The co-opted state how politicians’ control over bureaucrats' careers threatens governance Sarah Brierley

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brierley, Sarah, author.

Series:

Political economy of institutions and decisions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political corruption--Ghana.

Political corruption.

Local government--Ghana.

Local government.

Local finance--Ghana.

Local finance.

Civil service--Ghana.

Civil service.

Ghana--Politics and government.

Ghana.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2026

Summary:

"Politicians in young democracies face a dilemma when it comes to investing in state capacity. On the one hand, investments in bureaucratic competence can aid policy implementation. On the other hand, such investments can reduce bureaucratic loyalty, thereby undermining politicians' ability to secure votes through targeted distribution. In The Co-opted State, Sarah Brierley argues that to resolve this dilemma, politicians will recruit bureaucrats through procedures that reward merit but retain tools to control bureaucrats' career progression. She demonstrates how political incentives and career control tools shape public service delivery, often to the detriment of good governance. Drawing on rich fieldwork in Ghana and literature from across the world, Brierley challenges conventional wisdom about state capacity and meritocracy and offers a guide for understanding why seemingly well-designed systems often yield disappointing results, and what can be done to fix them"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Theory

Politics and local governance in Ghana

Politicians' ability to control the careers of bureaucrats

Partisan extraction of public resources via corrupt public procurement

Partisan distribution of local public goods

Assessing the scope of the argument and pathways forward

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed July 6, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Brierley, Sarah Co-opted state

ISBN:

100975727X

9781009757270

OCLC:

1573627755

Publisher Number:

CIPO000392269

Access Restriction:

Some versions Open access versions available from some providers open access