A University of Sussex DPhil thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details CITIZEN VOICE AND BUREAUCRATIC RESPONSIVENESS FM RADIO PHONE-INS AND THE DELIVERY OF MUNICIPAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES IN ACCRA, GHANA Ernestina Edem Selormey DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX July 2013 ii Statement of Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be, submitted in whole or in part to another university for the award of any other degree Signature:__________________________________________ iii University of Sussex ERNESTINA EDEM SELORMEY PhD DEVELOPMENT STUDIES Citizen Voice and Bureaucratic Responsiveness: FM radio phone-ins and the delivery of municipal and local government services in Accra, Ghana. Summary There is a large body of work in actual practice, and in academia on citizen voice and voice mechanisms. Since the introduction of the concept, and its application to various sectors, contexts and countries, there have been several arguments in support of its effectiveness as a mechanism for holding governments and public officials to account; or ensuring that the voices of the poor and marginalised are heard. Some have also argued that voice is a good measure of inclusiveness, and for improvements in service delivery at the local level. However, there have also been arguments that, in as much as voice as a mechanism is good, it has limitations. The limitations arise from the fact that voice alone, cannot produce the desired effect--- response or improvements in service delivery. Thus, for voice to be effective, it must be ‘heard.’ This thesis is about the extent to which public voice expressed through radio phone-in programmes can influence the responsiveness of public service delivery organisations at the local level. The study is an empirical enquiry into a new form of voice mechanism, which occurs on radio in Accra, Ghana. The study specifically looks at two unique radio phone-in programmes on two popular Accra-based private commercial FM radio stations. The two programmes provide a weekly on-air platform for residents of Accra and those within transmission range to call in live and lodge complaints about public and/or private services for follow-up and redress. The main argument of this thesis is that voice mediated through specific radio programmes, not only has the potential to go far; it also has potential to be ‘heard’ due to follow-up, creative programming and some key characteristics of the programmes. iv The thesis utilizes the new concept of ‘mediated voice’ to understand how radio complaints about waste management (a service provided by the Accra Metropolitan Authority, the local government for Accra) can elicit responses from the service providers. The main findings in this study are that radio phone-in programmes have the ability to receive individual voice and represent them as though it were a collective problem. This ability ensures that voice is heard. Second, that because of the publicness of the ‘voice’ on radio, and subsequent follow-up on complaints by the radio programmes, public officials are forced to respond for fear of both administrative and electoral sanctions. v Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the financial, intellectual, and moral support of many different people. I am profoundly grateful to the Africa Power and Politics Programme (APPP) of the Overseas Development institute (ODI) for awarding me the studentship grant to undertake the PhD studies in the UK. My studies and stay in the UK would not have been possible without their generous financial support. Special thanks also to Dr. David Booth and Ms. Sonia Sezille of the ODI. My sincere gratitude goes to my doctoral advisors: Professor Richard C. Crook and Dr. Anuradha Joshi for their intellectual guidance and support throughout my studies. I am thankful to Richard Crook especially, for shepherding me along the humble journey of intellectual growth. Many thanks to Professor E. Gyimah-Boadi of CDD-Ghana; special mention is made of Dr. Baffour Agyeman-Duah who created the opportunity for me to be part of the good governance-promoting fraternity in Ghana. I received a lot of assistance during my fieldwork in Ghana. I owe a debt of gratitude to the former presenters and producers of ‘Feedback’ at Joy FM for providing data and information, which helped enrich my knowledge about the ‘Feedback’ programme in particular, and radio phone-in programmes in general. I am immensely grateful to the ‘Wo haw ne sen’ programme team at Peace FM for their useful insights, and, for allowing me to spend several months at Peace FM studios observing the ‘Wo haw ne sen’ programme. Thanks to the officials and frontline workers of the Waste Management Department (WMD) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and its Sub-Metros for their cooperation, time and agreeing to grant me interviews. Many thanks, to all the individuals without whose assistance and support, I could not have gathered the very valuable data from the field. Life away from home studying for a doctorate would not have been possible without the support of family, friends and colleagues both in Ghana and in the UK. I am grateful to, my husband Edgar Cooke, for his endless friendship, love, moral support, patience and assistance. To my siblings: Abui, Senam, Akpene and Stephen---to Abui in particular for the moral support. To my friends: Kathleen Addy, Kojo Asante, and Franklin Oduro in Ghana. PhD colleagues and friends in the UK, Isidore Bonabom, Charles Ankisiba, Mulugeta Handino, Erik Manga, Juan Loera-Gonzalez, and Hloniphile Simelane for their friendship and solidarity during my studies. Finally, many thanks to Angela Dowman, IDS, Teaching and Administration, and the team at the British Library for Development Studies (BLDS) especially, Helen, Ian, Stephanie, Henry, Rachel, Jenny, Karen and Alice. Thank you all so much! vi Dedication I dedicate this contribution to knowledge to the memory of my parents: Beatrice and Emmanuel Clement Selormey, whom I lost tragically in 2009, less than a year into my PhD studies. vii Table of Contents SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... V DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................... VI TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................... VII LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... X LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... X LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................... XII LOCAL LANGUAGE GLOSSARY ....................................................................................... XIV CHAPTER 1 .............................................................................................................................. 1 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 MOTIVATION AND AIMS OF THE STUDY ........................................................................... 7 1.2.1 Personal motivation ............................................................................................ 7 1.2.2 Academic motivation .......................................................................................... 8 1.2.3 Research questions ......................................................................................... 10 1.3 THE MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THIS THESIS ....................................................................... 12 1.4 ORGANISATION OF THE THESIS ................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................ 16 RELATIONS TO EXISTING CONCEPTS AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................. 16 2. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 16 2.1 THE MEDIA LITERATURE.............................................................................................. 16 2.2 DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY ................................................................................... 18 2.3 RESPONSIVENESS ..................................................................................................... 22 2.3.1 Responsiveness and accountability ................................................................. 23 2.4 VOICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY (V&A) IN DEMOCRACIES ................................................