Joseph Yaw Asomah
Biographic Data
| ID | 167638 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Joseph Yaw Asomah |
| GIVEN NAMES | Joseph Yaw |
| FAMILY NAME | Asomah |
| SIGNATURE | ASOMAH J Y |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Manitoba |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1636-0548 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 35 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Beyond the moralistic framework
Despite its potential to improve accountability, decentralization in Ghana has not curbed corruption. Using a criminological lens, this study reconceptualizes corruption not merely as a deviation from “good governance” norms but as the logical outcome of three closely connected processes: motivation, opportunity, and weak sanctions. Based on qualitative interviews and analysis of secondary data from official documents and media reports, the findi…
Reforming or hardening? What Ghana's senior correctional centre means for formerly incarcerated young people
Rehabilitation is a central but contested objective of contemporary punishment. Drawing on rehabilitation, labelling, and life course theories, this study examines the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated young people from Ghana's Senior Correctional Centre. The research investigates whether the centre reforms or hardens individuals. The findings challenge the binary framing of punishment as either rehabilitative or punitive, demonstrating …
Political Transition, Structural Inequality, and the Persistence of Bribery in Ghana (1999–2022)
Bribery and corruption take diverse forms worldwide yet share common drivers. This study examines the persistence of petty bribery in Ghana across six electoral cycles from 1999 to 2022, drawing on nationally representative Afrobarometer survey data. It integrates insights from neo-patrimonialism, structural inequality, rational choice, and relative deprivation theories to explain how political transitions, economic disparities, and perceptions o…
What Influences the Propensity to Report Corruption to Relevant State Authorities? Evidence From Ghana
Encouraging the public to report corrupt acts to state authorities is indispensable in combatting corruption. This article uses the Afrobarometer surveys (Rounds 7 and 8) focusing on Ghana to address a key question: Will high corruption tolerance and less trust in government reduce the tendency to report corrupt acts to relevant state authorities without fear? The current work draws on social accountability theory and political settlements framew…
Do countries' freedom status and gender equality level inform gender differences in bribery? Evidence from a multi-country level analysis
Given the continuing debate on whether women are less corrupt than men, this study investigates the socio-political context in which men and women give bribes based on the seventh round of the Afrobarometer multi-country data set. We also seek to understand how a country's freedom status and gender equality level inform the extent to which women and men are likely to be involved in corruption. In doing so, the study focuses on the influence of ge…
Is democracy responsible for persistent corruption in some developing countries? The case of Ghana
Is social media a helpful communicative tool in combatting corruption in developing countries? Evidence from Ghana
The traditional mainstream media is often considered part of the capital and power network involved in corruption, casting doubt on the traditional media’s watchdog functions. This study examines whether social media can be a positive communicative tool for addressing corruption, especially in developing countries such as Ghana. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews and relevant secondary data, Habermas’s theory of the public sphere, and…
Are women less corrupt than men? Evidence from Ghana
Does democracy fuel corruption in developing countries? Understanding Ghanaians’ perspectives
Whether democratic governance breeds corruption, especially in developing countries that practice democracy, is highly debatable. Using primary data from interviews and relevant secondary data from media reports and scholarly work, this article aims to address a fundamental question: Does democracy fuel corruption in Ghana's Fourth Republic? Although 20% of participants believed that democracy breeds corruption, about 80% disagreed. The study ind…
How Can the Private Media Be Strengthened to Investigate and Expose Corruption in Ghana? Understanding Ghanaian Perspectives
The media are often considered an essential player in the fight against corruption. As part of the measures to combat corruption, it is essential to understand how to make the media play a critical watchdog role in sub-Saharan Africa. Using Hallin and Mancini’s work on media systems and data from in-depth semi-structured interviews, the following question is addressed: How can the Ghanaian private media be strengthened to investigate and expose c…
What role do social accountability actors play in resisting media capture in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Ghana
Although media capture is a global issue, it is a particularly significant problem in sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana. Media capture occurs when media organisations become incapable of performing critical watchdog functions, such as fighting corruption and human rights violations, because of pressures from capital and power. This article addresses a fundamental question: In Ghana’s Fourth Republic, what role do social accountability acto…
What Can Be Done to Address Corruption in Ghana? Understanding Citizens’ Perspectives
Corruption poses a substantial danger to human rights, political stability, and development, particularly in developing countries like Ghana. Despite the supposed fight against corruption in most developing countries, including Ghana, little success has been achieved in arresting the problem. This article's objective is to examine what can be done to address Ghana's corruption. Based on primary data from in-depth interviews with Ghanaians, the ar…
Determinants of citizens’ support for democracy in Ghana
Objective This article addresses the following questions: (1) What is the extent of Ghanaians' support for democracy? (2) What are the influences of education, the pursuit of political news, and the discussion of politics on citizens' support of democracy? Methods This study combines the sixth and seventh rounds the Afrobarometer surveys on Ghana. The total sample for this study is 4,800 adult Ghanaians. Binary logistic regression analysis was em…
What Motivates Some Ghanaian Private Media To Expose Political Corruption
The private media are often seen as a part of the corrupt network, particularly in developing countries considered corrupt. Using Giddens’s theory of structuration and data from in-depth semi-structured interviews, this article addresses a key question: What motivates some Ghanaian private media to expose political corruption? I argue that human agency and structural conditions are important in understanding whether the private media tackle polit…
Can private media contribute to fighting political corruption in sub-Saharan Africa? Lessons from Ghana
In sub-Saharan Africa, the private media are often considered corrupt and thus incapable of performing critical watchdog functions. Using the Ghanaian case, the objective of this study is to examine how the private media contribute to exposing political corruption and demanding accountability. Based on the media-as-a-watchdog theory and on primary and secondary data, this article argues that private media outlets make significant contributions to…
What Are the Key Drivers of Persistent Ghanaian Political Corruption
Since Ghana's independence in 1957, political corruption has been a significant problem impeding the development of the country. Based on primary and secondary data, this article argues that grand corruption such as Ghanaian political corruption mainly stems from a complex interplay of greed, opportunities grounded in monopoly power, and weak deterrent systems. Hence, uncontrolled political corruption is primarily a product of consistent politica…
Understanding the Role of the State in Promoting Capitalist Accumulation
What Are the Key Drivers of Persistent Ghanaian Political Corruption
Since Ghana's independence in 1957, political corruption has been a significant problem impeding the development of the country. Based on primary and secondary data, this article argues that grand corruption such as Ghanaian political corruption mainly stems from a complex interplay of greed, opportunities grounded in monopoly power, and weak deterrent systems. Hence, uncontrolled political corruption is primarily a product of consistent politica…
What Motivates Some Ghanaian Private Media To Expose Political Corruption
The private media are often seen as a part of the corrupt network, particularly in developing countries considered corrupt. Using Giddens’s theory of structuration and data from in-depth semi-structured interviews, this article addresses a key question: What motivates some Ghanaian private media to expose political corruption? I argue that human agency and structural conditions are important in understanding whether the private media tackle polit…
Can private media contribute to fighting political corruption in sub-Saharan Africa? Lessons from Ghana
In sub-Saharan Africa, the private media are often considered corrupt and thus incapable of performing critical watchdog functions. Using the Ghanaian case, the objective of this study is to examine how the private media contribute to exposing political corruption and demanding accountability. Based on the media-as-a-watchdog theory and on primary and secondary data, this article argues that private media outlets make significant contributions to…
Does democracy fuel corruption in developing countries? Understanding Ghanaians’ perspectives
Whether democratic governance breeds corruption, especially in developing countries that practice democracy, is highly debatable. Using primary data from interviews and relevant secondary data from media reports and scholarly work, this article aims to address a fundamental question: Does democracy fuel corruption in Ghana's Fourth Republic? Although 20% of participants believed that democracy breeds corruption, about 80% disagreed. The study ind…
How Can the Private Media Be Strengthened to Investigate and Expose Corruption in Ghana? Understanding Ghanaian Perspectives
The media are often considered an essential player in the fight against corruption. As part of the measures to combat corruption, it is essential to understand how to make the media play a critical watchdog role in sub-Saharan Africa. Using Hallin and Mancini’s work on media systems and data from in-depth semi-structured interviews, the following question is addressed: How can the Ghanaian private media be strengthened to investigate and expose c…
What Can Be Done to Address Corruption in Ghana? Understanding Citizens’ Perspectives
Corruption poses a substantial danger to human rights, political stability, and development, particularly in developing countries like Ghana. Despite the supposed fight against corruption in most developing countries, including Ghana, little success has been achieved in arresting the problem. This article's objective is to examine what can be done to address Ghana's corruption. Based on primary data from in-depth interviews with Ghanaians, the ar…
What Influences the Propensity to Report Corruption to Relevant State Authorities? Evidence From Ghana
Encouraging the public to report corrupt acts to state authorities is indispensable in combatting corruption. This article uses the Afrobarometer surveys (Rounds 7 and 8) focusing on Ghana to address a key question: Will high corruption tolerance and less trust in government reduce the tendency to report corrupt acts to relevant state authorities without fear? The current work draws on social accountability theory and political settlements framew…
Determinants of citizens’ support for democracy in Ghana
Objective This article addresses the following questions: (1) What is the extent of Ghanaians' support for democracy? (2) What are the influences of education, the pursuit of political news, and the discussion of politics on citizens' support of democracy? Methods This study combines the sixth and seventh rounds the Afrobarometer surveys on Ghana. The total sample for this study is 4,800 adult Ghanaians. Binary logistic regression analysis was em…
Do countries' freedom status and gender equality level inform gender differences in bribery? Evidence from a multi-country level analysis
Given the continuing debate on whether women are less corrupt than men, this study investigates the socio-political context in which men and women give bribes based on the seventh round of the Afrobarometer multi-country data set. We also seek to understand how a country's freedom status and gender equality level inform the extent to which women and men are likely to be involved in corruption. In doing so, the study focuses on the influence of ge…
Is social media a helpful communicative tool in combatting corruption in developing countries? Evidence from Ghana
The traditional mainstream media is often considered part of the capital and power network involved in corruption, casting doubt on the traditional media’s watchdog functions. This study examines whether social media can be a positive communicative tool for addressing corruption, especially in developing countries such as Ghana. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews and relevant secondary data, Habermas’s theory of the public sphere, and…
What role do social accountability actors play in resisting media capture in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Ghana
Although media capture is a global issue, it is a particularly significant problem in sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana. Media capture occurs when media organisations become incapable of performing critical watchdog functions, such as fighting corruption and human rights violations, because of pressures from capital and power. This article addresses a fundamental question: In Ghana’s Fourth Republic, what role do social accountability acto…
Understanding the Role of the State in Promoting Capitalist Accumulation
What Are the Key Drivers of Persistent Ghanaian Political Corruption
Since Ghana's independence in 1957, political corruption has been a significant problem impeding the development of the country. Based on primary and secondary data, this article argues that grand corruption such as Ghanaian political corruption mainly stems from a complex interplay of greed, opportunities grounded in monopoly power, and weak deterrent systems. Hence, uncontrolled political corruption is primarily a product of consistent politica…
Can private media contribute to fighting political corruption in sub-Saharan Africa? Lessons from Ghana
In sub-Saharan Africa, the private media are often considered corrupt and thus incapable of performing critical watchdog functions. Using the Ghanaian case, the objective of this study is to examine how the private media contribute to exposing political corruption and demanding accountability. Based on the media-as-a-watchdog theory and on primary and secondary data, this article argues that private media outlets make significant contributions to…
What Can Be Done to Address Corruption in Ghana? Understanding Citizens’ Perspectives
Corruption poses a substantial danger to human rights, political stability, and development, particularly in developing countries like Ghana. Despite the supposed fight against corruption in most developing countries, including Ghana, little success has been achieved in arresting the problem. This article's objective is to examine what can be done to address Ghana's corruption. Based on primary data from in-depth interviews with Ghanaians, the ar…
Determinants of citizens’ support for democracy in Ghana
Objective This article addresses the following questions: (1) What is the extent of Ghanaians' support for democracy? (2) What are the influences of education, the pursuit of political news, and the discussion of politics on citizens' support of democracy? Methods This study combines the sixth and seventh rounds the Afrobarometer surveys on Ghana. The total sample for this study is 4,800 adult Ghanaians. Binary logistic regression analysis was em…
What Motivates Some Ghanaian Private Media To Expose Political Corruption
The private media are often seen as a part of the corrupt network, particularly in developing countries considered corrupt. Using Giddens’s theory of structuration and data from in-depth semi-structured interviews, this article addresses a key question: What motivates some Ghanaian private media to expose political corruption? I argue that human agency and structural conditions are important in understanding whether the private media tackle polit…
How Can the Private Media Be Strengthened to Investigate and Expose Corruption in Ghana? Understanding Ghanaian Perspectives
The media are often considered an essential player in the fight against corruption. As part of the measures to combat corruption, it is essential to understand how to make the media play a critical watchdog role in sub-Saharan Africa. Using Hallin and Mancini’s work on media systems and data from in-depth semi-structured interviews, the following question is addressed: How can the Ghanaian private media be strengthened to investigate and expose c…
What role do social accountability actors play in resisting media capture in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Ghana
Although media capture is a global issue, it is a particularly significant problem in sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana. Media capture occurs when media organisations become incapable of performing critical watchdog functions, such as fighting corruption and human rights violations, because of pressures from capital and power. This article addresses a fundamental question: In Ghana’s Fourth Republic, what role do social accountability acto…
Are women less corrupt than men? Evidence from Ghana
Does democracy fuel corruption in developing countries? Understanding Ghanaians’ perspectives
Whether democratic governance breeds corruption, especially in developing countries that practice democracy, is highly debatable. Using primary data from interviews and relevant secondary data from media reports and scholarly work, this article aims to address a fundamental question: Does democracy fuel corruption in Ghana's Fourth Republic? Although 20% of participants believed that democracy breeds corruption, about 80% disagreed. The study ind…
Is democracy responsible for persistent corruption in some developing countries? The case of Ghana
Is social media a helpful communicative tool in combatting corruption in developing countries? Evidence from Ghana
The traditional mainstream media is often considered part of the capital and power network involved in corruption, casting doubt on the traditional media’s watchdog functions. This study examines whether social media can be a positive communicative tool for addressing corruption, especially in developing countries such as Ghana. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews and relevant secondary data, Habermas’s theory of the public sphere, and…
Political Transition, Structural Inequality, and the Persistence of Bribery in Ghana (1999–2022)
Bribery and corruption take diverse forms worldwide yet share common drivers. This study examines the persistence of petty bribery in Ghana across six electoral cycles from 1999 to 2022, drawing on nationally representative Afrobarometer survey data. It integrates insights from neo-patrimonialism, structural inequality, rational choice, and relative deprivation theories to explain how political transitions, economic disparities, and perceptions o…
What Influences the Propensity to Report Corruption to Relevant State Authorities? Evidence From Ghana
Encouraging the public to report corrupt acts to state authorities is indispensable in combatting corruption. This article uses the Afrobarometer surveys (Rounds 7 and 8) focusing on Ghana to address a key question: Will high corruption tolerance and less trust in government reduce the tendency to report corrupt acts to relevant state authorities without fear? The current work draws on social accountability theory and political settlements framew…
Do countries' freedom status and gender equality level inform gender differences in bribery? Evidence from a multi-country level analysis
Given the continuing debate on whether women are less corrupt than men, this study investigates the socio-political context in which men and women give bribes based on the seventh round of the Afrobarometer multi-country data set. We also seek to understand how a country's freedom status and gender equality level inform the extent to which women and men are likely to be involved in corruption. In doing so, the study focuses on the influence of ge…
Beyond the moralistic framework
Despite its potential to improve accountability, decentralization in Ghana has not curbed corruption. Using a criminological lens, this study reconceptualizes corruption not merely as a deviation from “good governance” norms but as the logical outcome of three closely connected processes: motivation, opportunity, and weak sanctions. Based on qualitative interviews and analysis of secondary data from official documents and media reports, the findi…
Reforming or hardening? What Ghana's senior correctional centre means for formerly incarcerated young people
Rehabilitation is a central but contested objective of contemporary punishment. Drawing on rehabilitation, labelling, and life course theories, this study examines the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated young people from Ghana's Senior Correctional Centre. The research investigates whether the centre reforms or hardens individuals. The findings challenge the binary framing of punishment as either rehabilitative or punitive, demonstrating …
Political science (14 works) · Corruption and Economic Development (13 works) · Politics (12 works) · Economic Growth and Development (11 works) · Language change (11 works) · Law (11 works) · Economics (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Development economics (7 works) · Sociology (7 works)