Standard of Living Analysis

Discuss what you think is the country’s standard of living—high, medium or low—and the reasons why the country has that specific standard of living focusing on the following 5 categories:

Ghana's standard of living is high compared to other African countries but when put up against other places in the world I would have to say it has a medium to low standard of living. 

1. Physical Geography.  What is it about the physical geography of the country that creates advantages or disadvantages for people in the country? Think about climate, vegetation, landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources.
• Ghana being located on the coast is ideal for fishing, its tropical climate is good for farming which is a major source of income for its citizens. 
• A disadvantage is the hot and humid weather which is favoble for maliria carrying mosquitos. 
2. Government System.  What type of government runs the country and how effective is it? Is there corruption? What kinds of freedoms are present and/or lacking? 
• Ghana is run in a democratic manner but there is some corruption. 
• Wealth is unequal distributed among it's citizens and basic needs are not met for everyone.
3. Economic System: How do people make money (what are sources of employment?).  Average wages for different professions? What kind of economic system dominates the country? Does the country have a trade deficit or surplus?  
• Major sources of income: Agriculture, industry, services
• Ghana has a capitalist system
• minimum wage- 3.7 Cedis a day...about $2
• Ghana is currently experiencing a trade deficit of -5.4%
4. History.  What has happened in the country’s past (distant and more recent) that impacted its current standard of living?   Revolutions, wars, stability, conquest, technological advances, discoveries, etc.? 
• Ghana's fairly recent independence from Britain is what impacting it standard of living.
• Colonialism is why Ghana is doing well for themselves they are still not there yet. 
5. Cultural Factors.  What cultural factors affect the standard of living in the country? Things to consider: religion, cultural traditions, gender roles, class, food, music, and dance.
• Their cultural tradition of focusing on the group instead of the individual affects their standard of living.
6. Relate the above to your project.
•  In order to help students at AHS it is important to remember the tradition of it takes a village. By working together and focusing on the entire group getting ahead instead of just one golden child will ultimately make the difference.