ABSTRACT
This study particularly focuses on the existing relationship between the practice of liberal democracy and socio-economic development in Africa. The concept and practice of liberal democracy is one that is widely popular in the international system and states continually strive to adhere to and uphold the values of liberal democracy. In as much as it is largely believed that Liberal Democracy goes a long way to affect the socio-economic development of states, this assertion is contradictory among some African states. Ghana and Botswana are countries hailed in their various sub-regions as models and beacons in the practice of liberal democracy and this assertion has been given the nod by the international community. However, some socio-economic challenges particularly in the areas of youth employment rates, public basic primary education and the quality of healthcare still persist in both countries and this puts a dent on the full consolidation of liberal democracy for Ghana and Botswana. The theory underpinning this work is Liberal Democracy because the tenets of Liberal Democracy sets certain parameters to ensure that at the end of the day, all governance initiatives are geared towards the development of the citizen in its entirety is made paramount. It spells out the various characteristics of governance of Ghana and Botswana and explains why these states, as well as others in the International system, lean more towards Liberal Democracy than other forms of governance. The scope of the study is taken from 2008 to 2018 in both countries. The study relies on data acquired through secondary and primary sources of data. It also underwent a purposive sampling because there was the need to seek expert opinions in the form of semi-structured interviews as well as assessing reports and articles already existing on the topic. The data was analyzed through a qualitative and quantitative method of analysis. They reveal that despite various governments’ efforts in the form of policies and reforms to help improve and increase the socio-economic development of both countries in the areas of youth employment, public basic primary education and quality of healthcare concerning systems and prevalent health conditions in both areas, there are still certain loopholes being encountered. The indicators of youth employment, public basic education and quality healthcare were chosen because these three indicators divulge the socio-economic state of a country. Where any of these things are lacking or are not well placed, there is a likelihood for a disequilibrium in the socio- economic and even the political state of a country. This could be due to lack of commitment to the full implementation of these policies and reforms. The options available to both Ghana and Botswana include the exertion of the full force of political will. This will affect the rate at which these policies are realized, the establishment of strong institutions and a legal autonomous entity that will ensure accountability, transparency and regulate the implementation of these policies. Further, a sensitization of the citizenry of both countries as to knowing the benefits that come with participating and being concerned about education as well as practicing healthy lifestyles to curb the menace of malaria and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus and the Acquired Immune Disease Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) infections in Ghana and Botswana respectively. These initiatives will therefore help bridge the gap between liberal democracy and development by using the mechanisms provided by liberal democracy to affect the socio-economic development of Ghana and Botswana.
Chapter One Introduction
Background to the Research Problem
The ideologies of Liberal Democracy and Communism became the most dominant after the Great Depression of the 1930s and by the end of World War II in 1945. In a sudden turn of events, the Cold War and the collapse of the Berlin Wall brought a declining finish to the Communist ideology and championed the ideas of democracy to the forefront of politics in the international system.
According to Andrew Heywood democracy is the only system of governance, which has thrived with very little resistance from governments and citizens alike. Although democracy, as a system of governance has thrived for decades, its spread and practice do not conform to a single format for all states. Nonetheless, there are basic identifiable tenets, which include free and fair elections, rule of law, separation of powers and the protection of basic liberties such as the freedom of speech, association, religion, individual ownership of property and free market economy that is supposed to lead to economic growth and development1.
Amartya Sen in his book “Development as Freedom” posits that, this kind of development needs the removal of major sources of oppression:
…poverty as well as tyranny, poor economic opportunities as well as systematic social deprivation, neglect of public facilities as well as intolerance or over activity of repressive states2.
From this, it can be gathered that, development should gather all spheres of the life of an individual to make him completely whole and free on all fronts be they social, economic or political.
However, this is not the situation in most African countries as some tenets of development are upheld at the detriment of others. While some countries like Ghana appear to practice the whole gamut of liberal democracy, its socio-economic growth and development has been minimal whereas Botswana which has had just one political party in power since independence has seen some levels of socio-economic growth and development.
In Ghana and Botswana, periodic free and fair elections as prescribed by the constitution of the state are held and the freedom and rights of the citizens in the country is respected. In some other countries like Rwanda, Kenya and Zimbabwe, more attention can be seen to be focused on the organization of some semblance of free and fair elections whereas the basic fundamental freedoms and rights of the citizens are relegated to the back.
Statement of the Research Problem
Ghana, being the first country in the Sub-Saharan Africa region to have gained independence has had 60 years to have made a significant difference and headway in the running of all continental affairs. After 60 years and as the pacesetter of liberation and freedom in the sub-region, there should have been a significant improvement in the economic and social development of the country but this does not seem to be the case. Statistics have shown that other African countries like South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, and Botswana have seen significant improvement in their economic and social standards. As a big advocate for liberal democracy in the region, it is quite alarming to observe that the full effect of liberal democracy on development is not fully exploited as other countries practicing other forms of governance have seen tremendous advancement in their societies and economies.
Botswana is one of the world’s impressive growth success stories. A small, landlocked country of two million people, Botswana was one of the least developed countries in Africa with a per capita Gross Domestic Product of about US$70 when it became independent from British rule in 1966. In the nearly 50 years after independence, Botswana has changed itself, steadily easing into the ranks of upper middle-income status to become one of the fastest moving economies in the world, with an average annual growth rate of about 9 percent3.
Botswana prides itself in its mature democracy. Free and fair elections are held consistently as and when they should be and the constitution makes room for fundamental rights and freedoms. In spite of a few challenges of poverty in some rural pockets of the country, Botswana has seen a steady progress in good governance and economic growth over the past 40 years which has steadily raised the standard of living in the country with poverty rates declining from over 50 percent at independence to around 21 percent today. The government recognized respect for rights to own property and the rule of law. It maintained a high level of transparency, which was reiterated by persistent respect of the Tswana tribal tradition of consultation. These advice-giving institutions, known as kgotla, created a grade of trust in the government—the sense that government is to help the people and encourage development and is not the tool of one group or individuals for the single- mindedness of getting hold of the riches4.
These are two distinct countries that are practicing the full gamut of democracy but have seen variant differences in their socio-economic development. The Democratic Index of 2017 which highlights the democratic state of a country by basing on a state’s electoral procedure and diversity, civil freedoms, working of government, political involvement and political values ranks Botswana as the 28th democratic country in the world and Ghana as the 52nd worldwide5. The Democratic Index of the European Intelligence Unit is being used to access the democratic nature of these two
countries because it provides the backdrop against which Ghana and Botswana are being chosen and analysed. With both countries faring well globally with regards to democratic rule, it is expedient to see the effects of their democratic advancement on the society and the people in it.
According to Ms. Kathleen Addy of the Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana, the tenets of a good democracy entail more than just organizing successful elections but also include the existence of an independent legislature, executive, and judiciary, free media, strong institutions, economic justice and social justice6. She stated that another important aspect of a good democracy is the fulfillment of a social contract between citizens and their governments and the balance of power within the social contract is supposed to manifest in declining inequality but in Ghana’s case, inequality is rather deepening7.
This study therefore seeks to examine liberal democracy in the socio-economic development of African states by assessing the socio-economic development of Ghana and Botswana between 2008 and 2018 and the effect that liberal democracy has had on this sphere of development. This concentrates on three (3) economic indicators, being, youth employment rates, quality healthcare and public basic education, as propounded by Amartya Sen in his Human Development Index Report.
