Society and Bureaucracy in 21st Century Ghana

This book examines the factors that affect work performance of Ghanaian bureaucrats. Three decades ago Robert Price (1975) examined the impact that kinship ties had on the motivation of Ghanaian bureaucrats. This study followed the work of Price by replicating his mix of interviews and surveys, with the addition of questions that incorporate recent work on bureaucracy by John Brehm and Scott Gates (1997). Utilizing a mix of interviews and surveys of public servants from the Civil Service and the Ghana Education Service, I find that motivation of Ghanaian bureaucrats involves pecuniary, solidary and functional preferences as well as kinship ties. This is an excellent book for courses in public administration, African government and politics, and for scholars interested in the study of motivation. It will also be useful for students of sociology.