COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST: POLI 444 (ELECTORAL
POLITICS AND DEMOCRACY IN GHANA)
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
SECOND SEMESTER, 2014/2015
LECTURERS: MR ALEX K. D. FREMPONG/DR. EMMANUEL
DEBRAH
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COURSE TITLE
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ELECTORAL POLITICS AND
DEMOCRACY IN GHANA
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COURSE CODE
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POLI 444
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PURPOSE AND OBJS.
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Particularly since
the end of the Cold War, democracy and elections have become buzzwords around
the globe. Questions however exist as to the nature of democracy and its
relationship with elections and democratic consolidation in new democracies
in Africa. Ghana since the 1992 ‘founding’ elections has witnessed five other
elections and two alternations in power. Even before then, Ghana has had long
experience with electoral politics that preceded independence in 1957 and
‘pockets’ of democratic governance in-between military regimes.
This course, against
the background of the theoretical analysis of democracy, elections and
democratic consolidation, examines the dynamics, intricacies and impacts of
electoral politics and democratic governance in Ghana and the prospects for
the future. The course is intended to broaden and deepen students’
understanding of these issues to prepare them for educating others on
electoral politics and democratic governance.
Upon
completion of this course students should be able to:
· Understand the theoretical perspectives of
election
· Appreciate the dynamics of
elections in the pre-election era
· Explain how the politics of the immediate post-independence
era influenced elections
· Discuss the contexts in which
elections and referendum in the Second and Third Republics
· Analyze various dimension of elections in
the Fourth Republic
· Contribute meaningfully to discussions
on issues of Electoral Politics in Ghana
GRADING: Interim Assessment: take-Home
Assignment (30%). End-of-Semester Examination: 50 compulsory Short-Answer
Questions covering the entire course; three essays answer one (20%)
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WEEK NO
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Date
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Lecture Course
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Tutorials
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Venue
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Assessment
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1-3
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2-20 Feb 2015
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EXPLAINING
ELECTIONS: theoretical perspectives
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Theory of Elections
Role of Elections
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Lecture: NNB 2
Tutorial: DLR
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4
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23-27Feb- Mar 2014
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PRE-INDEPENDENCE
ELECTIONS: 1951, 1954 and 1956.
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The electoral
dominance of the CPP
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Lecture: NNB 2
Tutorial: DLR
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5-6
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2-13 Mar 2015
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IMMEDIATE
POST-INDEPENDENCE ELECTIONS: 1960 referendum and elections; 1964 One-Party
Referendum; 1965 No-contest
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One-Party Elections
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Lecture: NNB 2
Tutorial: DLR
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7-8
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16-27Mar 2015
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POST-INDEPENDENCE
MULTIPARTY AND NO-PARTY ELECTIONS: 1969, 1978 union government referendum and
1979 Elections
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Contexts, Processes
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Outcomes and
Lessons for the Fourth Republic
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Lecture: NNB 2
Tutorial: DLR
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9-11
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6-24 Apr 2015
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ELECTIONS IN THE
FOURTH REPUBLIC: 1992 Referendum, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008 &
2012 Elections
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Transition
elections, Alternation in Power,
Presidential Runoff
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Lecture: NNB 2
Tutorial: DLR
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12-13
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27 Apr-8 May 2015
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ELECTORAL ISSUES:
Ethnicity, Economy, Incumbency, Electoral Defeat
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Implications of
Issues for Electoral Politics In Ghana
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Lecture: NNB 2
Tutorial: DLR
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Reading List
MAIN
TEXT: Alex K. D. Frempong (2015) Elections
in Ghana (1951-2012), Accra:
Life@60 Publishers. COMPULSORY AND AVAILABLE AT DEPARTMENTAL
GENERAL OFFICE
Fred M. Hayward,
ed. Elections in Independent Africa, Boulder &
London: Westview Press, Chapters 1, 3 &10
Emmanuel Debrah
(2004) ” The Politics of Elections: Opposition and Incumbency in Ghana’s 2000
Elections”, AFRICA INSIGHT, Vol. 34, Nos. 2/3,
June/Sept, pp. 3-16
E. Debrah (2008/2009)
”The Economy and Regime Change in Ghana, 1992-2004,Ghana Social Science
Journal, Vols 5/6. Nos 1 &2, pp. 84-113
A. A. Boahen (2000) Ghana: Evolution and Change in the
19th and 20 Centuries, Accra: Sankofa
Naomi Chazan (1983) Anatomy
of Ghanaian Politics: Managing Political Recession in Ghana,Boulder:
Westview Press
Alex K. D. Frempong (2012), Electoral Politics in Ghana’s Fourth
Republic in the Context of Post-Cold War Africa, Accra: Yames Press
Dennis Austin and Robin Luckham eds.
(1975) Politicians and Soldiers in Ghana, London: Frank Cass,
pp. 140-163.
Maxwell Owusu (1979) “Politics
without Parties: Reflections on the Union Government Proposals in Ghana”, African
Studies Review, Vol. 22, No.1 (April), pp. 89-108.
Richard Jeffries (1980) “The Ghanaian
Elections of 1979”, African Affairs, Vol. 79, No. 316, July,
pp. 397-414.
B. Agyeman-Duah (2005) Elections and Electoral Politics
in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, Critical Perspectives No. 18, Accra: Ghana
Center for Democratic Development, CDD-Ghana.
Jeffries (1993) “The Ghana Elections of 1992”, African
Affairs, Vol. 92, No. 368, July, pp.331-366.
Mike Oquaye (1995) “The Ghanaian Elections of 1992: A Dissenting
View”, African Affairs, Vol. 94, No. 375: 259-275.
J. R. A. Ayee (1997) Ghana’s 1996 General Elections: A
Post-mortem, Harare: AAPS Occasional Paper Series, Vol.1, No.1.
J. R. A. Ayee ed. (1998) The 1996 General Elections and
Democratic Consolidation in Ghana,Accra: Gold Type Ltd.
E. Gyimah-Boadi (1997) “Ghana’s Encouraging Elections: The
Challenges Ahead”, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 8, No. 2, April,
pp. 78-91.
Gyimah-Boadi (1999)” Ghana: The Challenges of Consolidating
Democracy”, in Richard Joseph ed.State, Conflict, and Democracy in
Africa, Boulder/London: Lynne Rienner, pp. 409-427.
Jeffries (1998) “The Ghanaian Elections of 1996: Towards the
Consolidation of Democracy”, African Affairs, Vol. 97, No.
387, April, pp. 189-208.
Ayee ed. (2001), Deepening Democracy in Ghana:
Politics of the 2000 Elections, Accra: Freedom Publications, Vol. 1.
Gyimah-Boadi (2001) “A Peaceful Turnover in Ghana”, Journal
of Democracy, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 103-117.
K. Boafo-Arthur (2006) “The 2004 General Elections”, Voting
for Democracy in Ghana: The 2004 Elections in Perspective, Vol.1, Accra:
Freedom Publications, pp. 33-58.
Gyimah-Boadi (2009) “Another Step Forward for Ghana”, Journal
of Democracy, Vol. 20, No. 2, April, pp. 138-152.
Michael Amoah (2009) “The Most Difficult Decision Yet: Ghana’s
2008 Presidential Elections”,African Journal of Political Science and
International Relations, Vol. 3(4), April, pp. 174-181.
H. Jockers, D. Kohnert and P. Nugent (2009) “The Successful
Ghana Election of 2008: A Convenient Myth? Ethnicity in Ghana’s Elections
Revisited”, Munich Personal RePEc Archive MPRA) Paper No.
16167.
