Publications Division
AISA's Policy Briefs are freely available for download.
Issues of Increasing Levels of Poverty and Hunger in Africa, with Specific Reference to South Africa
Mmafale Phogole
The majority of people in African countries, especially in South Africa, live subsistence livelihoods below the poverty line. Poverty is a condition characterised by a lack of basic needs such as water, health care, foods, sufficient access to social and economic services, and few opportunities for formal income generation. This paper assesses the issues impacting on higher levels of poverty and hunger, and suggests an alternative policy framework for improving the wellbeing of the region’s poor. In view of the causes of poverty and its predominance, poverty alleviation addresses constraints at the root of poverty. The premise of the paper is that including the poor is an important and progressive step in any attempt to sustain growth, development and socio-economic transformation in Africa, with South Africa as a case study.
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CSR practice in the DRC’s mining sector by Chinese firm
Johanna Jansson
Two distinctly different kinds of Chinese activities occur in the mining sector of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): state-led, large-scale investment financed by China Export-Import (EXIM) Bank; and private investment in mineral processing, trading and, to an extent, mining. While the minerals that interest the various Chinese actors are mostly located in the DRC’s mineral-rich south-eastern Katanga province, the nature of Chinese engagement differs greatly between the two categories. This policy brief seeks to outline these two strands of engagement and to discuss the different Chinese actors’ commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The questions that this policy brief seeks to answer are:
· To what extent are Chinese firms active in the DRC’s mining sector committed to initiating and completing CSR activities?
· What are the implications of this for the sustainable development of the DRC’s Katanga province?
· What measures can be undertaken to improve the situation?
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The International Criminal Court and the Indictment of President Omar al-Bashir
Korwa Gombe Adar
This policy brief provides a synopsis of the Darfur crisis; analyses the implications of the indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir on peace, security and stability in Sudan, and Darfur in particular; and addresses the impact of the indictment of Bashir on Africa’s continental and regional interests. It concludes by offering broad-based recommendations on the future role of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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The ANC Polokwane Conference and its Aftermath
Bulumko Nelana
This article analyses the African National Congress (ANC) Polokwane conference and its consequences from a theoretical platform. The ANC is subjected to a vicious cycle induced by the interplay of the base and superstructure, hegemony, inclusion and identity of present day politics. The 1997 Mafikeng conference of the ANC marked the handing over of the leadership baton by the ‘40s/’50s generation to the ‘60s/’70s generation. The younger segments of this generation matured in the ‘70s and were leaders in their own right of the mass movements of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, which were steeped in Black Consciousness (BC), radical trade unionism and civic movements. Consequently, three strands characterised the ANC post-1990: radical (centre-left), modernist (centre-right) and traditionalist (centre). The battle for the soul of the ANC over the decade (1997-2007) was between the radicals and modernists. The differences between these strands were fundamental, tactical and managerial, resulting in SACP and Cosatu feeling excluded. In this period, the economy performed well and there was social progress, but the voices of the many were not listened to in the public discourse and economic progress was uneven. Those who split from the ANC represent the ruling elite that were perceived to have benefi ted from the defi ning period. COPE is the self-appointed group of successors of the generation of the ‘60s. Political splits, if signifi cant, generally slow down transformation and this may not work in the South African context, as there are many pressing demands on government to implement socio-economic reforms. The Polokwane conference of the ANC was a culmination of the political tension between the social base of the ANC government and the ruling elite. However, the Polokwane conference did not critically appraise the underlying causes of the fall of the ruling elite and, as such, may have just replaced one set of representatives with another, without redefining the political mechanism for strengthening hegemony of the ANC’s social base and its model of democracy.
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The Developmental State Instrumentalities and Their Relevance to the Discourse on Socio-Economic Challenges in Africa
Adekunle Amuwo
As far as the relative autonomy and power of the African post-colonial state to decide the whys and wherefores of economic development is concerned, what colonialism/neocolonialism started, contemporary globalisation has seemingly finished off. But because capitalist globalisation is not an immutable Leviathan, its power, reach and import can be limited by African countries that put their political house in order and do their policy homework properly. An effective historical way of doing this (as the Asian ‘Tigers’ or ‘Dragons’ have shown) is through the developmental state (DS). This brief interrogates the instrumentalities of the DS against the backdrop of Africa’s socio-economic challenges. It argues that, in order for the DS to begin to have social resonance and relevance on the continent, a democratic DS needs to be constituted to tame and domesticate globalisation, as well as genuinely democratise politics and development.
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Overcoming Africa’s Health Burden: Challenges and Prospects
Siphamandla Zondi
Africa shoulders the world’s burden of disease. It is the epicentre of the global resurgence of infectious epidemics and pandemics. Africans remain troubled by diseases like diarrhoea, measles, cholera and tuberculosis that have long been overcome elsewhere with the help of modern medicine and effi cient public health systems. Notwithstanding the fact that the correlation between political economy and health was established in the 1970s, the twin challenge persists unabated in most of Africa. The modicum of public health systems and bourgeoning private health care in Africa are under immense pressure due to the worsening socio-economy and illness. Against this background, this policy brief examines how the interaction between socio-economy and health plays itself out in Africa, including the prospects for overcoming his
challenge in the near future.
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Mining and Corporate Social Responsibility Partnerships in South Africa
L Mabuza, N Msezane and M Kwata
In the light of challenges associated with sustainable development in the developing world, the mining industry, as is the case with other industries, has been compelled to relook issues pertinent to sustainable development and the role it can play in it. This arises due to various reasons, including but not limited to globalisation and heightened stakeholder awareness and expectations. The outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in 2002 espoused calls for strengthened partnerships in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI). For mining, this call includes the need to contribute towards sustainable development throughout all the stages of mining (i.e. from prospecting and operations through to closure and post closure). These commitments are also evident in the International Council on Mining and Metals’ (ICMM) objective of “continual improvement in performance and contribution to sustainable development so as to enhance shareholder value” (www.icmm.com). In order for mines to fulfi l the socio-economic aspects of sustainability, they need to contribute fi rst and foremost towards improvement of the quality of life of the communities in which they operate. This paper provides background to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and associated partnerships and their implementation in South Africa, and proposes ways in which current practice could be improved in a manner that best supports local economic development and, ultimately, sustainable development.
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The Impact of Obama’s Election on Democracy and Governance Discourse in Africa
Zine Magubane
This paper argues that the financial crises in the United States and globally have opened up the possibility for thinking quite differently about the role of the state in governance, the role of the state in development, and the interface between the two. For the fi rst time in a very long time, Americans are being forced to reconsider certain cherished orthodoxies about market fundamentalism, neo-liberalism, the role of the state in the economy, and the relationship between the free market and democracy. This much more than Obama’s or ethnic background is where the potential arises for a rethinking of how his ascent to power might impact democracy and governance discourse in Africa. African leaders have the opportunity to use this moment of questioning as a way of opening the avenue for a different set of questions to be asked about the intersection between democracy and economic development, the role of the state in the economy, and the possibilities for the emergence and survival of democratic developmental states across the globe.
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