These Policy Briefs, published in 2005, where the result of collaborative research and analysis conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in 2003 and 2004. Historically-informed and less technocratic, they took a fresh look at where Ghana is coming from, where it actually is, and where it may be headed. The Briefs come in two versions: a general analysis and four case studies on particular topics. Together they provide an overview of how social, political and economic forces have interacted in the country, and with what effects.