COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST FOR POLI 364: PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS IN GHANA, SECOND SEMESTER 2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

POLI 364: PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS IN GHANA

3 CREDITS

SECOND SEMESTER, 2019/2020

DAY: Friday

VENUE: JQB 12

            TIME: 3.30pm - 7.20pm

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 theories of the policy process before looking at public policy making in the pre-colonial era. It then compares the approach to public policy making in colonial Ghana with that 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 were, and 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. This will be achieved 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; and Develop analytical and practical skills for solving real world public policy problems.
Week No.	Date	Lecture Topic	Tutorials	Lecture Venue	Assessment
1	Feb. 6,  2020	Theories of the Public Policy Process		JQB 12
2	Feb. 13, 2020	System of Government and Public Policy Making in the Pre-colonial Ghana	Examine the relevance of theories to the public policy making process.	JQB 12
3	Feb. 20 2020	Colonial Government and Public Policy Making	Pre-colonial policymaking was undemocratic. Discuss.	JQB 12
4	Feb. 27, 2020	Public Policy Making under the CPP Government	Examine the extent to which the Executive dominated policy making in the colonial era in Ghana.	JQB 12
5	March 5, 2020	Public Policy Making under the NLC Government	. Do you agree that exclusionary policymaking characterized the Nkrumah’s regime?	JQB 12
6	March 12, 2020	Public Policy Making under the Busia Government	Assess the validity of the statement that, ‘the bureaucracy played a more meaningful role in policymaking under the NLC regime than under the CPP government’.	JQB 12
7	March 19, 2020	Public Policy Making under the NRC Regime		JQB 12	Interim Assessment (20%); 5.30 pm
8	March 26, 2019	Public Policy Making under the PNP Governments	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?	JQB 12
9	April 2, 2020	Public Policy Making under the PNDC Regime	. Evaluate the validity of the view that, ‘bureaucrats were more prominent than ministers in policy making under the NRC government’.	:JQB 12
10	April 9, 2020	Public Policy Making under the Fourth Republic	Comment on the assertion that, ‘the PNDC government performed worse than any other military regime in pursuing inclusive policy making’.	JQB 12
11	April 16, 2019	Actors and Institutions in the Public Policy Making Process in Ghana	Executive dominance of policy making under the fourth republic is a perception rather than reality. Discuss.	JQB 12
12	April 23, 2020	Public Policy Process Theories and Ghana’s Public Policy Making Process	How true is it to state that the judiciary’s role in the policy making process is marginal?	JQB 12
13	April 30, 2020	Characteristics of Ghana’s public Policy Making Process	Examine the main characteristics of Ghana’s public making process..	JQB 12
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: 20%

Tutorial attendance and contribution: 10%

Final Examination: 70%

Grading Scale

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

Other Information

It is expected that students will attend lectures and tutorials 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

Mohammed A.K. (2020), ‘Does the policy cycle reflect the policymaking approach in Ghana?’ Journal of Public Affairs, https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2078

Mohammed, A. K. (2019), Executive Dominance of Public Policy Making since Independence in Ghana: Perception or Reality, In Ayee, J. R. A. (ed.) Politics, Governance, and Development in Ghana. Lexington Books: Maryland, pp.191-212

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

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

Petridou, E. (2014), ‘Theories of the policy process: contemporary scholarship and future directions’, Policy Studies Journal 42 (1):12-32