COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST FOR POLI 364: PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS IN GHANA, 2018/2019 ACADEMIC YEAR.

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

POLI 364: PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS IN GHANA

3 CREDITS

SECOND SEMESTER, 2018/2019

DAY: Friday

VENUE: E 9

            TIME: 3.30pm - 5.30pm

LECTURER: DR ABDULAI KUYINI MOHAMMED

OFFICE: Room 5, Department of Political Science

CONSULTATION: Thursday, 11 am -2 pm

Email: akmohammed@ug.edu.gh

Course Title	Public Policy Process in Ghana
Course Code	POLI 364
Course Description	The course analyses the approaches to public policy making in Ghana through the examination of the interaction between the context, institutions and actors that are involved in the process. Brought together through cabinet procedures, the roles that different actors play in the policy process in Ghana offer complementary skills and perspectives in the pursuit of good policy. The course first examines policy making in the pre-colonial era.  It then compares the policy making process in colonial Ghana with the approach in the period between 1957 and 1992. Next, it highlights the disjunction between the processes and outcomes of policies under the present democratic period and those of the eras before it. It does this by examining the opportunities and challenges of the different epochal environments and the consequences of the power plays between all the individuals, groups and organizations that are involved in the development and implementation of policies. Case studies are used to exemplify and facilitate understanding of the different topics of the course.
Purpose and objectives Learning Outcomes	The course will help students to develop a critical perspective on the public policy making process in Ghana. It does this by encouraging students to challenge the received wisdom and prescribed solutions presented by many policy science scholars and commentators. Students will acquire knowledge and insights through lectures, discussions and the textbooks as well as the assigned reading material. They will then be able to apply this knowledge to specific real world Ghanaian public policy phenomena. Upon completion of the course students should be able to: Explain the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of policy-making in Africa; Identify the main actors and institutions in the policy making process in Ghana; State the main characteristics of colonial policy making; Account for the differences and similarities between the colonial policy making process and those of post-independence Ghana; Compare and contrast the approach to public policy making from independence up to 1992 to that under the Fourth Republican Constitution period; Enhance understanding of the making of the decisions that affect every Ghanaian; Establish an evaluative framework to assess the effectiveness of already implemented policies in Ghana; Identify the challenges to effective policy development and implementation in Ghana and other Sub-Saharan African countries Develop analytical and practical skills for solving real world public policy problems
Week No.	Date	Lecture Topic	Tutorials	Venue	Assessment
1	Feb. 8,  2019	System of Government and Public Policy Making in the Pre-colonial Ghana		Lecture: E 9
2	Feb. 15, 2019	Colonial Government and Public Policy Making	Pre-colonial policymaking was undemocratic. Discuss	Lecture: E 9
3	Feb. 22 2019	Colonial Government and Public Policy Making	Examine the extent to which the Executive dominated policy making in the colonial era in Ghana.	Lecture: E 9
4	March 1, 2019	Public Policy Making under the CPP Government	Do you agree that exclusionary policymaking characterized the Nkrumah’s regime?	Lecture: E 9
5	March 15, 2019	Public Policy Making under the NLC Government	Assess the tenability of the statement that, ‘the bureaucracy played a more meaningful role in policymaking under the NLC regime than under the CPP government’.	Lecture: E 9
6	March 22, 2019	Public Policy Making under the Busia Government	To what extent is it true to assert that policymaking under the Busia’s regime was not significantly different from that under the Nkrumah’s government?	Lecture: E 9
7	March 29, 2019	Public Policy Making under the NRC Regime		Lecture: E 9	Interim Assessment (30%); 3.30 pm
8	April 5, 2019	Public Policy Making under the PNP Governments	Evaluate the validity of the view that, ‘bureaucrats were more prominent than ministers in policy making under the NRC government’.	Lecture: E 9
9	April 12, 2019	Public Policy Making under the PNDC Regime	Comment on the assertion that, ‘the PNDC government performed worse than any other military regime in pursuing inclusive policy making’.	Lecture: E 9 Tutorial:
10	April 19, 2019	Public Policy Making under the Fourth Republic	Executive dominance of policy making under the fourth republic is a perception rather than reality. Discuss.	Lecture: E 9
11	April 26, 2019	Actors and Institutions in the Public Policy Making Process in Ghana	Do you agree that the judiciary’s role in the policy making process is marginal?	Lecture: E 9
12	May 3, 2019	Politician-Bureaucrat Relations in  Policy Making in Ghana	To what extent is it true to assert that the separation model best characterizes policy making in Ghana?	Lecture: E 9
13	May 10, 2019	Developing World Policy Process	Examine the main characteristics of developing world policy making.	Lecture: E 9
14		Revision	Revision
15		Revision	Revision
Exam (70%)

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.

Other Information

It is expected that students will attend lectures regularly and punctually. Students are encouraged to ask questions and seek clarification of any portions of lectures they do not understand. Students are also encouraged to study in groups as doing so will enable them to share ideas, help each other out and jointly solve problems. Placing and receiving calls on cell phones while in class is not permissible. While in class students should put their cell phones on the “silent” mode in order that incoming calls might not disrupt lectures. Laptops are allowed in class only for taking notes. Tutorial attendance will be strictly monitored and tutors are expected to record attendance.

Reading List

Anderson, J. E. (2006), Public policy making, 6^th edition, Wadsworth Cenage Learning, Belmont, USA

Lindberg, S. I. and Zhou, Y. (2009), Cooptation despite democratization in Ghana, In J. D. Barkan (ed.), Legislative power in emerging African democracies. Lynne Rienner Publishers, London

Mohammed, A. K. (2018), Politician-bureaucrat relation in Ghana, In A. Farazmand (ed.) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3518-1

Mohammed, A. K. (2018), Developing World policy process: the case of Ghana, In A. Farazmand (ed.) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3520-1

Mohammed, A. K. (2013), ‘Civic engagement in public policy making in Ghana: fad or reality?’, Politics and Policy 41 (1): 117-152

Mohammed, A. K. (2015), ‘Ghana’s policy making: from elitism and exclusion to participation and inclusion? International Public Management Review 16 (1): 1-24

Ohemeng, F. L. (2015), ‘Civil society and policy making in developing countries: Assessing the impact of think tanks on policy outcomes in Ghana’, Journal of African and Asian Studies 50 (6): 667-682