Abstract
Since the emergence of ‘good governance’ as a policy driver in the 1990s, numerous academicians and practitioners have put considerable faith in this concept (discussed in detail in the literature review and conceptual framework chapter). Scholars such as Crawford (2005) and Champagne (2016) are the exceptions, but given the presence of a vast conceptual and theoretical literature on ‘good governance’, it is surprising that very little of this work is underpinned up by ‘real word’ evidence and examples. First and foremost, this thesis seeks to generate empirical data enabling an assessment of EU good governance policy. This will go some way to correct the absence of data feeding the current (over-conceptualised) academic debate on good governance.The data collected by this research has been generated by a case study of EU good governance policy towards the Republic of Ghana between 2000 and 2013. This research has at its heart personal interviews and archive work. Three key research questions were asked ‘what were the objectives of EU good governance policies in Ghana between 2000 and 2013?’; ‘what was the nature of the implementation of European Union good governance policy in Ghana between 2000 and 2013?’; and ‘what were the outcomes of the EU good governance policy in Ghana between 2000 and 2013?’
In terms of research findings, the thesis found that, although positive benefits were obtained, EU policy was flawed in four areas|: mission creep; a lack of local ownership, a lack of will to confront the Government of Ghana in certain areas; and a failure to recognise the prevailing socio-economic environment in Ghana. It is argued that these flaws arise largely from a failure of the EU to define ‘good governance’. It is further proposed that this failure arises from a general ‘over-conceptualisation’ of this concept found amongst both academics and practitioners.
| Date of Award | Jun 2020 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Alexander Thomson (Supervisor), Simon Massey (Supervisor) & Judi Atkins (Supervisor) |