Introduction

Abstract

This chapter identifies tardiness as a cultural trait that has impact for Ghana’s development. It discusses how traditional Ghanaian reverence of leaders which absolves these leaders from being timely may be out of touch with current pressures for efficiency. Modern demands for economic fulfillment require leaders to lead by example in the quest for efficiency which demands timeliness. The chapter also evaluates Huntington’s (Political Order in Changing Societies. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000) claim that the difference in performance between South Korea and Ghana in the 1960s–1990s period was due to perverse Ghanaian cultural practices. It concludes that while culture matters it is probably not the only dynamic at play.