Knierzinger, Johannes. "The Chiefs of Development." Local Development and Local Government in Ghana. Doctoral dissertation, Uniwien, Germany, 2009.

The author argues that the chieftaincy institution in Ghana is very popular and a part of the ‘elite’ political formation of Ghana. This institution is sometimes used as an agent of conflict and an instrument of elite formation. The author refers to a range of traditional leaders such as chiefs, queen mothers, elders, linguists as neotraditional actors who are involved in politics of the state and have succeeded in retaining power especially at the local level. These actors interact with other elites such as businessmen, politicians and development agencies. The author argues that there is an intersection between chieftaincy, politics, and development and this has transformed the chieftaincy institution into a neotraditional system. The transformation of neotraditional actors has led to their involvement in development.