This thesis examines law and policy in the book publishing industry in Ghana, with an evaluation of the success of government-sponsored institutions that have been established for the purpose of publishing development in the country. Issues concerning publishing development in Ghana and other countries in Africa have attracted considerable debate and coverage in the literature. The focus of the debate has been mainly centred on challenges confronting publishing development in the continent and the promotion of sustainable schoolbooks provision. Whilst there is a body of existing literature on the historical development of book publishing and its challenges, the role of law and policy, and the contributions of government-sponsored institutions to publishing development has not been explored. This thesis therefore provides the first analysis of law and policy, and an evaluation of government-sponsored institutions. In an attempt to fill this gap, this research identifies law and policy, examines the rationale for policy formulation, the policy-making process itself, the experiences of various stakeholders in the formulation of these policies and issues relating to the implementation of policy. It also evaluates the success of government-sponsored institutions by examining how their work has influenced book development and publishing in the country. The data for this research comprise legislation, policy documents and recorded interviews. These were analysed using the framework that was developed for book policy analysis. The use of the framework has been particularly useful in the analysis because it is compatible with the critical realist approach. Over two empirical chapters, the use of content analysis provides a thorough insight of the social, economic and political context, within the context of Ghana, for which institutions dedicated to publishing development were established as well as the formulation of book policies. Although government-sponsored institutions have provided considerable support to publishing development, the findings suggest that their operations are hindered due to a lack of funds and logistics. The findings again suggest that both national and international legislation have not been adequately beneficial to publishing development. A third empirical chapter, which focuses on the interview data for policy development offers an in-depth analysis into the policy-making process and the challenges that are associated with the implementation of policy. The findings suggest existing policy is limited in terms of scope of book publishing, and even with this limitation, there is a lack of transparency in the procurement process. A major challenge of the book publishing industry in Ghana is the lack of resources to enforce legislation and implement policies. Public policy analysis is not a new concept, however this research developed a framework for book policy analysis, a framework that combines concepts from general public policy analysis and in the specific area of information science as well as guidelines from UNESCO s guide to formulating book policies in a way that allowed the content of book policies to be analysed. The research also recommends that institutions should be strengthened through review and restructuring, and to review the textbook policy towards the development of a national book policy that will recognise book publishing as a strategic national industry.

À partir d’une approche socio-historique, la thèse propose une analyse des mécanismes de fabrication d’une politique du livre en Bretagne. En restituant les logiques sociales à l’œuvre dans le processus de naturalisation d’une politique publique de la culture, de la période de la Libération à la période actuelle, l’étude entend retracer les configurations successives de négociations et de luttes – entre les agents de l’Etat et les agents sociaux qui composent l’espace régional (notamment au sein des champs éditorial et politique) – pour le monopole de la définition d’une « identité régionale ». Dans cette perspective, « le livre » constitue un instrument légitime de production et de promotion de perceptions antagonistes de « la culture ». De sorte que le retour sur les conditions sociales et historiques d’émergence d’une catégorie d’intervention publique révèle les usages différenciés du « livre » et les enjeux politiques de « la culture », en les rapportant aux trajectoires individuelles et collectives des agents investis dans l’espace des mouvements sociaux bretons, en fonction d’une conjoncture nationale de prise de conscience régionale et de remise en cause de l’ordre symbolique établi. Il conduit par ailleurs à repérer le travail de représentation politique des institutions régionales consistant à homogénéiser une politique culturelle et le sens public qui en découle. De l’incorporation d’une indignité culturelle au renversement de l’ordonnancement légitime du monde social, l’histoire de la politique du livre en Bretagne met ainsi au jour les rapports de force engagés, avec et contre l’Etat, pour l’institutionnalisation de la région. / From a sociohistorical perspective, this thesis analyses the different developments that lead to the creation of a political identity through the use of the book in Brittany (France). By restoring the social logistics at work in the process of institutionalisation of a cultural policy, from the Liberation (1945) up to the present day, this study aims to retrace the path of the successive struggles – between State bodies and local bodies (particularly editors and politics) – in monopolizing the definition of a “regional identity”. In this regard, “the book” constitutes a legitimate instrument in the production and promotion of opposing views of “the culture”. Consequently, looking back on the social and historical conditions of the emergence of a public intervention highlights the different ways the book is used and also the political stakes of “the culture”. That must be put in parallel with both individual and collective paths of the bodies invested in the Breton social movements, which are taking place in a nationwide growth of a regional awareness and challenge of the established symbolic order. It is also necessary also to notice the work of the regional institutions in their political representation in order to homogenize a cultural policy and the public meaning that follows. From the acceptance of a cultural unworthiness to the overhauling of the legitimate order of the social field, the history of the book policy in Brittany highlights the power struggles engaged with and against the State for the institutionalisation of the region.