Tuesday 25 September 2018

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST FOR POLI 111 FOR THE 2018/2019 ACADEMIC YEAR



DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON

POLI 111:      INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST: FIRST SEMESTER, 2018/2019

LECTURER: Dr. KWAME ASAH-ASANTE
COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS
COURSE TITLE
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
COURSE CODE
POLI 111
PURPOSE
AND
OBJECTIVES
Like any other human endeavour, the laying of a solid foundation in academic pursuit is crucial for the appreciation and understanding of the discipline. For this to be achieved, it is always important for beginners to get the basics right before building upon it subsequently. This explains why this course, Introduction to the Study of Political Science, is offered, particularly at this level, to introduce students to some basic ideas and concepts in the field of Political Science. Apart from the nature and scope of the subject matter of politics, the course will focus on traditional political concepts like nation, state, power, influence, authority and sovereignty. Other concepts to be considered include government, democracy and good governance due to their relevance in modern societies. The successful completion and understanding of this course are necessary for the preparation of students for a future in-depth study of other Political Science courses.
WEEK NO.
DATE
LECTURE TOPIC
TUTORIALS
VENUE
ASSESSMENT
1
3,4,7/09/18

Nature and Scope of Political Science

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

2
10,11,14/09/18

Nature and Scope of Political Science

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

3
17,18,21/09/18

Nature and Scope of Political Science

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

4
24,25,28/09/18

Nation, State and Nation-State

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

5
1,2,5/10/18

Nation, State and Nation-State

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

6
8,9,12/10/18
The Concepts of Power, Authority, Influence, Legitimacy and Sovereignty

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

7
15,16,19/10/18
The Concepts of Power, Authority, Influence, Legitimacy and Sovereignty

NNB1/JQB 09/CC
Continuous Assessment
8
22,23,26/10/18
The Concepts of Power, Authority, Influence, Legitimacy and Sovereignty

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

9
29,30,2/10/18
Ideology

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

10
5,6,9/11/18
Ideology

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

11
12,13,16/11/18
Ideology

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

12
19,20,23/11/18
Government

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

13
26,27,30/11/18
Democracy and Good Governance

NNB1/JQB 09/CC

14
REVISION
15-17
EXAMINATION (70%)

READINGS
1.      Brako, I. and Asah-Asante, K. The ABC of Political Science (Accra: Black Mask, 2014)
2.      Miller, J.D.B. The Nature of Politics (London: G. Duckworth, 1962)
3.      Crick, B. In Defence of Politics, rev ed. (Harmondsworth and New York: Penguin, 2000)
4.      Duverger, M. The Study of Politics (London: Nelson and Sons, 1972)
5.      Dahl, R. Modern Political Analysis (Englewood Cliff: Prentice-Hall, 1976)
6.      Heywood, A. Politics, 3ed. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)
7.      Dahl, R. A. and Stinebrickner, B. Modern Political Analysis, 6ed. (New Dehli: 2005: Prentice-Hall of India Private Ltd.)
8.      Lasswell, H. Politics: Who Gets What, When and How? (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1936)
9.      Roskin et al. Political Science: An Introduction, 4ed. (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1991)
10.  Leftwich, A. (ed.) What is Politics? The Activity and Its Study (Oxford and New York: Blackwell, 1984)
11.  Bealey, F., et al. Elements in Political Science (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999)
12.  Laski, H.J. Grammar of Politics (London: Allen and Unwin, 1967)
13.  Magstadt, T.M. and Schotten, P.M. Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions and Issues, 4ed. (New York: St Martin’s Press, 1996)
14.  Marsh, D. And Stoker, G. Theory and Methods in Political Science, 2ed. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002)
15.  Jackson, R.J. and Jackson, D. (eds.). An Introduction to Political Science: Comparative and World Politics, 4ed. (Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 2003)
16.  Easton, D. The Political System (New York: A Knopf, 1965)
17.  Nnoli, O. Introduction to Politics (Singapore: Longman Singapore Publishers Pte Ltd., 1986)
18.  Bluwey, G.K. Political Science: An Introduction (Accra: Yamens Press Ltd., 2002)
19.  Hague et al. Political Science: A Comparative Introduction (New York: St. Martin’s, 1992)
20.  Godwin, K.R. and Wahlke, J. Introduction to Political Science: Reasons, Reflections and Analysis (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1997)
21.  Shiverly. W.P. Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science, 5ed. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002)
22.  MacIver, R.M. The Modern State (Princeton, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1984)
23.  Vincent, A. Theories of the State (New York: Blackwell, 1987)
24.  Appadorai, A. The Substance of Politics (India: Oxford University Press, 1968)
25.  Donovan, J.C., et al. People, Power and Politics (USA and Canada: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1981)
26.  Palmer, N.D. and Perkins, H.C. International Relations: The World Community in Transition (Krishan Nagar, Dehli: A.I.T.B.S. Publishers, 2002)
27.  Coulter, E.M. Principles of Politics and Government (Boston:Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1987)
28.  Lipset, S.M. Political Man: The Social Bases of Politics (New York: Doublebay, 1960)
29.  Lawson, K., The Human Polity: An Introduction to Political Science (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985)
30.  Willhoite, F.H., Power and Governments: An Introduction to Politics (California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company)
31.  Barnes, J.F. et al. The World of Politics (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1984)
32.  Kohn, H. Political Ideologies of the Twentieth Century, 3ed. (New York: Harper and Row, 1966)
33.  Ball, T. and Dagger, R. Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal (New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 1999)
34.  Baradat, L.P. Political Ideologies (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1997)
35.  Sargent, L.T. Contemporary Political Ideologies (Pacific Grove, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1990)
36.  Skidmore, M. J. Ideologies: Politics in Action (Philadelphia: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993)
37.  Oakeshott, M. et al. Ideologies of Politics (Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 1975)
38.  Janda, K. et al. The Challenge of Democracy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989)
39.  Turner, M. J. et al. American Government: Principles and Practices (Westerville, Ohio: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1991)
40.  Dickerson, M. O. and Flanagan, T. An Introduction to Government and Politics: A Conceptual Approach (Scarborough, Ontario: Nelson Canada, 1990)
41.  Dyke, V.A. Introduction to Politics (Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers, 1992)
42.  Coulter, E.M. Principles of Politics and Government (Boston:Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1987)
43.  Danziger, J.N. Understanding the Political World (New York: Longman, 1998)
44.  Burnheim, J. Is Democracy Possible? (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986)
45.  Dahl, R.A. Democracy and Its Critics (New Haven, C.T.: Yale University Press, 1989)
46.  Diamond, L. et al.  (eds) Democracy in Developing  Countries: Persistence, Failure and Renewal, (Boulder: Lynne Rienner,1997)
47.  Dickerson, M. O. and Flanagan, T. An Introduction to Government and Politics: A Conceptual Approach (Scarborough, Ontario: Nelson Canada, 1990)
48.  Gyimah-Boadi, E. (2001) Governance, Institutions and Values in National Development (Legon: Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research)
49.  Good Governance and sustainable human development. Available at F:\ Good governance – and sustainable human development – UNDP accessed on 09/07/07
50.  Governance: Sound Development Management. Available at F:\Governance Sound Development Management - Good Governance defined- ADB_org.htm.
51.  Oduro, F. (2001) An Evaluation of the Commission on Human Rights and  Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), 1993-1999. Unpublished M.Phil. Thesis, Department of Political Science, University of Ghana.
52.  Leftwich, A. “Governance, Democracy and Development in the Third World,” Third World Quarterly, Vol. 14, No.3, 1993.
53.  Dieter, F. “Good Governance,” The Courier, No. 177, Oct.-Nov. 1999, p.71.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
  1. The course will last for thirteen weeks. 
  2. Each class will have a two-hour lecture in addition to a one-hour tutorial per week.
  3. To ensure effective teaching and learning, lectures will be organized in an interactive manner. Students will be allowed to ask and answer questions in class.
  4. There will be an Continuous Assessment (CA) test and end of semester examination. The test will take place at the end of the Seventh week. Students will be required to answer only one essay question. The CA test will carry 30 per cent of the final examination mark. The end of semester examination will carry 70 per cent. During this examination, students will be required to answer three essay questions.





Monday 24 September 2018

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST FOR POLI 459 FOR THE 2018/2019 ACADEMIC YEAR


DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

POLI 459: DECENTRALIZATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

FIRST SEMESTER, 2018/2019
DAY: Friday
VENUE: JQB 23
            TIME: 9.30 am - 11.30 am

LECTURER: DR ABDULAI KUYINI MOHAMMED
OFFICE: Room 5, Department of Political Science
CONSULTATION: Thursday, 11 am -2 pm


Course Title
DECENTRALIZATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
Course Code
POLI 459
Course Description

Decentralization and local governance are crucial elements for success in development processes and in order to ensure that democratic political systems function correctly. Local and regional governments need to be able to rely on strong leadership abilities when it comes to these processes. This course highlights the crosscutting nature of decentralization by offering modules focused on macro, sectoral and governance issues. The course begins with an overview of the global experience and a framework for decentralization, examining the fiscal, political and administrative aspects of decentralization, expenditure and revenue assignment, and the design of intergovernmental relations and transfers. It also focuses on creating understanding of the significance of local government and the basic dynamics of the local government system. It provides the parameters for the study of any individual system and comparison among various local government systems. It also illuminates the direct and indirect roles of formal institutions of local government hierarchies, as well as the roles of informal norms, networks, community organizations, and neighbourhood associations in pursuing collective action by defining the framework for citizen-citizen and state-citizen interactions, collective decision making, and delivery of local public services. Finally, it examines recent thinking about decentralization and its impact on the good governance project, and participatory and inclusive local development.


Purpose and objectives
The course provides students with an understanding of government and decentralization models that underpin the roles and responsibilities which local governments are mandated to carry out. It enables them to appreciate the efficiency and effectiveness (or otherwise) with which local authorities execute that mandate to improve living conditions at the local level. It also helps them to understand the different conditions under which local government decisions must be made. In addition, it enables students to use a rational approach in the evaluation of decentralization reforms in Ghana and other jurisdictions.

The course is a fundamental field of study for any student who is interested in public affairs and the role of local government in socio-economic development.
At the end of this course student should be able to:
  • Analyze the institutional contexts of decentralization with a specific focus on local development, gender and power relations;
  • compare and contrast decentralized projects across jurisdictions and draw lessons from success and failure stories to inform decentralization policy reforms;
  • Develop strategies to improve the involvement of different actors in local governance, natural resource management, and local economic development;
  • understand the rationale behind common local public programs, the considerations for designing policies, and the potential problems in local public decision-making process;
  • understand the intricacies in inter-governmental relations and propose measures to democratize central-local relations.


Week No.
Date
Lecture Course
Tutorials
Venue
Assessment
1
Aug. 24,  2018
Conceptualizing Local Government and Local Governance

Distinguish between local government and local governance
Lecture: JQB 23


2
Aug. 31, 2018
Perspectives on Local governance and Central-Local Relations
Examine the conceptual perspectives that underpin central government-local government relations
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.

3
Sept.7, 2018
Models of Government and Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government
Assess the models of government and their associated local government responsibilities
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.

4
Sept. 14, 2018
Nature and Scope of Decentralization

Discuss the components of decentralization reforms
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.

5
Sept. 28, 2018
Approaches to Decentralization
Evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches to decentralization
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.


6
Oct. 5, 2018
Decentralization in Comparative Perspective
Compare and contrast the decentralization project in Ghana to that of Uganda
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.


7-9
Oct. 12, 2018
Oct.19,  2018
Oct. 26, 2018
Decentralization and Local Government in Ghana
Discuss the nature, functions and operations of Ghana’s District Assemblies
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.

Interim Assessment  (30%);
7.30 am
10-11

Nov. 2, 2018

Nov. 9, 2018
Chieftaincy and Local Government in Ghana
Discuss the role of chiefs in local Government in Ghana
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.

12-13
Nov.  16, 2018

Nov. 23, 2018
Local Government Financing in Ghana – Source of Revenue, Budget, uses and constraints
Appraise fiscal decentralization in Ghana
Lecture: JQB 23
Tutorial: Dept.

Exam: 70%
*JQB = Jones Quartey Building

Plagiarism policy
Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and shall be treated as a serious offence.  Appropriate sanctions, as stipulated in the Plagiarism Policy, will be applied when students are found to have violated the Plagiarism policy.  The policy is available at http://www.ug.edu.gh/aqau/policies-guidelines.  ALL students are expected to familiarize themselves with the contents of the Policy.  

Assessment and Grading
Mid-semester test/assignment: 30%
Final Exam: 70%

Grading Scale
Refer to the Undergraduate Handbook for details on the grading scale.

READING LIST
Awortwi, N. (2010), ‘The past, present and future of Decentralization in Africa: a comparative case study of local government development trajectories of Ghana and Uganda’. International Journal of Public Administration 33: 620-634
Ayee, J. R. A (1999), Decentralization and Conflict: The case of District Chief Executives and Members of Parliament in Ghana Accra: Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Boafo-Arthur,  K.  (2003), ‘Chieftaincy in Ghana: The Challenges and Prospects in the 21st Century’, Africa and Asian Studies, 2, (2): 1-16.
Debrah, E.  (2014),The Politics of Decentralization in Ghana’s Fourth Republic’. African Studies Review, 57 (1) (April): 49-69.
Debrah, E. ‘Assessing the quality of accountability in Ghana’s district assemblies, 1993 – 2008’ African Journal of Political Science and International Relations 3 (6), pp. 278-287, June, 2009
 Mohammed, A. K. (2014), ‘An Assessment of the Impact of Local Government Fragmentation in Ghana’, Public Organization Review 14 (4) DOI 10.1007/s11115-014-02
Mohammed, A. K. (2015), ‘The Politics of Municipal Fragmentation in Ghana’, Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance 16:
Ndegwa, S. N. (2002), Decentralization in Africa: a stochtaking survey. Africa Region working paper series No. 40, November
Philip Mawhood (ed.) Local Government in the Third World: The Experience of Decentralization in Tropical Africa, African Institute of South Africa, 1993