{"product_id":"negotiating-power-and-inequality-in-ghana-electricity-and-citizenship-as-reciprocity-hardback-9780253074751","title":"Negotiating Power and Inequality in Ghana; Electricity and Citizenship As Reciprocity (Hardback) 9780253074751","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eNegotiating Power and Inequality in Ghana\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eElectricity and Citizenship As Reciprocity\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eLauren M. MacLean (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780253074751\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 3 February 2026\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e312 pages, 7 color illus., 17 b\u0026amp;w illus., 1 map\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.666 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Lauren MacLean shows that reliable electricity is not only fundamental to a prosperous economy but intimately tied to successful democracy too.\"—Todd Moss, Executive Director, Energy for Growth Hub\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In this creative and insightful book on Ghana's persistent electricity crisis, Lauren Maclean carefully demonstrates how power literally begets power, in both senses of the word, with inequality in access to reliable electricity a function of much deeper forms of inequality in citizens' ability to make effective bottom-up claims on the state. This is important reading for scholars and students of service delivery, citizenship, and grassroots politics in Ghana and beyond.\"—Noah Nathan, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Scarce State: Inequality and Political Power in the Hinterland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This is a great book, based on very solid and extensive research, on a topic that is both pointed in terms of its occurrence and also evergreen in its relevance as controversy and debates over access to electricity have and continue to plague Ghana. . . . MacLean draws on a wide range of sources . . . [and] in doing so, she seeks to create a book that is interdisciplinary in its methods and broad in its audience, seeking to engage academics, policymakers, activists, and practitioners alike by providing straightforward explanation for this ongoing crisis.\"—Jennifer Hart, author of \u003ci\u003eMaking an African City\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This is an excellent book that makes three important contributions. First, it introduces a theory of citizenship based on reciprocity, thereby revising social contract theory. Second, it traces the history of electricity provision in Ghana and analyzes it in the context of energy poverty and the era of climate change. Third, it integrates unique methodologies (some of which are used in disciplines outside of the social sciences) to center the perspectives of ordinary people in the study of politics and development. For these reasons, \u003ci\u003eNegotiating Power and Inequality in Ghana\u003c\/i\u003e will be of great interest to students of comparative politics, African politics, development studies, and environmental studies.\"—Jeffrey W. Paller, author of \u003ci\u003eDemocracy in Ghana: Everyday Politics in Urban Africa\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Ghana, much as in other parts of the Global South, postcolonial leaders aimed for industrial growth through the establishment of affordable hydroelectric power. However, in the current rapidly changing climate, many nations face recurring droughts, which hinder electricity production just when demand is on the rise. This situation has led to challenges like load shedding and unplanned power outages, which have strained the bond between citizens and the government.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNegotiating Power and Inequality in Ghana \u003c\/i\u003eaims to unravel the puzzling reality that, despite enduring increasing difficulties from these electricity shortages, the Ghanaian citizens who suffer most harshly are also the least likely to demand political accountability from the state. Drawing on archival evidence, focus groups, qualitative interviews, survey data, and contemporary art and music, author Lauren M. MacLean explains how this disparity in experience – fueled by differences in income and geographical location – has led lower- and higher-income Ghanaians to form contrasting perspectives on their social rights regarding public services and to adopt varying approaches to political involvement. Rather than relying on a predetermined social contract, citizens in Ghana develop a more fluid relationship with the state, shaped by their histories, identities, and personal experiences. This reciprocity highlights their awareness of how climate change and the global shift toward green energy can significantly impact their lives while also underscoring the necessity for the government to take the lead and engage with Ghanaians to promote climate justice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTargeted at a diverse audience that includes academics, policymakers, activists, and the general public, \u003ci\u003eNegotiating Power and Inequality in Ghana\u003c\/i\u003e encourages readers to gain insight into the dynamics that lead to political crises and to explore potential solutions to energy poverty in a time marked by increasing inequality and global climate challenges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eList of Acronyms\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Historical Construction of the State Role in Providing Unequal Electricity to Citizens and Subjects\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e1. The History of Electricity as a Right of Citizenship: From Colonial Subjects to Neoliberal Consumers in the Fourth Republic\u003cbr\u003e2. New Pressures on Ghana's Emerging Democracy: Climate Change and Increasing Frustrations by Citizens as Consumers\u003cbr\u003e3. Desperate Efforts to End the Electricity Crisis: The Cost of Foreign Non-State Providers and Promise of Green Energy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Unequal Experience of the Electricity Crisis and Negotiation of Citizenship as Reciprocity\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e4. The Unequal Citizen Experience of the Electricity Crisis\u003cbr\u003e5. The Emotional Stress of Disconnection for the Youth: Images and Lyrics from Contemporary Ghanaian Artists and Musicians\u003cbr\u003e6. Inequalities of Citizen Protest: From #Dumsormuststop to Harassment\u003cbr\u003e7. Inequalities of Citizen Exit: From Solar Generators to Illegal Connections\u003cbr\u003e8. The Right to Electricity and the Strain on Citizenship as Reciprocity\u003cbr\u003eConclusion: Inequality and the Decline of the National Grid\u003cbr\u003eAppendix: Interview Guides\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Indiana University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52525855179032,"sku":"9780253074751","price":60.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/negotiating-power-and-inequality-in-ghana-electricity-and-citizenship-as-reciprocity-hardback-9780253074751","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}