28 April 2025 · 1 min read
Research on measuring local government performance in Ghana
The GIMPA Research Newsletter (September 2025) features a UNU-WIDER study by Daniel Chachu, Michael Danquah and Rachel Gisselquist proposing a measure of local government performance in Ghana using 2016 and 2020 data. It finds improving administrative reporting but generally low subnational institutional performance, with implications for decentralisation reform.
Authors: Daniel Chachu, Michael Danquah, & Rachel M Gisselquist
Towards a measure of local government performance in Ghana: Conceptual framework, data, and results
Inspired by Putnam et al. (1994), this paper proposes a conceptual framework to measure local government performance, applying it to Ghana, a stable democracy and a leader in decentralization reforms in SSA. Using new data from administrative reports complemented by primary and secondary sources, we construct performance measures for 2016 and 2020. In a data-constrained context, the researchers find that their ‘best possible measure’ is good enough to capture variations in local government performance, despite a restricted list of indicators. The findings reveal improving administrative reporting quality but generally low subnational institutional performance, with older and larger urban districts outperforming newer, rural ones. Emerging evidence raises questions about the traditional notion of a rigid north–south divide in Ghana’s socio-economic development. Additionally, betterperforming local governments tend to be associated with lower poverty outcomes. This study offers a foundation for theory-driven evaluation of local governance with important implications for shaping decentralization reforms.
Please contact us at: Follow us on: srgs@gimpa.edu.gh