Ghana’s System of Local Government Administration As a Barrier to Collaborative Public Management

Abstract

In view of the present economic atmosphere of inadequate resources, growing demands on services and numerous multifaceted social problems facing developing countries like Ghana, the need for various sectors to work in collaboration with each other has become more imperative. However, while there has been general acknowledgement of the significance in responding to these challenges through collaboration, evidence has shown that there is lack of collaboration amongst different sectors in Ghana. This paper examines the extent to which this collaborative deficit is attributed to the nature of local system of government in the country from the perspectives of actors in a rural district of Ahafo Ano South (AAS). It is a case study research with in-depth interviews carried out amongst 35 sectoral actors within the local government administration. The result showed that one major source of collaborative public management deficiency has been the system of local government administration in the country. The implication is that for government to succeed in its collaborative efforts in managing public services, the local system of administration must be re-examined.