First published in 1997, this volume looks at the rationale for, the implementation of, and the economic and social effect of the World Bank Structural Adjustment Policy (SAP) in Ghana from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. It shifts the focus from a primarily economic evaluation of these programmes and includes issues such as their impact on vulnerable groups within the Ghanaian society and on poverty in general. Therefore, it must be asked whether the ‘ordinary Ghanaian’ has gained anything from any wealth creation in Ghana. The book will be useful for both academic and policy purposes.

This title was first published in 2001: Bringing together geographers, planners, political scientists, economists, rural development specialists, bankers, public administrators and other development experts, this volume questions the benefits of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs). It critically assesses the impact of SAPs from a wider perspective than a purely economic one, highlighting concerns about impacts of adjustments on the more vulnerable elements of society such as social welfare, the environment, labour, gender and agriculture. Revealing both the costs and benefits of the economic restructuring programme, the book also suggests alternatives to current development models, and how SAPs can be made more sustainable. An original and comprehensive addition to the collections of both students and practitioners of development.

Suggests to re-examine the legal regimes that have fostered the renewed rush, the guidelines on environmental protection, and the support of mining support organisations. Concentrates on gold mining in Tarkwa and its neighbouring villages.

How did the Ghanaian state, after flirtation with structuralist theories and state intervention in the early 1960s, followed by persistent resistance to fiscal correction and a long economic slide in the 1970s and early 1980s, turn the economy around? How did it manage to implement relatively rigorous "neoliberal reforms" in the mid-1980s and early 1990s? And why, after the "economic miracle" of the 1980s, has reform increasingly run aground in recent years? As Hutchful argues, the Ghanaian adjustment strategy is deeply flawed, unsustainable and subject to recurring revisions by international financial institutions such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. The Ghana case has focused many of the controversies of adjustment in Africa. As such, Hutchful's book marks a significant contribution to the literature on the role the state plays in impeding or encouraging economic and political development.

Examines the evolution of the mining industry since the 1970s and considers how the political situation influences private and foreign investment.