Re-Scaling Household Strategies: Globalization and Livelihoods in Accra, Ghana

This paper addresses livelihood diversification in the context of neo-liberal reforms through a case study of a rapidly urbanizing area in the capital city of Accra, Ghana. Existing literature on urban livelihoods suggests that adjustment policies and other neo-liberal reforms both impact and are affected by socio-economic and material resources available to households. Our analysis seeks to examine the shifting nature of urban livelihood strategies in the face of increased integration into the global economy. This discussion will also explore how the intersections of gender, generation, and social positioning in society shape the patterns and/or outcomes of this livelihood diversification. The study provides background information and more detailed insight about how individuals, households, and communities make a living in the face of structural adjustment and neoliberal globalization in Ghana. Through a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods, the research provides in-depth analyses of people’s everyday lives as well as an overview of the broad processes affecting livelihoods in the context of globalization. The findings indicate how livelihood strategies in urban households relate to economic shifts at the national and international levels.