BLURRED BOUNDARIES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GOODS, AND STATE CAPACITY IN GHANA: ASSESSING DEVELOPMENTAL COSTS

Blurred boundaries between public and private goods pose rather than solve problems. Some of the aching socio-economic, developmental and policy issues confronting Ghana overtime can be traced to blurred boundaries. Although most other developing nations, including Nigeria, also face challenges arising from blurred boundaries, this study focuses Ghana for a particularized case study. Wherever corporate boundaries are blurred, both the state and the citizenry remain unclear about the respective and distinct roles of public and private sectors. The study is anchored on Francis Fukuyama, Peters Evans and Joel Migdal’s State Capital Theory, which argues that a country’s development depends largely on the state’s ability to formulate and implement effective policies; efficiently provide public goods; regulate the private sector; and make and enforce laws; and display accountability. The study demonstrates that blurred boundaries threaten development with costs and different challenges. It maintains that institutional clarity about the corporate social responsibilities of the state and the private sector shapes socio-economic development, and fosters accountability, investment behavior, and long-term economic growth. Political leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders are tasked to collaboratively ensure that clear boundaries between public and private goods are instituted in statutory documents, and made known to all and sundry for clarity and accountability.