Doctoral Dissertation Research: Social ties, relational obligations and socio-economic outcomes

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation examines the relationship between personal relationships, financial obligations, and socio-economic outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. Although many have written about Africa's rising middle class in recent years, they ignore the continued importance of Africans' obligations to financially support family members and friends in the absence of strong government welfare systems. These financial obligations create a paradox: as individuals rise economically, they must spend more money supporting dependent family and friends. Focusing on Ghana, a country with both a growing middle class and a growing commercial finance sector, this research seeks to answer two questions: how do individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds interpret and fulfill their obligations differently? Second, how do Ghanaians' obligation management strategies affect their socio-economic outcomes? The research draws together insights from history, anthropology, and sociology to contribute to scholars' understanding of the economic dimensions of personal relationships in different cultures, as well as social stratification in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa, an area of the world often overlooked by sociologists. This research has implications for development policy and planning in other developing countries, where efforts to provide formal financial services for "unbanked" residents are growing, and where economic opportunities are multiplying but unevenly distributed. This dissertation examines the relationship between personal relationships, financial obligations, and socio-economic outcomes in countries where the government welfare system is limited and patronage relationships still serve as a primary means of resource distribution. Focusing on Ghana, an African country with both a growing middle class and a growing commercial finance sector, the study asks two questions: how do individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds interpret and fulfill their obligations differently?that is, how do Ghanaians of various economic means practice different obligation management strategies? Second, how might different obligation management strategies affect Ghanaians' socio-economic outcomes? The research employs two primary methods. First, a 300-person vignette survey of urban Ghanaians will examine the diversity of norms surrounding financial obligations and obligation management strategies among Ghanaians from different socio-economic backgrounds. Second, 60 in-depth follow-up interviews with low-, middle-, and high-income respondents will provide more detailed data on respondents' social networks and economic strategies. The research extends knowledge of how contemporary Africans both exploit and/or resist the demands of patrons and clients in a patronage-based society. Additionally, it highlights the role of institutional context in mediating the connection between personal relations and economic outcomes. Understanding how relational obligations affect individuals' and families' own economic advancement will illustrate the difficulties of managing relations and resources in a developing society where economic opportunities are multiplying but unevenly distributed.