Analysing law and policy, and the contributions of government-sponsored institutions to publishing development

This thesis examines law and policy in the book publishing industry in Ghana, with an evaluation of the success of government-sponsored institutions that have been established for the purpose of publishing development in the country. Issues concerning publishing development in Ghana and other countries in Africa have attracted considerable debate and coverage in the literature. The focus of the debate has been mainly centred on challenges confronting publishing development in the continent and the promotion of sustainable schoolbooks provision. Whilst there is a body of existing literature on the historical development of book publishing and its challenges, the role of law and policy, and the contributions of government-sponsored institutions to publishing development has not been explored. This thesis therefore provides the first analysis of law and policy, and an evaluation of government-sponsored institutions. In an attempt to fill this gap, this research identifies law and policy, examines the rationale for policy formulation, the policy-making process itself, the experiences of various stakeholders in the formulation of these policies and issues relating to the implementation of policy. It also evaluates the success of government-sponsored institutions by examining how their work has influenced book development and publishing in the country. The data for this research comprise legislation, policy documents and recorded interviews. These were analysed using the framework that was developed for book policy analysis. The use of the framework has been particularly useful in the analysis because it is compatible with the critical realist approach. Over two empirical chapters, the use of content analysis provides a thorough insight of the social, economic and political context, within the context of Ghana, for which institutions dedicated to publishing development were established as well as the formulation of book policies. Although government-sponsored institutions have provided considerable support to publishing development, the findings suggest that their operations are hindered due to a lack of funds and logistics. The findings again suggest that both national and international legislation have not been adequately beneficial to publishing development. A third empirical chapter, which focuses on the interview data for policy development offers an in-depth analysis into the policy-making process and the challenges that are associated with the implementation of policy. The findings suggest existing policy is limited in terms of scope of book publishing, and even with this limitation, there is a lack of transparency in the procurement process. A major challenge of the book publishing industry in Ghana is the lack of resources to enforce legislation and implement policies. Public policy analysis is not a new concept, however this research developed a framework for book policy analysis, a framework that combines concepts from general public policy analysis and in the specific area of information science as well as guidelines from UNESCO s guide to formulating book policies in a way that allowed the content of book policies to be analysed. The research also recommends that institutions should be strengthened through review and restructuring, and to review the textbook policy towards the development of a national book policy that will recognise book publishing as a strategic national industry.