Prof. Isaac Owusu-Mensah

1. PROFILE

Isaac Owusu-Mensah graduated from the University of Ghana in 2009 with a PhD in Political Science after completing a Master of Philosophy in 2003 and a Bachelor of Arts with Philosophy in 1997. He was appointed as Lecturer in 2011, later as Senior Lecturer in 2016 and Associate Professor of Political Science (Specialization in Democracy and Elections) in 2025. He utilizes his extensive educational and training background to foster critical thinking in the Department of Political Science and trains a new generation of Ghanaians to engage with, and expand on, the current knowledge of democratization and civil society development in Ghana. He previously worked with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung as a Senior Programme Manager for fifteen years. He also worked with the African Peer Review Mechanism and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.  The President of Republic of Ghana appointed Dr. Owusu-Mensah as the Director of Research at the Office of the President, Jubilee House in January 2021 to January 2025.   He has served on the University of Ghana Academic Board, Admissions Board, Examiners Board, College of Humanities Academic Board, School of Social Science Board and Committees within the Department of Political Science. He was once the Examination Officer for the Department of Political Science. He also served as a Scrutineer for Academic Board responsible for conduct of elections. He has been a Patron for the Political Science Students Association, Brong-Ahafo Students Association and Adventists Students.  As an assessor, he has assessed 58 post graduate thesis from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). He also served as an external supervisor to the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College Academic Division. He has also assessed staff promotion at the University of Education, Winneba. He is a member of several international associations such as the International Political Science Association (IPSA), American Political Science Association (APSA), International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS) as well as the National Expert for Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) a Sweden Based think tank.  He has 34 publications to his credit since his last promotion. These include 3 book chapters, 14 peer-reviewed articles and 5 technical reports. He has participated in several local and international conferences where he presented papers, chaired sessions, facilitated and moderated on a range of topical governance issues such as the state of political parties in Ghana, traditional institutions and local governance. He is a distinguished resource mobiliser for projects at the University of Ghana. These include funding for national surveys at the Department of Political Science through the School of Social Sciences Colloquiums to the Legon Hall Annex D Project.

2. RESEARCH INTEREST

1. Democratization
2. Electoral Politics 
3. Governance and Development
4. Politics of Identity

3. EDUCATION

1. Doctor of Philosophy – University of Ghana
2. Master of Philosophy- University of Ghana
3. Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and Philosophy)-  University of Ghana

4. COURSES TAUGHT

1. Poli 111 - Introduction to the Study of Political Science
2. Poli 112- Introduction to Political Institutions
3. Poli. 214 - Introduction to Comparative Politics
4. Poli 211- Introduction to Development Studies
5. Poli- 343- Introduction to Political Research
6. Poli 344-Methods of Political Research
7. Poli 365- Development Administration
8. Poli 465- Policy Monitoring and Evaluation
1. Poli 458  -  Politics of Identity in Ghana
10. Poli 435  - Gender and Politics
11. Poli 604 - Survey Methods
50. INTA 610- Research Methodology
1000. EPMP 603- Policy Analysis, Design and Evaluation

5. Publications

1. RECENT PUBLICATIONS ( 2016-2024)

1. Book Chapters

1. “The State of Political Party Development in Ghana” In Political Parties and Crisis of Democracy.  Edited by Thomas Poguntke and Wilhelm Hofmeister, Oxford University of Press. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Emmanuel Debrah, and Enock Mathapoly-Cudjoe (2024)
2. “Electoral Violence in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: The Case of Party Vigilantism” In Palgrave Handbook of Violence in Africa Edited by Obert Bernard Mlambo and Ezra Chitando. Emmanuel Debrah, Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Sampson Danso and Gilbert Arhinful Aidoo. Published by Springer Nature Switzerland (2024)
3. “Political Parties and Democratic Consolidation in Ghana: The Struggles of Smaller Parties in an Institutionalised Two-Party System” In Political Institutions, Parties Politics and Communication in Ghana. Three Decades of the Fourth Republic Edited by Joseph R.A.Ayee, Lloyd G.A. Amoah, and Seidu M. Alidu. Isaac Owusu-Mensah and Abdul-Jalilu Ateku. Published by Palgrave Macmillan

2. Articles in Peer Review Journals

1. Party Financing in Ghana: A Case for Regulated Elite Funding. Kwadwo Kyei-Poakwah, Isaac Owusu-Mensah and Edmund Poku Adu, Journal of Asian and African Studies Vol. 59, Issue 9, pp. 1-15 Publishing House: SAGE. (Dec. 2024)
2. Who spends what, and why? The constituency project fund and electoral politics in Ghana. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, Vol. 10, …….  Kenneth Felitse and Isaac Owusu-Mensah, 2024 Published by: Elsevier Ltd
3. Good for Elections but not for Government: Zongos and Politics of Exclusion in Ghana. African Studies, Vol. 82 Issue 1 pp. 67-84, Isaac Owusu-Mensah & Frank Bitafir Ijon, Publishing House: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group (July 2023)
4. How Electoral Integrity Matters in an Era of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Experience from Ghana’s Eighth General Election. Politikon South African Journal of Political Studies. Emmanuel Debrah & Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Vol. 50, No. 6, pp. 1-22 Publishing House: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group (May 2023)
5. Judicialization of Corruption’ in Ghana: an analysis of how Ghanaians view the Office of the Special Prosecutor. Politikon South African Journal of Political Studies. Isaac Owusu-Mensah & Enock Mathapoly-Codjoe, vol. 50 No. 2, pp. 1-18.  Publishing House: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group (April 2023)
6. Decentralization and Development in Ghana’s Fourth Republic. Politics & Policy. Emmanuel Debrah & Isaac Owusu-Mensah. Vol. 50, Issue 6, pp. 1259-1284.  Policy Press of University of Bristol (November 2022)
7. Resolving the Dagbon Chieftaincy crisis and succession to the Ya-Na skin: The role of kingmakers and electoral college system. African Journal on Conflict Resolution. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, vol. 22, Number 1.  Published by ACCORD (September 2022).
8. Big Men, Small Boys; A Power Dimension Perspective of Farmers-Herdsmen Conflict in Ghana. Journal of Peacebuilding & Development. Kwadwo Kyei-Poakwah, Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Edmund Poku Adu & Mathias Awonnatey Ateng. Vol. 18, Issue 1, pp. 1-7. Publishing House: SAGE (September 2022)
9. Regency in Dagbon: An albatross of a traditional transitional institutional arrangement in Ghana. Ghana Social Science Journal. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 67-84. School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana (December 2022)
10. The Autonomy of Ghana’s Electoral Commission and Citizens’ Perceptions of Election Quality: A Field Experiment. Journal of African Economy and Development. Isaac Owusu-Mensah & George Ayuune Akeliwira, Vol. 7. Jimma University in Ethiopia (December 2022)
11. Does the use of biometric system guarantee an acceptable election’s outcome? Evidence from Ghana’s 2012 elections. Emmanuel Debrah, John Effah and Isaac Owusu-Mensah, African Studies Vol. 78 (3) 2019. Publishing House: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group 
12. Judiciary and Democracy in Ghana’s Fourth Republic. Isaac Owusu-Mensah and Joanna Rice, Journal of African Elections, Vol. 17 (2) 2018 Published by Electoral Institute of Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).
13. The Poor Paying for the Rich: The Politics of Inequality in the Water-Pricing Structure in Ghana, 2003-2013. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Africa Today, Vol. 64 No. 2, 2017, pp. 48-66.  Published by: Indiana University Press
14. The Cost of Inter-ethnic conflict in Ghana’s Northern Region: The case of Nawuri-Gonja conflict.  Emmanuel Debrah, Seidu Alidu, and Isaac Owusu-Mensah Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies Vol. 3 Issue (1), pp. 1-27, 2016. Published by Digital Commons @ University of South Florida.

3. TECHNICAL REPORTS

2. OTHER PUBLICATIONS 2012-2015

1. Ghana’s Presidential Transition Act and the 2013 Transition. Ransford Edward Van Gyampo, Michael Ofori-Mensah and Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization, Vol. 20, Number 1, pp. 1-9. (June2013)
2. Politics, Chieftaincy and Customary law in Ghana Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol. 6, No. 7, pp. 261-278. (February 2014)
3. Parliamentary Caucuses in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: Challenges and Recommendations. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, Vol. 5, Issue 3. (May 2015)
4. Promoting Quality University Education in Ghana: The Challenges of Mentoring Private Universities. British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioral Science, Vol. 8, Issue 02 (April 2015)
5. Mediating the Dagbon Chieftaincy Conflict: The Eminent Chief Approach, Peace Studies Journal, Vol., Issue 2, Emmanuel Debrah, Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Ransford Gyampo. (July 2014)
6. Twenty Years of Implementation of District Assemblies’ Common Fund in Ghana (1994-2013) -Assessment of Disbursement. British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, Vol. 10. Number. 4, 1-19
7. Queen Mothers: The Unseen Hands in Chieftaincy Conflicts among the Akan in Ghana: Myth or Reality? I. Owusu-Mensah, W. Asante and W.K. Osew. Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol. 8, Number 6.  (September 2015)
8. American Democratic Support to Ghana’s Fourth Republic: Assistance or Encumbrance? Journal of African Elections, Vol. 14, Number 2, pp. 1-33. (October 2015)
9. Promoting Local Governance in Ghana: The Role of Akan Queen Mothers. Journal of Pan-African Studies, Vol. 8, Number 9, pp. 98-114. (December 2015)
10.  The Judiciary and Ghana’s 2012 Elections: Analysis of 2012 Presidential Elections Petition and its Ramifications for Democratic Development in Ghana.  Isaac Owusu-Mensah and A.K.D. Frempong, Developing Country Studies, Vol. 5, Number 20 pp. 20-33. (2015)

6. FELLOWSHIP AWARDED AND VISITING SCHOLARSHIP

a. DAAD Fellowhip – Humboldt University, Berlin – 1st June-July 31st -  2018

b. Visiting Scholar. – Humboldt University, Berlin.   – 1st June -July 31st – 2017

c. UNU Fellowship- United Nations Univesity, Japan- 17th May to June 30th -2007

7. Membership of international Organization

1. Member- International Political Science Association (IPSA)
2. Member- International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS)
3. National Expert-Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) (Sweden-Based think tank)