Joseph Lunas book is an invaluable aid to policy professionals, academics and development planning practitioners to understand the problem of public policy and corruption. It is evidence-based and combines empirical knowledge with in-depth theoretical and historical knowledge. It is a required reading for academics, policy makers as well as students.
Kwame A. Ninsin, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Ghana
This is an exceptional contribution to the study of political financing. Luna unpicks the dynamic interactions among key players with impressive analytical precision, deftly applying game theory and collective action models to examine his cases. He tells a story that will resonate with scholars of political corruption and clientelism everywhere, yet also illuminates several features of low-resource contexts which amplify the usual pressures on political actors. The book is also a gripping read, fluently written and rich with the personalities and narratives of the protagonists.
Elizabeth Dvid-Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex, UK
Political Financing in Developing Countries
This book argues that to fully grasp the decision-making of politicians and political actors in developing countries, we must first understand how politicians finance their campaigns for officeand to whom they are indebted and expected to repay.
Political Financing in Developing Countries focuses on Ghana in depth, a country often held up as an example of a successful, two-party democracy with regular party changes in government. However, it is unlikely that candidates and political parties are wealthy enough to finance the increasing costs of campaigns and constituent demands, and successful democratic outcomes could be masking a system that actually hinders development progress. Drawing on nearly 200 interviews and extensive fieldwork, this book posits that political funds are extracted by an iron square of politicians, bureaucrats, construction contractors, and political-party chairs which rigs the procurement of local-development projects to generate kickbacks. The iron square remains robust across party changes in government due to reciprocity obligations that minimize contractors income risks. Ultimately, this web of kickbacks diminishes the quality of development by reducing the funds available for projects and distorting incentives to monitor projects. To break this iron square, the book recommends replacing sealed-bid procurementa best practice that ignores on-the-ground realitieswith a system that accounts for income stabilization and social obligations.
Overall, the book argues that scholars of development should advance research on political finance to identify and then alleviate the games that decision makers must play to survive in the political sphere. Political Financing in Developing Countries will be an important and timely resource for scholars across development studies, politics, economics, and African Studies.
Joseph Luna is an Economist at the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, USA. He holds a PhD in Government from Harvard University and has advised international-development projects in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Routledge Explorations in Development Studies
This Development Studies series features innovative and original research at the regional and global scale. It promotes interdisciplinary scholarly works drawing on a wide spectrum of subject areas, in particular politics, health, economics, rural and urban studies, sociology, environment, anthropology, and conflict studies.
Topics of particular interest are globalization; emerging powers; children and youth; cities; education; media and communication; technology development; and climate change.
In terms of theory and method, rather than basing itself on any orthodoxy, the series draws broadly on the tool kit of the social sciences in general, emphasizing comparison, the analysis of the structure and processes, and the application of qualitative and quantitative methods.
The Power of Civil Society in the Middle East and North Africa
Peace-building, Change, and Development
Edited by Ibrahim Natil, Chiara Pierobon, and Lilian Tauber
Global Business Cycles and Developing Countries
Eri Ikeda
Practices of Citizenship in East Africa
Perspectives from Philosophical Pragmatism
Edited by Katariina Holma and Tiina Kontinen
Political Financing in Developing Countries
A Case from Ghana
Joseph Luna
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com
Political Financing in Developing Countries
A Case from Ghana
Joseph Luna
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2020 Joseph Luna
The right of Joseph Luna to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Luna, Joseph, author.
Title: Political financing in developing countries: a case from Ghana / Joseph Luna.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2020. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019036244 (print) | LCCN 2019036245 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367429560 (hardback) | ISBN 9781003000372 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Campaign fundsGhana. | Campaign fundsCorrupt
practicesGhana. | Politics, PracticalGhana. |
GhanaPolitics and government2001
Classification: LCC JQ3039.A3 L86 2020 (print) |
LCC JQ3039.A3 (ebook) | DDC 324.7809667dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019036244
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019036245
ISBN: 978-0-367-42956-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-00037-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
Copyright Page Disclaimer
The views expressed in this book are solely the authors own, and do not necessarily represent those of the Volpe Center, U.S. Department of Transportation, or the United States.
I am lucky to have benefited from the kindness and support of so many. At Harvard, I am deeply grateful to my dissertation committee for guiding and broadening my intellectual pursuits: Robert Bates, Daniel Carpenter, Arthur Spirling, and Lucie White. Bob has been a mentor to me since my undergraduate days, and his example has truly shaped how I think.
