Nicholas De-Heer – Institute for Fiscal Studies Ghana

January 19, 2017

No. 2: Economic Policy Priorities for the New Government

Policy Brief 2: Economic Policy Priorities for the New Government Not too long ago, the Ghanaian economy was one of Africa’s strongest. However, the economy has witnessed a sharp decline in growth in the last three years. In this Policy Brief, the IFS brings to the attention of the new Government some critical economic challenges along with proposals to address them. <p>IFS’ proposals are informed by the Institute’s conviction that Ghana needs new, bold and systematic policies capable of bringing about fundamental changes to the economy to enable it to deliver tangible socio-economic benefits to Ghanaians. </p> Click here to […]

January 19, 2017

Revenue Earmarking in Ghana: Management and Performance Issues [Occasional Paper 07]

Occasional Paper 7. Revenue Earmarking in Ghana: Management and Performance Issues Although revenue earmarking was seldom used in Ghana before the Fourth Republic, it has now become a common ﬁscal practice. Speciﬁcally, while only two formal earmarking arrangements existed in the country before the Fourth Republic, there are currently 11 arrangements of revenue earmarking with one more in the pipeline. Because earmarking currently consumes a large chunk of the country’s ﬁscal resources, with about 35% of total revenue and grants earmarked in 2013, ensuring effective management of the various earmarked funds is an important component of the country’s quest for […]

January 19, 2017

The Ghanaian Economy in 2012 – How Accurate was the Reported Fiscal Deficit? [Occasional Paper 08]

Occasional Paper 8. The Ghanaian Economy in 2012 – How Accurate was the Reported Fiscal Deficit? This paper reviews the performance of the Ghanaian economy in 2012, with a view to establishing the accuracy and the causes of the reported huge ﬁscal deﬁcit, amounting to 11.6% of GDP, posted during the period. The study ﬁnds that the strong performance of the economy achieved in 2011 continued in 2012, driven by the services and industry sectors, with the latter overtaking agriculture as the second largest contributor to the country’s GDP. Improved macroeconomic policies, supported by a tight monetary policy, also helped […]

January 23, 2017

Press Conference on IFS Economic Policy Priorities for the New Government

The IFS held a press conference on 17th January 2017 to present its proposals on Economic Policy Priorities for the New Government. The Institute is of the conviction that Ghana needs new, bold and systematic policies capable of bringing about fundamental changes to the economy to enable it to deliver tangible socio-economic benefits to Ghanaians. The proposals are contained in the IFS Policy Brief Paper 2. Click here to view the full statement

February 14, 2017

No. 3: Fiscal Rigidities and their Effects in Ghana

Policy Brief 3: Fiscal Rigidities and their Effects in Ghana Many arguments are often advanced to justify the establishment of rigidities in the public budget. However, a number of studies have found that fiscal rigidities pose serious fiscal and macroeconomic challenges in various countries. This paper seeks to assess the extent of rigidity in Ghana’s budget, examine the effects of fiscal rigidities in Ghana, and propose recommendations for Government in the face of the challenges posed by fiscal rigidities. Click here to read full report

February 15, 2017

Fiscal Rigidities and their Effects in Ghana

A Senior Research Fellow of the IFS, Dr. Boakye, delivered a presentation on: “Fiscal Rigidities and their Effects in Ghana” at the recently held IFS Pre-Budget Forum 2017. According to Dr. Boakye, Fiscal Rigidities are institutional, legal, contractual or other constraints that limit the ability of the government to change the size and structure of the public budget. Click here to view the full statement