On Public Organizations in Ghana: What Differentiates Good Performers from Poor Performers?

Author: Owusu, Francis

Source: African Development Review, Volume 18, Number 3, December/Décember 2006 , pp. 471-485(15)

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Abstract:

Abstract:

Public sector reform programs implemented across Africa, including the World Bank's `first' and `second' generation reforms, are based on the assumption that all public organizations are inefficient. This problematic assumption has had significant implications for policy in Africa. By failing to recognize that not all public organizations perform poorly, we ignore any potential lessons that could have been learnt from the experiences of organizations that have managed to perform effectively under the same social, political, economic and institutional environment. This paper uses Ghana as a case study to examine whether there are significant differences in the characteristics of poor and good performing public organizations. It is found that good and poor performing organizations in Ghana were significantly different in two respects: remuneration and hiring criteria.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8268.2006.00151.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Community and Regional Planning, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3095, USA;, Tel: +1 (515) 294-7769, Fax: +1 (515) 294-2348, Email: fowusu@iastate.edu

Publication date: 2006-12-01