Parliamentary Caucuses in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: Challenges and Recommendations

Abstract

A unique feature of the Ghanaian Parliament as compared with other democratic institutions of State is the establishment and development of recognized caucuses. The objective of these caucuses is to promote the development of the ideals of society and democratic principles within the Legislature, besides seeking the welfare of identified groups of parliamentarians. The membership dynamics of the caucuses are contingent on the name of the caucus, which varies in terms of constituency, from occupation to religion and gender. This paper using coalition theory as a framework of analysis seeks to assess the impact of parliamentary caucuses in the Fourth Republic, highlight the differences, and assess the challenges confronting their lobbying skills and the extent to which these challenges affect their propensities to achieve changes in the Ghanaian body politic, as well as the extent to which tangible outcomes are documented in the annals of parliamentary proceedings using Mixed-Method methodology. Caucuses are useful in the parliamentary development matrix, although there are challenges, such as members of multiple caucuses and inappropriate structures that hinder optimal performance.