How did the period of political unrest in Ghana affect the child mortality and GDP per capita before, during and after it?
Shortly after it regained independence from the British Crown in 1957, Ghana plunged into a period of political unrest. The government declared that the country was experiencing a state of emergency in 1961, under the rule of Kwame Nkrumah. Over the course of the following 20 years, Ghana was ruled by a single, centralized government, which were being overthrown in the coup after coup. Each regime was constantly overtaken by another, making Ghana’s political standings very unstable (BBC). Eventually, in 1981, Ghana was able to restabilize itself under the rule of Jerry John Rawlings. This period of political unrest experienced…show more content… According to Gapminder, from 1800 to 1895, the recorded child mortality rate remained a constant 470 deaths per 1000. This reduced to 430 in 1925 at a linear trend beginning at 1895. After 1925, the rate of reduction increased and reached 210 in 1961. From 1961 to 1971, the first half of the era of political instability, child mortality only reduced to 200. From 1971 to 1981, the latter half, rates improved and the child mortality rate was able to drop to 165. From then to 2015, the child mortality rate reduced by 105, reaching 60. From 1925 to 1961, the average rate of reduction was 6.14. This stellar rate of reduction was reduced to 1 during the worst years of political instability, from 1961 to 1971, but averages out to 2.25 when all the years of political instability are accounted for. After the end of the era of political instability to 2015, the rate increased again to 3.17 which is slightly more than half of the original rate of reduction but still is higher than the 2.25 recorded in the years of the political instability. When looking at graphs of other countries on Gapminder, the trend was reduction of child mortality is initially high and reduces after a while is also apparent, but a stall in reduction of child mortality is only apparent in countries that have suffered from an event that is harmful to its development such as wars and conflicts, natural disasters, political and economic