Collective action and revenue generation: focus on selected Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies in Ghana

The importance of collective action for local revenue mobilization cannot be over-emphasized, yet has received little attention in current literature. Using strategies for co-operation, collaboration and partnership with local stakeholders to maximize revenue collection appears neglected in the revenue mobilization debate in many developing countries. Extant literature suggests that coercion and public service motivation have been relied upon, yet revenue mobilization remains a significant challenge. This paper expands this body of knowledge by examining the role of collective action and how it helps explain revenue outcomes in the Tema and Accra Metropolitan Assemblies on the one hand, and Ga East and Ga West Municipal Assemblies on the other. It is demonstrated in the discussions that while some of these Assemblies are making better efforts at raising more revenue using more effective collective action measures, others are unable to do the same. This was done through key informant interviews and a survey of the opinions of taxpayers in the selected urban Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies in Ghana. This paper is part of a broader effort to examine the extent to which local revenue mobilization can be scaled-up in the face of several constraints in a developing country context.