Community, Civic Engagement and Democratic Governance in Africa

This book explores how community influences civic engagement, focusing on the case of Ghana. It offers an interdisciplinary perspective to those studying psychology, political development and civic engagement in African countries. Previous research has shown that the social and economic context in which an individual interacts influences their political behaviors and attitudes, and that personal characteristics account for differences in political behavior and attitudes. This work moves away from the cultural demographics of a person, which often take center stage in existing investigations of partisan political behavior in the African context, and addresses the following five questions:(1) To what extent do individual traits influence civic engagement in Ghana?

(2) To what extent is community identity similar or different in small rural villages versus large metropolitan areas in Ghana and how does community identity influence civic engagement?


(3) To what extent doestrust influence civic engagement in Ghana?


(4) What factors and activities influence political knowledge and how does political knowledge influence civic engagement?

(5) What is the status of women in civic engagement?

Mary R. Anderson is Professor Political Science at the University of Tampa, Florida, where she specializes in research on public opinion and civic engagement. Her research has appeared in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Psychology, Political Behavior, Journal of Women, Politics and Policy, and the Journal of Human Rights. She is the author of Community Identity and Political Behavior (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) and co-author/co-editor of Meta-Analysis for Public Management and Policy (2013). She teaches courses on public opinion, public policy, and political psychology

Kevin S. Fridy is Professor of Political Science at the University of Tampa, Florida. He specializes in West African politics and works on projects dealing with the interactions between society and political institutions. His work has been published in African studies and political science journals such as Journal of Modern African Studies, Democratization, African Affairs, African Studies Quarterly, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, and Journal of African Elections. He has traveled extensively throughout West Africa conducting his research. He teaches courses on African politics, as well as a travel course to Ghana with a focus on political and economic develop development.