Conjugal Patterns in Ghana*

L'étude des types d'unions conjugales est de grande importance en sociologie et en démographic. Dans une communication dont la portée est surtout démographique, l'auteur examine les types d'alliances en tant que sources de relations sexuelles, lesquelles affectent les taux de natalité dans une société où l'on ne pratique pas le contrôle des naissances. L'enquête porte sur tous les types d'alliances et l'on y met surtout en lumiète l'écart entre les deux types les plus répandus: le mariage coutumier et l'union ne s'appuyant que sur le consentement des partenaires. On y décrit le tau de chaque type d'union, les façons de mettre fin à une alliance et la polygamie. L'auteur établit une association entre le type d'alliance, d'une part, et différents taux de natalité et différentes attitudes à l'endroit de la taille de la famille, d'autre part.     

Forging Forgiveness: Collective Efforts Amidst War in Northern Uganda*

This paper is a case study analysis of the sociological phenomena of forgiveness occurring in an ongoing two‐decade war in northern Uganda. Building on a long‐term relationship with the region and utilizing the methods of participant observation, semi‐structured interviews, and a qualitative questionnaire, I identify two especially important social mechanisms that correlate with the prevalence of forgiveness discourse amongst the Acholi people of northern Uganda: (1) a communal sense of war fatigue and (2) a sense of Acholi collective identity, which the religious and cultural leaders have emphasized to promote a pervasive public dialogue of forgiveness. While recognizing that forgiveness in northern Uganda is contested, findings from my study point to how forgiveness opens a space for some Acholi to assert power and express agency in their lives after years of being portrayed largely as victims. Furthermore, forgiveness also offers the opportunity for some Acholi to experience interpersonal empowerment by maintaining a locus of control through meaning‐making.     

Colonial Frontiers of the Georgian State: East India Company's Rule in India*

Abstract The East India Company in India during the period of “indirect rule,” has so far been seen as a trading corporation drawn unprepared into the exigencies of warfare and rule. Early colonial rule, however, entailed much more than the quotidian problems of maintaining trade and commerce in the colonies. Its ideology and objectives derived from reigning notions of eighteenth century political economy, and it shared crucial aspects of nation-state formation in Georgian England. Through an exegetical reading of contemporary political economic texts, pamphlets and tracts, this essay attempts to elicit a sense of accepted ideas and articulations pertaining to the equations between nation, commerce, law and the state - especially as they were seen on the colonial front in eastern India.     

Development of public relations research in Ghana: A systematic review

Even though the extant literature has pointed to the steady growth of public relations research in different contexts, the developing economy context continues to be marginalised in terms of scholarship, theory development and, consequently, the practice of the discipline. This has necessitated calls from scholars to document research in the discipline to trigger future research agendas. This study was therefore undertaken to scientifically synthesise and analyze 26 peer-reviewed public relations studies in Ghana, which were published over a period of 10 years (2012–2021) to document the dominant issues, gaps, and future research avenues. Through a systematic review, the study found that there is an over-concentration on themes such as CSR and CSR communication, public relations within higher education institutions, and dialogic public relations at the expense of other key subject areas within the discipline. Methodologically, 65% of the studies reviewed have employed the qualitative methodology as opposed to the quantitative and mixed-method approaches, thereby reducing the ability to extrapolate their findings to other populations. The study has thoroughly discussed the implications for public relations scholarship, theory development and practice within Ghana and other emerging contexts.     

Climate Scholarship Needs Du Bois: Climate Crisis through the Lens of Racial and Colonial Capitalism*

A large literature is proliferating on capitalism's role in driving climate breakdown. In this literature, capitalism is seen as the endless pursuit of growth, under which nature and its finite resources are exploited for profit. The climate crisis is the result of these processes. However, capitalism alone cannot explain the racial inequities produced by climate disruption, nor can it account for the disproportionately large contributions of Global North countries toward this crisis. In this article, I develop a Du Boisian approach to the climate crisis, showing how his conception of racial and colonial capitalism can develop our understanding of the causes, dimensions, and effects of the climate crisis. I explain how a Du Boisian approach furthers our understanding of racial and global inequalities in the development and impacts of global warming and in the production of fossil fuels, as well as how racism can shape climate inaction. Finally, I name some limitations of Du Bois' theory and elaborate on how a contemporary, decolonizing approach to the climate crisis might address these.     

Official Development Assistance to Disabled People in Ghana

Research was conducted in Ghana to (1) determine the extent to which the 1994–95 Official Development Assistance (ODA) donors to Ghana subscribed to inclusionary disability policies or mandates, (2) determine the extent to which disabled people were included in their mainstream development activities, (3) estimate the proportion of Ghana's 1994–95 ODA that went to activities specifically intended to benefit disabled people, and (4) estimate the proportion of those activities that were designed to foster the inclusion and empowerment of disabled people. In 1994–95, only two of the 16 donors examined subscribed to disability policies or mandates, and none took affirmative steps to include disabled people in their mainstream programmes and projects. Only 0.1282% of the total ODA examined for the entire 2-year period went to disability related activities, of which only 44.12% went to inclusionary and empowering activities.     

Harry Johnston's New Boot: The Uganda Agreement and Ideas of Development

As an early development practitioner, Harry Johnston came to Uganda intending to develop a socially responsible capitalism – his ‘new boot’ for the Baganda. He negotiated this intent into the 1900 Uganda Agreement and expected that, once implemented, these conditions would lead naturally to the desired ends. What happened was something quite different. Baganda chiefs negotiated their own goals into the Agreement, and their actions, along with those of Baganda farmers and workers, produced very different results than that which Johnston envisioned. In effect, his intent to develop was subsumed by the contingent process of development. While interesting in itself, this story informs recent development debates. Some post‐development theorists, while attempting to provide a practical alternative to modernist development, appear to incorporate assumptions similar to those under which Johnston operated. However, if these laudable attempts are to succeed, they must learn from Johnston's experience and account for development's contingent nature.     

Economic Development and Strikes: A Comparative Analysis*

Theorists of class conflict have debated the nature of the relationship between economic development and the incidence of strikes. The liberal perspective contends that such developments as the growth in size of corporations and the separation of ownership from control enable modern management to institutionalize industrial conflict in the form of collective bargaining. In contrast, writers in the radical perspective argue that conflict will increase in late industrialization owing to such forces as the bi-polarization of classes and an increase in union strength. The present paper tests these structuralist theories by using data from a sampling of seventy-one nations representing a wide range in economic development. A polynomial regression analysis indicates that strike volume, a chief measure of overall strike activity, follows a parabolic curve—increasing until a GNP per capita of about $4,700 is reached and then declining. No support is found for the radical thesis of an upswing in strike activity at high levels of economic development. The findings on control variables indicate that the inflation rate and mass-media development have significantly positive effects on strike activity. Finally, a democratic political climate tends to lower strike volume.     

Social Protection and Health: Experiences in Uganda

There is an interesting and continuing debate on the nature and role of social protection in poverty reduction. Within the health sector, discussion has focussed on the drawbacks associated with fee exemption schemes and community‐based health insurance, with much less attention paid to the policy option of abolishing user fees. This paper reviews empirical evidence on the impact of the Government of Uganda's decision in 2001 to abolish user fees for health services. The paper finds that this policy intervention has had a significant positive impact on health‐seeking behaviour in Uganda and concludes that this policy measure can make an important contribution towards a more ‘promotional’ policy approach to social protection.     

Using Farmers' Preferences to Assess Development Policy: A Case Study of Uganda

As part of ongoing economic reforms, the Ugandan government implemented the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) targeted at reducing rural poverty. This article demonstrates the application of a stated preference method using a choice experiment conducted in 9 sub‐counties to assess farmers' preferences for adaptation options and identify areas of the PMA requiring reform to improve its effectiveness. This research shows the importance of microfinance, agricultural extension systems and basic education in farmers' adaptation decisions, and highlights a crucial need to improve local engagement in decision‐making. A potentially problematic contradiction between farmers' preferences and some interventions proposed under the PMA is identified.     

Protected Sites: Reconceptualising Secret Societies in Colonial and Postcolonial Singapore

Street gangs in Singapore are commonly known as secret societies. The irony behind this term is that these secret societies have not only been contributing to the making of modern Singapore for more than a century, they have often carried out their dealings in the public sphere. These overt operations of the underworld are possible, in part, due to the symbiotic relationship forged between the Chinese triads and the police which have continued till today. Through examining the notion of protected sites, this article explores how the postcolonial state has taken on a similar pragmatic approach as that practised by its colonial predecessor in the management of the criminal underworld.     

Disability and Household Welfare in Ghana: Costs and Correlates

Journal of Family and Economic Issues - Persons with disabilities face substantial barriers that impede their integration and participation in social and economic activities. Households with...