Voting for Democracy in Ghana. The 2004 Elections in Perspective Vol.1

Thematic Studies

Ghana's 2004 elections were another milestone in the country's transition to a mature democracy. The essays in this volume assess various aspects of this transition. The various themes focus on problem areas that impinge directly or indirectly on the performance of the country's democratic institutions and governance. The issues they address include conflict and reconciliation in the light of years of human rights abuses; leadership styles and the degree to which leadership since 1993 has handled various critical problems confronting a new democracy like Ghana; ethnicity and whether or not it is a salient factor in the country's political life; electoral choices and whether Ghanaians vote on the basis of issues, ethnicity or something else; and the degree of institutional development especially of critical democratic institutions. The essays are unanimous in underscoring the tremendous progress Ghana has made in building a democratic society despite the several unresolved problems.

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