Chapter 6 generated by the toilets and the associated arm-twisting tactics of politicians. A change of regime, therefore, simply leads to a re­allocation of patronage. Conclusion and Recommendations Political patronage in Ghana is on the ascendancy, with no clear sign of it abating. While political patronage is not totally bad, the tendencies for corruption, divisive politicking and exclusion do tend to cancel out any benefits. As Ghana elects leaders every four years, it is vital that political leaders reduce the inclination to make populist promises just to win the votes of the electorate. Party policies should also seek to diversify the governmental process by gradually creating an all-inclusive government, rather than merely paying lip service to forming'national governments' in their campaign speeches. To this end, security of tenure for public officials devoid of political interference should be institutionalized. The global economic crunch has indicated that foreign aid to developing countries will continue to decline steadily and states must begin to draw more and more on their own resources to survive. This means that in the long run, states must be more pragmatic and prudent in the management and disbursement of the wealth and resources of the nation. Discouraging clientelistic access to state resources, therefore, will ensure that patronage systems will be significantly starved of resources, thereby causing a parallel reduction in election-related violence. Additionally, there is the need for politicians as well as the electorate to strive towards institutionalizing issues-based 198