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Why national development experts are not included in development policy‐making and practice: The case of Ghana

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  • Palash Kamruzzaman
  • Emmanuel Kumi

Abstract

Motivation This article contributes to the debate around understanding whether and how the identity of aid workers (e.g. nationality, race, etc.) can contribute to inequality within various aid relationships. As “decolonizing development” is often employed either as a slogan or genuine goal, it is imperative that the politics of exclusion among/within development experts is critically scrutinized. Purpose This article explores the processes of and the motivations behind how national development experts (NDEs) are frequently excluded in development policy‐making and practice in Ghana. Methods and approach This article relies on qualitative research methods and draws from semi‐structured interviews conducted in two phases in 2017 and 2018 in Ghana. We focus on the narratives of the NDEs in Ghana who are perceived to be well placed to elucidate different mechanics of exclusionary processes and practice. Findings International development experts (IDEs) are able to set agendas and exercise development decision‐making power as their governments or organizations provide funding for many development projects. This allows IDEs to influence development policies and practices in a way that eventually excludes the NDEs from development policy‐making in Ghana. We also reveal internal competition and power relations between NDEs and local actors (i.e. bureaucrats and politicians) can also exclude the NDEs from development policy‐making processes, a feature that is non‐existent in current scholarship. Policy implications The exclusion of NDEs from national development decision‐making processes undermines efforts to promote national ownership. It is important to adopt a holistic approach that does not just focus on one particular aspect (e.g. power inequality among different actors) of exclusionary practice in international development but also looks into local political‐cultural settings as well as possible internal competition for resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Palash Kamruzzaman & Emmanuel Kumi, 2023. "Why national development experts are not included in development policy‐making and practice: The case of Ghana," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(2), March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devpol:v:41:y:2023:i:2:n:e12656
    DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12656
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kamna Patel, 2020. "Race and a decolonial turn in development studies," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(9), pages 1463-1475, September.
    2. Daniel Appiah & Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, 2017. "Competitive clientelism and the politics of core public sector reform in Ghana," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-082-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    3. Emma Mawdsley, 2014. "Public perceptions of India’s role as an international development cooperation partner: domestic responses to rising ‘donor’ visibility," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(6), pages 958-979, July.
    4. Cecilia Tortajada, 2016. "Nongovernmental Organizations and Influence on Global Public Policy," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(2), pages 266-274, May.
    5. Palash Kamruzzaman, 2017. "Understanding the Role of National Development Experts in Development Ethnography," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 35(1), pages 39-63, January.
    6. Silas Mvulirwenande & Uta Wehn & Guy Alaerts, 2019. "Policy factors explaining the failure of delegated management in water supply: evidence from Ghana," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(1), pages 14-30, January.
    7. Abdul‐Gafaru Abdulai, 2017. "Rethinking Spatial Inequality in Development: The Primacy of Power Relations," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 386-403, April.
    8. Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai & David Hulme, 2015. "The Politics of Regional Inequality in Ghana: State Elites, Donors and PRSPs," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 33(5), pages 529-553, September.
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