The Irony of ‘Economic Miracle’: Spotlight on Past Futures in Ghana 1982–1992

Application summary

This doctoral thesis investigates and deepens the political history of Ghana’s ‘economic miracle’ in the 1980s using a new conceptual framework termed "past futures". The concept of 'past futures' proceeds from the assumption that every future has a history, which is a written account in the present, based on bits and traces inherited from the past. In specificity, this project deconstructs the period, 1982–1992 into two distinct past futures. The first past future consists of the political future vision of the nation between 1982 and 1983. This period in the nation’s history is dominated by "revolutionary" rhetoric in governance under the regime of Jerry Rawlings. The second past future consists of the nation’s political future vision between 1983 and 1992. This period is dominated by the implementation of the IMF and World Bank sponsored structural adjustment programmes and policies in Ghana. The goal behind deepening the historical analysis of these events is to investigate connections and disconnections in policy as these political visions culminated in past futures. Finally, the thesis demonstrates the potency of applying futures research methodologies to historical research. The thesis applies Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), a futures research method to conduct research in history. By investigating past futures, futurists and historians can create alternative pasts and further radical alternative futures for the world.