Household Composition, Water Acquisition, and Perceived Development Priorities in Ghana

Lori M. Hunter, University of Colorado at Boulder

Little social science work has explored development priorities as perceived by residents within the context of developing nations. This project is designed to explore these perceptions, particularly as they are shaped by both the demographic and natural resource contexts. More specifically, making use of recently collected survey data from a coastal region of Ghana, we model the association between household factors (e.g., size, composition, economic background) and strategies for water acquisition. We then link these household level associations to individual perception of the most important development needs (e.g., electricity, drinking water, toilet facilities) within the local area. It is argued that a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which local population-environment dynamics shape environmental perceptions will aid in the design of regionally-appropriate and stakeholder-validated development efforts.