up206a – midterm project joseph asunka february 2011 source: the cater center
TRANSCRIPT
Electoral Connection:Drivers of Political Responsiveness
The case of dracunculiasis in Ghana
UP206A – Midterm ProjectJoseph AsunkaFebruary 2011
Source: The Cater Center
Purpose To explore the relationship between
elections, health needs, and distribution of water and health facilities.
There is an argument in the distributive politics literature suggesting that politicians tend to reward people who vote for them. Thus how a community votes influences the level of public resources it receives; often more than existing need.
Dracunculiasis, one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases according to the CDC, has been a major public health issue in Ghana; specifically the Northern Region of Ghana.
In the context of electoral incentives, how has politicians responded to this issue?
Scale of analysis is district level in Northern Ghana. Subsequent analysis will be at the area council level, the lowest administrative level in Ghana.
Ghana Regions Districts Area Councils
Data Sources Center for Remote Sensing and Geo-
Information Services, Univ. of Ghana
Ghana Health Service
The Cater Center
World Physical Map
Where is Ghana and the Northern Region?
Ghana is located on the West Coast of Africa
Distribution of Dracunculiasis Cases in Africa (2006)
And in Ghana, Dracunculiasis is concentrated in the Northern Region
Stagnant bodies of water are a major source of transmission for guinea worm.
Source: The Cater Center
Elections, Social Services and Dracunculiasis Cases
in Northern Ghana
Next Steps Explore in detail the association
between the occurrence of dracunculiasis and actual location of healthcare facilities in local communities in Northern Ghana.
Map out moderate and severely deprived communities: calculating distances and using buffers.
Part of dataset for next steps
Skills Inset map Graduated symbols Attribute sub-set selection Boundary sub-set selection Graphing and statistical analysis