State of the Nation: South Africa 2005-2006

Please login to access download links.

State of the Nation: South Africa 2005-2006 is the third in the HSRCs exciting annual volume of essays on aspects of contemporary politics, economics , society and international relations in South Africa. This series has, in a relatively short period, become established as part of the annual South African scholarly calendar. Coverage in the media, international as well as South African, has been extensive; controversies have been stirred; both previous volumes have been prescribed as university texts locally and abroad; they have found their way into South African embassies around the world and foreign embassies in South Africa; and most importantly, many ordinary South Africans have purchased the books simply to find out more about the complex and fascinating country we live in. Like the previous two editions, this edition draws together a wide and exciting set of analyses, written by contributors from universities, civil society organisations and the media, as well as from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). State of the Nation: South Africa 2005-2006 includes chapters on the state of land restitution, Parliament, South African soccer, the Chinese communities of South Africa, science and mathematics education, research and development, black economic empowerment, the labour market, the informal economy. There are chapters on the emerging development state, the service delivery targets set by the President in 2004, the implementation of the socio-economic rights provisions of the Constitution, and three chapters on South Africas growing economic involvement in Africa.

List of tables

List of figures

Foreword
Mark Orkin

Acronyms

Introduction: Can South Africa be a developmental state?
Roger Southall

Part I: Politics

Introduction
Jessica Lutchman

1. Putting numbers to the scorecard: presidential targets and the state of delivery
   David Hemson and Michael O Donovan
   
2. Towards a Constitutional-based definition of poverty in post-apartheid South Africa
   Wiseman Magasela
   
3. Delivery and disarray: the multiple meanings of land restitution
   Cherryl Walker
   
4. Assessing the constitutional protection of human rights in South Africa during the first decade of democracy
   Karthy Govender
   
5. More than a law-making production line? Parliament and its oversight role
   Judith February
   
6. The state of national gender machinery: structural problems and personalised politics
   Amanda Gouws

Part II: Economy

Introduction
John Daniel

7. Black empowerment and present limits to a more democratic capitalism in South Africa
   Roger Southall
   
8. The state of labour market deracialisation
   Percy Moleke
   
9. The state of the informal economy
   Richard Devey, Caroline Skinner and Imraan Valodia
   
10. Work restructuring and the future of labour in South Africa
    Sakhela Buhlungu and Eddie Webster
    
11. The state of research and experimental development: moving to a higher gear
    Michael Kahn and William Blankley

Part III: Society

Introduction
Sakhela Buhlungu

12. The state of South Africas cities
    Bill Freund
    
13. Guns and the social crisis
    Jacklyn Cock
    
14. The Chinese communities in South Africa
    Janet Wilhelm
    
15. Winning the Cup but losing the plot? The troubled state of South African soccer
    Merryman Kunene
    
16. The state of mathematics and science education: schools are not equal
    Vijay Reddy

Part IV: South Africa in the world

Introduction
Roger Southall

17. South Africas evolving foreign trade strategy: coherence or confusion?
    Jesmond Blumenfeld
    
18. South Africas relations with the Peoples Republic of China: mutual opportunities or hidden threats?
    Sanusha Naidu
19. South Africa in Africa: scrambling for energy
    John Daniel and Jessica Lutchman

Contributors

Index

Dr Sakhela Buhlungu is Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand. He currently serves on the editorial boards of academic journals, Labour History and Society in Transition.

Professor John Daniel was previously Research Director in the Democracy and Governance research programme at the HSRC. In his career as a political science academic, he was seconded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996-1998) where he was part of the research team that wrote the five-volume final report.

Professor Roger Southall is a Distinguished Research Fellow of the HSRC and was formerly Professor of Political Studies, Rhodes University. He is General Editor of the Journal of Contemporary African Studies.

Jessica Lutchman was previously a researcher in the Democracy and Governance research programme at the HSRC.