, Cornell University)
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 241mm,  Width: 167mm,  Spine: 30mm
Weight:   770g
ISBN:   9780198753438
ISBN 10:   0198753438
Pages:   448
Publication Date:   March 2017
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Primary ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Part I: Overview 1: Ernest Aryeetey and Ravi Kanbur: Ghana at Sixty: Learning from a Developing African Nation's Past 2: Ravi Kanbur: W. Arthur Lewis and the Roots of Ghanaian Economic Policy 3: Franklin Obeng-Odoom: Property and Freedom Part II: Macroeconomy and Finance 4: Ernest Aryeetey and Ama Pokuaa Fenny: Economic Growth in Ghana: Trends and Structure (1960-2014) 5: Robert Darko Osei and Henry Telli: Sixty Years of Fiscal Policy in Ghana: Outcomes and Lessons 6: Peter Quartey, Bernice Owusu-Brown, and Festus Ebo Turkson: Monetary Policy and Inflation Management in Ghana: Inflation Targeting and Outcomes 7: A.D. Amarquaye Laryea and Bernadin Senadza: Trade and Exchange Rate Policies since Independence and Prospects for the Future 8: Sam Mensah: Banking and Capital Markets: The Evolution of Ghana's Financial Sector and Future Prospects 9: Augustin Kwasi Fosu: Oil and Ghana's Economy Part III: Sectoral Perspectives 10: Fred Dzanku and Christopher Udry: Flickering Decades of Agriculture and Agricultural Policy 11: Nkechi S. Owoo and John Page: Industrial Policy in Ghana: From a Dominant State to Resource Abundance 12: William F. Steel: Formal and Informal Enterprises as Drivers and Absorbers of Employment 13: George Owusu and Paul W. K. Yankson: Urbanization in Ghana: Retrospect and Prospects 14: Edward Nketiah-Amponsah and Patricia Woedem Aidam: State of Ghana's Infrastructure and its Implications for Economic Development 15: Daniel K. Twerefou and K. A. Tutu: Managing the Environment for Development 16: Gavin Hilson and Abigail Hilson: Mining in Ghana: Critical Reflections on a Turbulent Past and Uncertain Future Part IV: Human Development 17: Andy McKay and Eric Osei-Assibey: Inequality and Poverty in Ghana 18: William Baah-Boateng: Employment and Labour Market 19: Abena D. Oduro and Charles G. Ackah: Closing the Gender Gaps in Ghana 20: Emmanuel A. Codjoe: The Prospects and Challenges of a Youthful Population in Achieving Economic and Social Transformation in Ghana 21: Kwabena Gyimah-Brempong: Education in Ghana: Access, Quality, and Prospects for Reforms 22: Ama de-Graft Aikins and Kwadwo Koram: Health and Healthcare in Ghana, 1957-2017 23: Isaac Osei-Akoto and Clement Adamba: Social Health Insurance in Ghana: The Politics, Economics and the Future

Prior to his appointment as Vice Chancellor Ernest Aryeetey was a Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution. He was also Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of University of Ghana, Legon. His research focuses on the economics of development with interest in institutions and their role in development, regional integration, economic reforms, financial systems in support of development and small enterprise development. He is well known for his work on informal finance and microfinance in Africa. He is a member of the Governing Council of United Nations University, Tokyo. He has published with leading development journals and publishers and he is a co-editor of The Oxford Companion to the Economics of Africa (OUP, 2012). Ravi Kanbur is well known for his role in policy analysis and engagement in international development. He has served on the senior staff of the World Bank including as Chief Economist for Africa. He is also ranked in the top 0.5% of academic economists in the world. He is President-Elect of the Human Development and Capabilities Association, Past-President of the Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, Chair of the Board of UNU-WIDER, Co-Chair of the Scientific Council of the International Panel on Social Progress, member of the OECD High Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance, and a member of the Core Group of the Commission on Global Poverty.

The book works diligently through its subject matter via an assemblage of chapters pivoting around carefully selected themes, which in the main deal with sectoral analysis and economic policy theory and practice. The sectors range quite ambitiously from the financial sphere through the ever vexatious and perennial question of land reform and agriculture, to the arenas of health care, education, gender, physical infrastructure and urbanization, among others. * Lloyd Amoah, African Affairs *