Working Paper 86 - A Review of Ex - ante Poverty Impact Assessments of Macroeconomic Policies in Cameroon and Ghana

This paper summarizes two extensive case studies of experiences with ex-ante poverty impact assessments of macroeconomic policies in Cameroon and Ghana during the last ten years. The paper provides a short description and critique of the studies and models that have been used in one way or the other for such assessments. It shows that much more needs to be done to provide policy makers with critical information to reduce poverty more effectively. The paper also reviews briefly the key institutional issues that constrain the more extensive analysis of the impact of macroeconomic policies on poverty, which are related to data constraints, capacity constraints, and power structures. The paper closes with a variety of recommendations, covering methodological, political, and data issues as well as suggestions for more evidence-based policy-making.

Social capital as the missing link in community development planning process in Africa: lessons from Ghana

Conventional community development strategies have focused on the importance of physical, natural, financial, and human capitals. In spite of the emphasis on these in the pursuit of development, a number of community development problems persist. Given the huge evidence that social capital matters in community development efforts, it appears that the missing link in community development is social capital. Yet this has not been adequately explored. This paper explores the role of social capital in the community development planning process. Comparative case study design was used. Two rural communities were selected from the Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Area for in-depth study. Interviews were conducted with the principal and assistant Municipal Planning officers and two Principal Community Development Officers from the Municipal Assemblies and the traditional leaders of both communities. Assembly members were used as key informants. Focus group discussions were held with community groups. Forty respondents were randomly selected at the household level and interviewed. The analysis focused on social networks, trust, civic engagement and social norms. It was found that social capital could facilitate the community development planning process by promoting the participation of community members in community activities, increase their ability to work together and engender overall development. There is a correlation between community development and the level of social capital. The paper recommends  that development planning at the sub-national levels can be more responsive if it utilizes networks and social ties in the preparation and implementation of plans.Keywords: Social Capital, Development, Planning, Ghana, Participatio

Environmental Value Engineering (EVE) Comparison of a USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Window System and Non-LEED Window System

ABSTRACT The need to explore environmentally friendly materials to avoid the depletion of the nonrenewable resources is very significant. The human race has been heavily dependent on nonrenewable resources since the industrial revolution. The rate of consumption of these resources is higher than the rate at which these resources replenish themselves since it has been established that most of these resources take millions of years to replenish. A critical look into the future reveals that there is a looming resource crisis since these resources are being depleted. Fossil fuel combustion is linked to the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. Global warming, which is as a result of the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere, is one of the major problems we are facing today. Faced with the shortages of natural resources, pollution, overgrowth, and concern for protecting the environment, human beings are coming to realize that new concepts are needed to analyze the interdependent parts of the built environment as a whole (Roudebush, 1992). The current concern is to reduce further human impact on the environment and to find ways to adapt to the change that has already occurred over the past several decades In light of the present need for optimal use of our resources, as opposed to maximizing, there is an increasing shift of focus to system evaluation methodologies that can be used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product or system. It is with this in mind that this study was carried out to compare the environmental impact and contribution of both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and NON-LEED® window systems. The LEED® window was SAS Series 3 at The Oaks dining hall at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio and the NON-LEED® was the Kawneer 1600 used at the Stroh Center on the same campus. The study employed the use of the Environmental Value Engineering (EVE) methodology which, unlike any other environmental life cycle assessment method, accounts for the inputs of environment, fuel energy, goods, and services to the alternatives competing for similar resources. Inputs are in terms of Emergy. EMERGY is defined as all the available energy that was used in the work of making a product, including environmental impacts relating to inputs of: environment, fuel energy, goods, and services (labor) (Roudebush, 2003). The EVE analysis carried out indicated that the NON-LEED® (Kawneer 1600) window system has substantially less impact on the environment than the LEED® (SAS Series 3) window system. The results show that the LEED® window system accounts for 1.46x1019 SEJs while the NON-LEED® window system accounts for 9.49x1015 SEJs. The LEED® window system requires 1.46x1019 SEJs more than the NON-LEED® window system. Therefore the LEED® alternative A has an impact of 99.93% greater than that of the NON-LEED® alternative B making the NON-LEED® alternative B more environmentally friendly

Revenue Mobilisation by Local Governments in Ghana: The Potentials of Investment in Metal Souvenirs for Tourists

The study looks at how local government authorities struggling to mobilise sufficient local revenues can turn to tourism given its potential to offer more stable local revenues. Previous studies have supported tourism as an important revenue source but do not provide the form in which local governments can leverage on tourism to enhance their local revenues. This study employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches to look at popular tourist sites in the Ashanti Region of Ghana -the Manhyia Palace museum, Okomfo Anokye sword, Bobiri butterfly sanctuary and Lake Bosomtwe. The study interviewed 400 tourists, 20 manufacturers of metal souvenirs, 3 local government officials, 2 officials of the Ghana Tourist Authority and 4 tour guides. The study revealed that investing in the production of metal souvenirs for specific tourist attractions can help local governments raise revenue due to increased tourist arrivals and high demand for metal souvenirs by tourists yet this avenue is under explored. The study proffers that local governments invest in the production of souvenirs by supporting the local artisans through partnership arrangements for them to produce for the Assemblies to supply to tourists at the various tourist sites

Deepening decentralisation through non-partisan district assembly system in Ghana

There is no consensus among scholars as to whether competitive partisan elections at Ghana’s district assembly level can help deepen the country’s decentralization system. It remains unclear whether a non-partisan district Assembly can work in Ghana. To address this issue, extensive qualitative interviews were conducted with local government officers in five municipalities. An in-depth analysis of the legal framework within which decentralisation reforms are implemented was also undertaken. The study found that a non-partisan district Assembly system seems more of an illusion than reality due to the enduring strength of informal ties, heavy politicization of the district assemblies and numerous challenges confronting the Assembly members. In addition, the constitution still empowers the president to appoint District Chief Executives and one third of the membership of the district assemblies. It is recommended that in order to deepen the country’s democracy, the legal framework need to be revised for competitive partisan elections to be pursued and Assembly members must be paid for their work.Keywords: Decentralisation, devolution, district assembly, informal ties, Ghan

Environmental Value Engineering (EVE) Assessment: A Case Study of Comparing Curtain Wall System Alternatives

The need to explore environmentally friendly materials to avoid the depletion of the non-renewable resources is very significant. Humans have been heavily dependent on non-renewable resources since the industrial revolution.  This has led to environmental impacts such as increase in CO2 in the atmosphere and global warming, which is arguably one of the major problems we are facing today.  Faced with the possible shortages of natural resources, pollution, population overgrowth, and concern for protecting the environment, human beings are coming to realize that new concepts are needed to analyze the interdependent parts of the built environment. Considering the present need for optimal use of our resources, as opposed to maximizing, there is an increasing shift of focus to system evaluation methodologies that can be used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product or system. It is with this ever-increasing need for products that are not only functional and cost-effective, but also environmental friendly, that Environmental Value Engineering (EVE) assessment is gaining popularity. This paper explores the application of the EVE methodology through a case study of comparing the environmental impact of the C.T.W. Series 3 Wood Hybrid Curtain Wall system and the Kawneer 1600 Wall System. The EVE methodology, which is an environmental life cycle assessment method, was used to compare the inputs of the environment, fuel energy, goods, and services in terms of emergy for both systems

The vulnerability of peri-urban farm households with the emergence of land Markets in Accra

Accra, the capital of Ghana, is a fast-growing African city. Its growth has brought in its wake an ever-increasing demand for land, which has in turn led to the emergence of a land market that is increasingly supplanting the age-old customary land tenure system. The customary land tenure system is based on communal, rather than individual ownership of land. However, over the last few decades, the system has come under pressure from the forces of rapid urbanization, city expansion and increasing demand for land for urban development. The purpose of this paper was to examine the vulnerability of residents of indigenous communities in peri-urban Accra due to the emerging urban land market. The case study approach has been used to explore vulnerability among residents of two indigenous communities in peri-urban Accra in respect of their ability to access land. Household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews involving community members, leaders and municipal officials were the main techniques used to collect data. The study revealed that indigenous and long-term residents had their farmlands converted to urban development without any measures in place to protect them from the collapsing customary land tenure system and the evolving urban land market. This has negatively impacted their quality of life, especially with respect to livelihoods. There is therefore the need for municipal assemblies to include the preservation of farmlands in the management of physical growth and land use so as to minimize the rate at which farmlands are being converted to urban development. Measures should also be put in place to restore farm households that have lost their land to urban development in the form of compensation and provision of alternative livelihoods. Keywords: Vulnerability; customary; land tenure; urban growth; land marke

Dissemination and adoption of bottom-up agriculture to improve soil fertility in Africa: An interdisciplinary approach

Soil fertility is at stake at a global scale, putting pressure on food security, poverty alleviation and environmental protection, under scenarios of climate change that in most cases aggravate the threat. In sub-Saharan Africa, a combination of depleted soils and population growth adds particular pressure to smallholder farmers and society. Their capacity to innovate in a social, economic, political and cultural context is seen as decisive to reverse the trend of declining soil fertility. However, many technologies with a potential to protect, maintain and build up soil fertility are hardly used by small-scale farmers, triggering the urgent question on their reasoning not to do so. Exploring and understanding the constraints and complexity of the social systems interacting with the implied institutional dynamics are essential steps in designing appropriate agricultural innovations that are scalable and adoptable. The focus of the inter- and transdisciplinary approach applied in the project ORM4Soil (Organic Resource Management for Soil Fertility; www.orm4soil.net) lies at the heart of this project. We are combining qualitative and quantitative methods from agronomy, sociology and communication sciences in order to bring soil-fertility-enhancing-technologies and their adoption to the center of the decision-making process of farmers’ as well as local and regional institutions. At local and regional innovation platforms, stakeholders from business, government, academia and farmer organizations are discussing the outcomes of agronomic trials and sociological research. We are expecting to create bridges between the needs and concerns of farmers, relevant segments of society and policymaking, with the new common goal to enhance soil fertility

The importance of traditional healers in the planning of rural healthcare delivery in Ghana: the case of bone-setting services in Loagri and Wungu

There has been increasing debate on whether traditional healers actually matter in planning for healthcare delivery and how their services can be effectively integrated into planning for formal health delivery systems. Whilst many have raised issues of standardization and efficacy against traditional healing, others have acclaimed its efficacy and many Ghanaians are claimed to have confidence in it and use traditional healing simultaneously with orthodox treatment. Detailed qualitative interviews were held with two bone-setters, one in Loagri and one in Wungu, 150 bone patients, 100 community members and 20 health staff. It was revealed that rural healthcare planning must incorporate traditional bone-setters and therefore traditional healers as they offer useful services and are popular because of the proximity one has to such services in relation to clinics and hospitals, the cost of healthcare, socio-cultural beliefs and norms and the confidence the people with bone injuries have in traditional bone-setters. In spite of the importance of traditional bone-setters, the weak collaboration with district hospitals, inadequate accommodation, limited use of modern equipment, and inadequate support and recognition from the District Assembly and the Ministry of Health undermine their role. Effective collaboration between traditional bone-setters and the West Mamprusi District Hospital and the integration of traditional bone-setting into the national public health framework need urgent policy attention. Keywords: Bone-setting, Ghana, planning, healthcare, traditional healer

Resourcing local government in Ghana: the potential of volunteering to deliver basic services

Both local and foreign volunteers have been involved in community development activities in Ghana. However, there is a dearth of research on the perceived and real impacts of volunteers in delivering services, reasons for volunteering, the potential of volunteering to supplement the human and financial resources of local governments in Ghana, and the conditions required for more successful outcomes. This qualitative study examined volunteering activities across 15 communities of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) Municipality in Ghana’s Central Region. It found that volunteering empowered the people, triggered self-help initiatives and improved local people’s knowledge on health and environmental issues. However, there are challenges in finding political and social space for volunteers within the current local government system. The study recommends efforts to address that issue