Power, Patronage, and the Local State in GhanaHow have the waves of democracy and decentralization that swept the developing world in recent decades affected statesamong the most important drivers of poverty and prosperityat national and local levels in Ghana and beyond? State actors beneath the national levelwhat Barry Driscoll calls the local statehave considerable responsibility for carrying out state functions, but they are also forced to compete for these local state offices. How does a