The Transformation of Property Rights in the Gold Coast: An Empirical Study Applying Rational Choice Theory

by Kathryn Firmin-Sellers

Overview

This book explores the political process by which property rights are defined and enforced in two traditional states in colonial Ghana. The case studies within the book ask how colonial institutions transformed indigenous political and economic life; and how colonization and decolonization affected prospects for future economic development and stability in Africa. The introductory chapter outlines a theory of the transformation of property rights system while the remaining empirical chapters refine this theory through a detailed analysis of the transformation of property rights within an African context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521555036
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/05/1996
Series:	Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.83(d)

Table of Contents

Series editors' preface; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; Part I. The Institutions of the Colonial State: 2. The logic of indirect rule; Part II. The Reinvention of Tradition: the Evolution of Property Rights Under Indirect Rule: 3. Institutional failure in the Ga state; 4. Institutional creation in Akyem Abuakwa: the politics of property rights; Part III. The Transition to Independent Government: 5. Redefining the institutions of central government: the writing of the Coussey Constitution; 6. The return to the traditional state; 7. Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Firmin-Sellers adds luster to the influential ‘Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions' series in a tightly argued, well-researched monograph using two tribal/ethnic case studies to illustrate a series of analytical and theoretical propositions in political economy and beyond....The work's integration of field work with theoretical perspectives is remarkable. Highly recommended for upper-division undergraduates and higher." R.M. Fulton, Choice

"...Firmin-Sellers has written an interesting book that will please those who subscribe to a revisionist version of rational-choice theory....All readers will benefit from her thoughtful and well-researched exposition of the evolution of property rights in the Gold Coast." Robert Fatton, Jr., American Political Science

From the Publisher