It was a landmark in history: In 1957, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African state to achieve independence from colonial rule, having previously been under the control of Great Britain. But gaining political independence does not mean the past is left behind, and there has long been public debate about the many long-term effects of the colonial period on state and society in subsequent decades. Now, an empirically rich study explores one aspect of the Ghanaian state, the composition of its bureaucracy, during and after British rule. The study finds that two…
