Over the past several years, I have published more than forty-five analytical articles on Ghana’s pension system on ModernGhana. These writings critically interrogate pension adequacy, indexation practices, governance failures, institutional inequities, and the lived realities of Ghanaian pensioners. I am now consolidating this body of work into two major academic papers, each designed as a multi-volume scholarly contribution to pension and social protection literature.
Paper 1 (three volumes) focuses on pension adequacy, indexation, and distributive justice, arguing that Ghana’s pension crisis is not merely actuarial but fundamentally institutional and governance-driven. It examines how SSNIT’s indexation practices, structural inequities across parallel pension regimes, and weak harmonisation of standards have led to systematic erosion of retirees’ purchasing power and unequal retirement outcomes.
Paper 2 (also envisaged as a multi-volume work) interrogates pension governance, legitimacy, and trust, treating pensions as governance institutions rather than purely financial mechanisms. It critically analyses SSNIT and the Tier 2 scheme, highlighting failures of accountability, representation, fiduciary enforcement, informal sector exclusion, and fragmented oversight. The paper situates Ghana’s experience within comparative international practice, emphasising governance arrangements that sustain legitimacy and confidence in pension systems.
I am seeking motivated MPhil students—particularly in Economics, Public Administration, Development Studies, Political Science, Social Policy, or related fields—who are interested in collaborative academic research based on these themes.
What collaboration would involve
Co-developing specific chapters or volumes from the existing body of published work
Deepening the analysis through literature review, comparative case studies, policy analysis, or qualitative methods
Producing publishable academic outputs suitable for journals, conferences, or theses
Mentored engagement with real-world policy debates on pensions and social protection in Ghana
Who should apply
MPhil students with strong analytical and writing skills
Students interested in governance, social justice, pensions, ageing, or institutional reform
Those seeking academically serious work with practical policy relevance
This collaboration is particularly suited to students who wish to align their thesis or long essay with publishable research, and who are interested in contributing to reform-oriented scholarship with national relevance.
Interested students should indicate:
Academic background and current programme
Area of interest within pension research
How they envision contributing to one or both papers
If you are an MPhil student looking to engage deeply with one of Ghana’s most under-examined yet socially critical policy areas, this collaboration offers a rare opportunity to do work that is both academically rigorous and publicly consequential.
[NOTE: Please only WhatsApp or Email]
FUSEINI ABDULAI BRAIMAH
+233208282575 / +233550558008
[email protected]
