Fiscal interventions and welfare in Ghana: A CEQ assessment

A study by researchers at ACEIR’s Ghana node in the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana.

By applying the Commitment to Equity (CEQ) framework for incidence analyses of government fiscals, this study examined and quantified the extent to which poverty and inequality in Ghana were affected by a range of (direct and indirect) taxes, government subsidies, and social spending.  

The research deals particularly with the income redistribution and poverty reduction that were accomplished in 2016/17 through fiscal policy; how pro-poor specific taxes and government spending were in 2016/17; and to what extent fiscal reforms programmes like the free secondary school policy and the COVID-19 relief interventions on electricity and water impacted poverty and inequality.

In 2023, Oxfam in Ghana initiated a partnership with the researchers to publish the key findings in a policy brief and to facilitate a two-day capacity building workshop on the use of the CEQ methodology for civil society organisations. 

This collaboration continued, in 2024, with Oxfam and the World Bank to provide capacity building for different users of a new microsimulation tool to evaluate the impact of social policies on inequality and poverty in Ghana.

Dissemination