Negotiating Power and Inequality in Ghana

Lauren M. MacLean investigates Ghana’s prolonged electricity shortages to explain why those most harmed are often least likely to demand accountability; she combines archival work, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and contemporary art to show how income and place shape experiences of power outages and political behavior.

The book traces the historical centrality of hydroelectric power and how climate-driven droughts, rising demand, and complex international deals produced recurring load shedding.

MacLean argues for 'citizenship as reciprocity'—a fluid, group-based expectation of give-and-take across time—rather than a simple social contract, to explain citizens’ varied responses.

She foregrounds voices across neighborhoods and regions to reveal resignation, low-intensity resistance, and elite exit strategies like private generation.

The work links everyday hardships to political consequences and calls for state-led engagement to advance climate justice and equitable service provision.