Elections, Foreign Direct Investment, and Economic Growth in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: 1993 to 2016

Abstract

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been seen as an important factor influencing economic growth directly and indirectly in both developed and developing countries. This study assesses the impact of FDI on growth in Ghana since the return to constitutional rule in 1993. The study uses time series data from 1993 to 2016. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lagged model (ARDL), the study finds a positive impact of FDI on growth both in the short-run and long-run. However, there is a lag period of two. The study equally finds that Gross Saving has a positive impact on growth. On the other hand inflation has a negative effect on growth both in the short and long run. The study also discovered that FDI granger causes growth but GDP does not granger cause FDI. Post-election years with incidence of political uncertainty slow down FDI inflow into Ghana. The study recommends the adoption of stringent fiscal and monetary policies to keep inflation low. It also recommends maintaining and improving the liberal market environment to attract investors, policies to encourage saving, and improving on political transitions to avoid uncertainties for investors.