MA IDS Thesis Projects
Title
Through A Different Lens: Towards Ghana’s True Economic Development Model
Date of Award
1-1-2015
Document Type
Restricted Access Thesis
College
College of Theology, Arts, & Sciences
Department
International Development and Service
Degree Name
International Development and Service, MA
Abstract
Ghana has experienced economic booms and economic busts, neither of which lasted for long periods of time. As a result, Ghana is labeled an economic success by some and an economic disappointment by others. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the role of the two dominant economic development models in Ghana’s history over the past thirty years. Towards this aim, this thesis looks specifically at the economic theories of neoliberalism and neocolonialism in order to view Ghana’s economic development through both lenses. Moreover, Paul Collier’s The Bottom Billion and Samir Amin’s conceptualization of the dependency theory are utilized to methodologically apply the aforementioned theories to Ghana. Both neoliberalism and neocolonialism have generally informed Ghana’s economic policy in isolation from one another. However, through the methodological application of both theories, this thesis argues that both of them have valid aspects. The attributes of the two approaches must be fused together in order to create an economic model capable of propelling Ghana into a more sustainable period of economic growth in the future decades.