Globalisation and the Paradox of Participatory Governance in Southern Africa: The Case of the New South Africa

The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it will explore the tensions and contradictions of participatory governance in the context of globalisation in the new South Africa. Second, the paper will interrogate the links between neo-liberal economic reforms and participatory governance in South Africa. In particular, it will explore the question of whether or not participatory governance is inherently democratic and development enhancing. On the basis of the analysis, the paper will explore an alternative scenario that will be relevant for policy and academic purposes for South Africa and other developing countries

Good Governance for Sustainable Quality University Education in Tanzania

University governance includes means and processes which facilitate the functioning of a university in terms of making the right decisions and taking actions at the right time. Laws, policies, strategies, guidelines, procedures and practices all affect the extent to which universities can proactively and positively respond to internal and external challenges. It also refers to both the relationships between internal and external governance structures and actors and the manner in which they influence each other

The Future and Relevance of Nigerian Universities and other Tertiary Institutions

Higher education is the bedrock of sustainable national development, which encompasses structural transformation of an economy, human capital development, technological innovation, forging of democratic citizenship, social cohesion, nation building, and preserving the earth. Like other countries, these were the reasons for the establishment of universities and other tertiary education institutions in Nigeria. However, over the past three decades, beginning in the 1980s, in spite of increases in the number of higher education institutions, the sector has been bedevilled with several challenges that have blighted its fortunes and raised serious questions about the role and relevance of Nigerian universities and other tertiary education institutions to national development. The contributors to this book offer authoritative and eloquent accounts of these challenges and explicitly draw out the policy implications on how the challenges can be overcome in order for Nigerian higher education institutions to regain relevance to the developmental imperatives of the country, especially in the 21st century and beyond. This book will be of great value to students, leaders of higher education institutions, and policy makers in government and the private sector to chart new policy directions to revitalise the Nigerian higher education sector in order to be responsive to the needs of the country and its people, especially the teeming population of restless youths

A gendered analysis of the casualisation of teachers' work in a transitional society, Durban, South Africa. 1993-4.

Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 1998.This thesis describes the casualisation of teachers' work (in Greater Durban) during the period of the democratic transition in South Africa. It provides evidence that contract teaching exists among men and women teachers employed in primary and secondary schools. These teachers are relegated to the secondary labour market with low income, poorer working conditions and lack of job security. It begins by adopting an electic theoretical approach, combining labour process and interactionist theories, to understand teachers' work. From this eclectic theoretical perspective, it is argued that contract teachers control and influence over their work is considerably eroded by the casualisation of the teaching labour process. However, unlike existing international studies, it is argued that casualisation of teaching in the Durban area serves not only as a deskilling process for most contract teachers but also as a re-skilling process for a few. Furthermore, this study shows that contract teaching has a gendered dimension. Not only because women teachers are mostly affected by casualisation of teaching but that it tends to relegate women to the primary school system where they teach young children. It is therefore argued that the casualisation of teaching extends women's mothering role into the classroom. The historical basis for casualisation of teaching, in South Africa, especially its gender dimension is a result of the 'Marriage Bar 'of 1912, the legacy of the Bantu Education system and the non-standardisation of teachers' qualifications until the 1980s, as well as the education policy flux during the period of political transition. Because contract teaching has existed over a long period, it has to be acknowledged as a sub-category of the national teaching corps. This means that the contribution of contract teachers towards the formation and transformation of the capacity to learn should not only be recognised and accordingly rewarded by education authorities but that casualisation of teaching should constitute an area for further academic research

Towards a developmental state? Provincial economic policy in South Africa

This paper explores the meaning of the developmental state for spatial economic policy in South Africa. Two main questions are addressed: do provincial governments have a role to play in promoting economic prosperity, and to what extent do current provincial policies possess the attributes of a developmental state? These attributes are defined as the ability to plan longer term, to focus key partners on a common agenda, and to mobilise state resources to build productive capabilities. The paper argues that the developmental state must harness the power of government at every level to ensure that each part of the country develops to its potential. However, current provincial capacity is uneven, and weakest where support is needed most. Many provinces seem to have partial strategies and lack the wherewithal for sustained implementation. Coordination across government appears to be poor. The paper concludes by suggesting ways provincial policies could be strengthened

Security Systems in Francophone Africa

This research report is a broad-based study that seeks to understand the structural and developmental processes that characterise the security sector in Francophone Africa. Although each country has a distinct political history and tradition, similarities in the security apparatus, rooted in its inheritance from the colonial and post-colonial periods, can be found between Francophone countries in Africa. In the former French colonies, there are similarities to the French security system which are very strong on the normative side, such as the legal and institutional framework or the defence and security actors. However, even if these Francophone African countries borrow a lot from an originally French security system in terms of the institutional design of their security apparatus, they deviate considerably from it in terms of daily practice. The issue at stake in this paper is to highlight the kind of institutional framework prevailing in this set of countries and the specific considerations that international assistance will have to take into account. The paper also analyses briefly the difference between Anglophone and Francophone security systems. Finally, it makes some recommendations that might assist the security sector reform policy agenda and donor and recipient responses to the security challenges faced in Francophone AfricaAfrican Security Sector Networ

Covid-19 and the Return of the State in Africa

Abstract: As African countries battled the Covid-19 crisis in 2020, one of the questions that were raised was whether the state was taking a central stage in the affairs of society, especially solutions to major problems. The question was triggered by the fact that there has been a decline in the capacity, role and prestige of the state in Africa for decades. Yet it seems that the responses to Covid-19, following the WHO guidelines, have placed the state at the centre, without dislocating other stakeholders like the private sector and the civil society. This paper uses the evidence from a select number of African countries of different sizes in various regions of the continent to provide an empirical perspective on the role of the state in Covid-19 responses in 2020 to answer the question of whether Covid-19 has occasioned a return of the state, thus reversing the neoliberal designs in favour of a lean and mean state in Africa

Democratic developmental States? Malaysia and South Africa´s institutional structures for incubating an indigenous entreprenuerial class and reducing poverty

The promotion of an inclusive development and incubation of an indigenous entrepreneurial class were some of the key challenges that faced Malaysia after political independence from colonial rule and South Africa after the end of apartheid. It is therefore no surprise that the Malaysian state after its first decade of independence and the South African state immediately after the democratic elections in 1994 set out to reduce poverty and promote an indigenous capitalist class. This paper will focus on the institutional foundation of the Malaysian and South African state that underpinned their development. In particular, it will focus on the internal institutional characteristics of the state and its relations to the indigenous business class. The focus on the latter is important because the participation of societal actors in the policy process is one of the defining characteristics of a democratic developmental state

Political Representation in Africa: Towards a Conceptual Framework

Political representation as a central component of democratic governance is a key challenge in the African quest for democratic development. Accordingly, this article reviews theories of political representation. On the basis of the review and subsequent critique of existing theories, I suggest some areas that require  attention from African scholars, civil society, political leaders and policymakers. I argue that the responsiveness of the political system and public policy to the needs and aspirations of the African people would be considerably dependent on an  inclusive system that gives ordinary people a voice in governance and policy choices.La représentation politique en tant que composante centrale de la gouvernance démocratique constitue un défi majeur au processus de développement démocratique. Cet article analyse les théories de la représentation politique. Sur la base de cette analyse et de la critique qui est faite des théories existantes, je propose quelques domaines qui méritent toute l’attention des universitaires des universitaires, de la société civile, des dirigeants politiques et décideurs du continent africain. J’affirme par la suite que la réactivité du système politique et des politiques publiques aux besoins et aspirations des populations africaines dépend de l’instauration d’un système inclusif permettant au citoyen de se faire entendre au niveau de la gouvernance et des choix politiques

Constructing a democratic developmental state in South Africa: potentials and challenges

The whole volume, including this chapter, engages with some of the issues raised. In doing so, it attempts to provide a definition of the democratic developmental state, its institutional underpinnings and its policy orientation.