This study uses the Social Exchange Theory (SET) to examine the mediating influence that organizational trust and culture have on the link between employee voice and public sector performance. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse data on 503 public sector employees. The study findings indicates that employee voice greatly improves organizational trust (β = 0.914, p < 0.001) and culture (β = 0.893, p < 0.001), which in turn have a favourable effect on performance in the public sector (β = 0.395, p < 0.001 and β = 0.133, p < 0.002, respectively). It has shown that in this connection, trust is a strong mediator (β = 0.361, p < 0.001) than culture (β = 0.119, p < 0.001). The findings highlight how crucial it is to support employee voice and trust in order to enhance performance outcomes in the public sector. These revelations have important ramifications for managers in the public sector who want to improve organizational dynamics and staff engagement tactics in order to increase productivity and effectiveness.

Purpose: Maintaining the success of educational institutions largely depends on the teacher. It is the teacher whose main efforts and contribution help in achieving the goals in education. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of the programme delivery and how involving the active participation of the teacher will help enhance effective and efficient delivery of the school feeding programme at the school level.Design/methodology/approach: A total of ten basic schools were purposefully selected for the study with the use of the case study method. Interviews and observations were made in all the selected schools using a semi-structured interview guide. It was also done for some selected stakeholders within the study area under the school feeding programme.Findings: There is an indication that teachers as managers and administrators of the school system are not actively involved in the feeding programme leading to an ineffective and efficient delivery. The school children do not get the best from the programme. There is a need to put teachers in charge of operations at the school level. This will improve trust and cooperation between caterers, students and opinion leaders. The structure at the school level should be redesigned making caterers answerable to the teacher. Teachers as implementers in the case of the capitation grant will enhance efficiency leading to the achievement of the goal of the programme.Originality/value: The study underlines the importance, efficiency and influence of the teacher within the school system, in the operations of the school feeding programme and in the Ghanaian society.

Purpose: In an attempt to tackle the incidence of poverty and social exclusion in the Ghanaian society, a number of social protection programmes including the school feeding programme is introduced. The programme is designed to cater for the extreme poor and as well encourage enrolment and attendance in the country. The purpose of this paper is to assess the intention or objective for which the programme is initiated and the realities on the ground. It looks at whether the current beneficiaries are the extreme poor described in the policy document. Design/methodology/approach: The study explored the incidence of poverty in Ghana using the Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS6) and the Ghana School Feeding Annual Operation Plan (GSFAOP) with the help of the school feeding policy document to draw on actual beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries. The differences between percentages of poverty (2012/2013) and feeding schools was computed using GLSS6 and GSFAOP. The study also conducted a number of open-ended interviews with some stakeholders to validate the nature of recruitment of beneficiary schools. Findings: The study concluded that there is a mismatch of potential beneficiaries and current beneficiaries using the referred data sources. It was found out that majority of beneficiary schools are located within areas of lesser incidence of poverty. This could be attributed to political interference in view of testimonies from respondents and the computerisation of GLSS6 and GSFAOP. The study therefore proposed that the allocation of feeding schools should be done to reflect the percentage of poverty situation in each region. This could be achieved when the district education office takes control. It will help minimise the level of politicisation and as well improve efficiency. Originality/value: The study therefore highlighted the relevance of the school feeding programme and the inverse relationship it has with political interference. It again demonstrates the need to restructure the operations of the programme to meet the objective for which it was established.