Social Policies under SAP in Ghana: Implications for Children's Human Capital Formation

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the 1980s and 1990s, the International Monetary Fund (imf) and World Bank recommended a structural adjustment program (SAP) in Ghana as a response to its economic crises. This paper examines educational and health policies under SAP and addresses the following issues: How did educational and health policies impact children? What are the implications of these impacts for the future of children and human capital formation? To answer these questions, we investigate the (1) availability and accessibility of schools and health facilities; (2) quality of schools and health care; (3) costs associated with schooling and using health facilities; and (4) factors that moderate the impact of education and health policies on the lives of children. The findings are that of (1) low educational attainment; (2) poor health, high morbidity and mortality levels; and (3) inequities based on geography, income, and gender. The implication for policy is that there is a need to promote human capital development by investing in it.