Foreign official development assistance (ODA) and Ghana's development: The case for ''bringing culture back in'' to the analysis
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Many developing countries, including Ghana, have received substantial amounts of foreign aid inflows for almost five decades. The benefits associated with such receipts have however been scarce. It is now a general knowledge that aid has not yet yielded expected ends. It has been argued that Ghana’s underdevelopment is attributable to colonialism and the integration into the world capitalist system; others also think foreign aid can help salvage the developmental problems the country faces. This paper argues that when aid is not applied a conducive political, economic and socio-cultural environment, it would hardly result in sustainable socio- economic development. Although we dealt with the political, economic and socio-cultural dimensions to Ghana’s development, we seek to emphasize a reconsideration of the culture-development argument that has been sheltered since the 1960s. With sociological institutionalism as our methodological approach, our understanding of ‘development’ is much broader than what just macro-economic indicators will show. Relevant data was gathered from the World Bank, UNDP and the Ghana Statistical Service to ascertain current levels of development, and where Ghana is headed.
Author: Nathan Andrews
Language: English
Subfield: Development
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3142163021