The state of the nation and its public service in contemporary South Africa

The article is an analysis of the state of the nation and its public service in contemporary South Africa. It demonstrates that the Zuma administration is much more responsive to citizen and interest group interests than the Mbeki presidency was. This is not only reflected in the cabinet appointments, but also in the character of public policy, including economic policy. However, ideological divisions within the ruling party and a failure to contain elite and popular expectations have also accompanied this responsiveness. This, in turn, has hindered a social pact from developing between labour, business and the State. The article also demonstrates that state capacity has been compromised by a coupling of Affirmative Action with conservative macro-economics and an infusion of a corporate ethic into the public service. It concludes that this problem will only be addressed with a more nuanced Affirmative Action policy, a reconfiguration of the public mandate of the civil service, a more expansive fiscal agenda centered on the citizenry and firm proactive action taken against corruption

Patterns of Giving in South Africa

This paper reflects on the results of a national quantitative survey on giving in South Africa. It explores the extent and character of giving; who gives, to whom, with what intention

Does fiscal consolidation affect non-performing loans? Global evidence from Heavily Indebted Countries (HICs)

This study explores fiscal consolidations’ impact on non-performing loans (NPLs) in highly indebted countries (HICs) following the global financial crisis (GFC) and subsequent sovereign debt crisis. A dynamic panel data estimator was applied to obtain the unbiased estimator due to NPLs’ time persistence. The findings reveal that fiscal consolidation measures increase NPLs since they limit the household and business loan-serving capacity. Extended analysis categorises fiscal consolidation episodes into (1) the fiscal consolidation weak form (FCWE) and (2) the fiscal consolidation strong form (FCSE). The extended analysis results reveal that the FCWE and FCSE improve NPLs by 1.55% and 31.10%, respectively. The weak-to-strong form transition of the fiscal consolidation analysis resulted in improving NPLs by 28.55 percentage points. NPL definition challenges, the potential influence of loan restructuring and regulatory restrictions, and implications for policymakers and financial institutions in managing NPLs in highly indebted economies were explored. Investigating the potentially different effects of both forms of fiscal consolidation (FCWE and FCSE) on NPLs in countries with different definitions of NPLs, including a comparison study between different definitions, was identified as an implication for future research. Finally, future studies should examine how restrictions on IFRS 9 may affect the FCWE and NPL as well as FCSE and NPL associations

Eustachian Tube Foreign Body with Endoscopic-Assisted Surgical Removal

Abstract Objectives. Foreign bodies of the external and middle ear are not uncommon; however, foreign bodies in the eustachian tube are rare. Here we describe the presentation, imaging, and endoscopic-assisted surgical management of a case of eustachian tube foreign body. Methods. A 34-year-old male was seen for evaluation of foreign body of the left eustachian tube while working with metal at a machine shop. Imaging and surgical management are highlighted and review of available literature regarding foreign bodies of the eustachian tube is presented. Results. A CT scan revealed a foreign body present approximately 1 cm into the bony eustachian tube. The patient underwent middle ear exploration which required endoscopic assistance to adequately visualize the foreign body. The foreign body was unable to be removed and required the creation of a bony tunnel lateral to the eustachian tube for visualization and access to the foreign body. Conclusions. This report presents a rare case of eustachian tube foreign body. Use of the endoscope during the surgical removal greatly enhanced the ease and safety of removal. This report also highlights the importance of ear protection with any machining and welding work

The Involvement of Foreign Actors in Ethno - Political Conflict: Case of the Republic of Central Africa

 The Central African Republic is an extremely impoverished country that has seen little development since its independence from France in 1960. It is ranked 180 out of 186 countries on the U.N. Human Development Index (report 2016) and is in the Fund for Peace’s top 10 failed states, next to Haiti and Afghanistan. The latest surge of violence in the country began when the Séléka rebels captured power in March 2013. They were responsible for mass killings, sexual violence, and looting. This paper critically analyses the factors that led to the outbreak of that conflict one of which the role that played by the foreign actors in this conflict. The research found that there are four main elements that caused   the conflict in the CAR including exclusion, repression, and competition over resources and foreign involvement. One of the important reasons behind that conflict is an economic factor which is the struggle for power and resources among political elites. The paper also found the repression combined with exclusion policies adopted by the Bozize and the precedent regimes also contributed to the outbreak of violence in CAR finally, the empirical evidence showed that there was a deep economic crisis behind the conflict, with the withdrawal of foreign investors the   Commercial crops such as cotton, coffee, also have deteriorated as well as the exploitation of forest income has declined.  

The Involvement of Foreign Actors in Ethno - Political Conflict: Case of the Republic of Central Africa

The Central African Republic is an extremely impoverished country that has seen little development since its independence from France in 1960. It is ranked 180 out of 186 countries on the U.N. Human Development Index (report 2016) and is in the Fund for Peace’s top 10 failed states, next to Haiti and Afghanistan. The latest surge of violence in the country began when the Séléka rebels captured power in March 2013. They were responsible for mass killings, sexual violence, and looting. This paper critically analyses the factors that led to the outbreak of that conflict one of which the role that played by the foreign actors in this conflict. The research found that there are four main elements that caused the conflict in the CAR including exclusion, repression, and competition over resources and foreign involvement. One of the important reasons behind that conflict is an economic factor which is the struggle for power and resources among political elites. The paper also found the repression combined with exclusion policies adopted by the Bozize and the precedent regimes also contributed to the outbreak of violence in CAR finally, the empirical evidence showed that there was a deep economic crisis behind the conflict, with the withdrawal of foreign investors the Commercial crops such as cotton, coffee, also have deteriorated as well as the exploitation of forest income has declined

Tracheocutaneous Sinus following Tracheocutaneous Fistula Repair: Management Strategies in a Pediatric Patient

Objective. To present a rare case of a pediatric tracheocutaneous sinus years after repair of a tracheocutaneous fistula and to review management strategies. Background. A tracheocutaneous fistula is a common sequela of pediatric tracheostomy and can occur in as many as one in three pediatric patients. There is debate in the literature regarding optimal surgical management. Case Presentation. An 8-year-old girl presented to the emergency department with swelling and erythema over the anterior neck. Clinical exam and diagnostic imaging revealed an underlying tracheocutaneous sinus. Discussion. Complications following pediatric tracheostomy are common and range in complexity from stomal granulation to tracheocutaneous fistula. There is some debate regarding the optimal surgical management of children with tracheocutaneous fistula following tracheostomy. This report discusses the management of a pediatric child with an unusual tracheocutaneous sinus and reviews the various surgical techniques which have been described for definitive repair

Flight-to-Liquidity and Excess Stock Return : Empirical Evidence from a Dynamic Panel Model

This study examines the impact of the flight-to-liquidity (FTL) phenomenon on the excess stock return by applying the previously developed generalised method of moments (GMM) framework. For this purpose, we use the data covering the period from 2004 to 2018 for 122 public companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). This study uses six proxies to measure the expected and unexpected illiquidity. The empirical investigation reveals that expected and unexpected illiquidities greatly influence smaller firms more notably than larger ones, which induces FTL phenomena into the market. Moreover, a FTL phenomenon triggered the Pakistani equity market during the financial crisis, when a significant decline appeared and the less liquid stocks were strongly affected. The results reveal that FTL risk is priced in the Pakistan equity market, making large stocks relatively more attractive in times of dire liquidity. These findings further suggest that the market participants in the Pakistan equity market, including policymakers, regulators and investors, should not ignore FTL phenomena while designing their portfolios