African research and development surveys: Highlights from the South African success story

ABSTRACT

Science and technology have a major role to play in current and future developments on the African continent as a whole. With the vast array of developmental challenges, current thinking needs to be expanded, so that technologies provide increased and enhanced solutions, such that African scientists produce an African response to the very many shared challenges affecting Africa – both as individual nations and as regards African people collectively. Key to developing an integrated science and technology network, within and across nations, is firstly to understand the extent of research and development (R&D) currently undertaken within individual territories and on the continent as a whole. In light of this, the article examines the value and importance of national surveys of research and experimental development undertaken in Africa. Within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), many member states now have dedicated departments overseeing state science and technology (S&T) development initiatives. South Africa has the most developed science and technology system on the continent. In recent years, other SADC countries like Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia have initiated projects to measure R&D activities within their territories. Despite this, further North, R&D measurement on the continent is uncommon, both as a result and as a cause of underdevelopment.

The article explores the limited data from selected African R&D surveys in an attempt to understand measurement issues that exist and to detail the value and importance of mapping S&T systems and their applications to developmental issues in Africa. In countries like Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, where S&T systems exist, effective means of measurement need to be established, so that the power of these systems can be harnessed, shared and exploited to benefit the African people. To this end, the African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) initiative was set up at a meeting in Addis Ababa with the aim of delivering a survey of these countries’ R&D output and potential. This is eagerly awaited by the African S&T community.

At the forefront of African R&D measurement is the South African national R&D survey, administered by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). Being an established survey, the South African team is often called upon by other African nations to support the setting up of surveys. The HSRC also trains visiting African scientists in the delivery of accurate and reliable R&D survey data. This article will, for the first time, present detailed results of the most recent South African national R&D survey (2008/2009), together with a trend analysis of historic South African R&D surveys.     

Globalization,State Autonomy and the Fight against Cross-Border Crime: Greater China's Cooperation with the World

Although globalization has stimulated the rise in cross-border crime, it does not really undermine the autonomy of the mainland Chinese state, the Taiwan state, and the city-states of Hong Kong and Macao. Instead, through cooperation with law-enforcement agencies in other countries, the law-enforcement agencies of these four places, notably the police and customs, have ensured the persistence of state autonomy vis-à-vis cross-border criminal groups and individuals. In the case of Greater China (mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao), interstate cooperation involving the police and customs can maintain state autonomy vis-à-vis criminal groups and individuals. The mechanisms of such interstate and intergovernmental cooperation embrace the sharing of criminal intelligence, the occurrence of anti-crime joint operations, the holding of seminars and conferences, and the administrative arrangements of extraditions. In a nutshell, intergovernmental cooperation in the combat against cross-border crime can maintain state autonomy in the midst of globalization, as the case of Greater China shows.     

国际形势的回顾和展望--写在2005年行将结束的时候

2005年除中日关系更加复杂外,大国关系相对平稳;全球主要热点特别是伊拉克和中东地区的紧张局势仍在持续;恐怖主义活动还在全球蔓延;在经济领域,全球经济仍保持着快速增长的态势,其中东亚仍然是发展最快的地区.此外,2005年的国际形势还有4大特点一是一场关于如何看待和应对中国崛起的大辩论正在全球范围内展开;二是自然灾害贯穿全年,可谓"天灾年";三是发展问题更加突显;四是和平、发展、合作正在成为一股不可抗拒的历史潮流.中国已经成为推动全球和平、发展、合作的重要力量.展望2006年,国际形势的上述特点还会继续表现出来.     

中老缅泰湄公河安全合作发展应对

虽然中老缅泰四国安全合作机制刚刚建立,尚存在诸多制约因素,但总的看来,四国安全合作具有进一步深化发展的良好势头。应让老缅泰明白中国进一步合作的意愿,注重营造四国共同利益,以经济合作促进安全合作机制建设,以机制建设固化四国合作模式,同时要注意处理好与美、日、印等域外大国的关系。     

Sino-Ghana bilateral relations and Chinese migrants’ illegal gold mining in Ghana

ABSTRACT

This article examines the participation of some Chinese migrants in illegal gold mining (known as galamsey) in Ghana, and how the Government’s policy to address the issue created diplomatic tension between China and Ghana. Drawing on primary data from in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 250 respondents and supplementary information from archival sources and personal observation, the study found that small-scale gold mining is an area legally reserved for Ghanaian indigenes, who faced stern competition from some Chinese migrants’ miners. Their ability to mobilize resources and machinery to execute galamsey virtually displaced the indigenes from their source of livelihood and caused environmental catastrophes. The Ghana Government’s policy response to the Chinese migrants’ galamsey, which led to arrests, sentencing and deportations of some Chinese miners, angered Beijing and fractured Ghana–China diplomatic ties. But the dispute could not collapse the entrenched bilateral relations between the two nations because the calculated mutual benefit derived from the relations was thought to be higher than the Chinese galamsey issue. Policy reforms which legally integrate Chinese migrants’ miners into the small-scale mining sector would stop galamsey and strengthen Sino-Ghana relations.     

西部行政执法环境与舆论监督互动关系研究

西部行政执法环境的改善离不开媒体的舆论监督。然而舆论监督与行政执法环境既存在一致性,也存在不协调性。行政执法机关与新闻媒体之间应建立信任与合作的互动关系,促成行政机关、媒体与大众之间充分的交流与沟通,进而形成良性的舆论监督环境,最终达到宣传执法形象,化解执法矛盾,促进执法效率,实现西部行政执法环境的良性发展。     

基于产业组织创新视角的外贸竞争秩序规制

产业组织创新会加强竞争有序化和提升国际竞争力这一基本事实,启发了人们对产业组织创新和优化外贸竞争秩序的思考。本文在比较分析美国、日韩、意大利和中国四种出口组织模式的基础上,认为我国以各自为战为特征的中小企业组织模式容易导致出口竞争的无序化并削弱国际竞争力;围绕这一分析主题,本文对组建出口联盟关乎外贸竞争秩序优化及相对应的产业组织创新等问题进行了分析,着重探讨了由竞争向合作转化以优化外贸竞争秩序的实现路径。作为对现实的一种佐证,本文对意大利中小企业出口协营组织的成功例证进行了经验性考察。最后,对我国如何创新产业组织以改善外贸竞争秩序提出了针对性建议。     

Global dollar standard: challenges for Asian financial integration

Current international financial system is characterized by the global dollar standard where the US dollar plays an essential role in many aspects of international usages. This is particularly the case in Asia where the dollar remains as a major reserve, vehicle and anchor currency. The paper deals with the challenges of dollar over-reliance in the world in general and in Asia in particular, with emphasis on the fact that Asia being a creditor to the US has to cope with the problems and instability that the dollar standard brings about. Asia needs to have further regional financial integration and to strengthen regional financial cooperation supported by a strong institutional arrangement, a sound regional financial market and a collective regional monetary regime.

东亚能源安全困境与出路

能源不仅是一种基本的经济投入,也正在逐渐成为具有权利特征的政治要素。当前东亚能源安全形势日益严峻,能源需求的激增和对中东石油依赖的增强并存,运输线路比较单一,而最严重的问题是缺乏一项共同的能源安全政策。解决当前问题的关键在于区域合作,尽管东亚能源方面的合作已经取得一定进展,不过仍处于初级阶段。东亚国家应以战略性眼光积极促进能源合作,建立某种形式的能源共同体。     

中新建交30年的回顾与展望

2020年是中新建交30周年,30年来,中新关系在政治、经济、人文、安全等领域发展迅猛;频繁的高层互访、密切的经贸合作、丰富多彩的文化交流以及务实的军事合作,都彰显出双方关系的先进性与引领性。相互尊重、平等相待,与时俱进、效益优先,文明互鉴成为中新交往的宝贵经验和财富。中新在交往过程中讲究循序渐进、求同存异,充分尊重对方的发展模式,充分照顾对方的舒适度,成功地达成了一个又一个的政府间合作项目。毋庸讳言,30年来,中新关系也偶有嫌隙,但整体向好是一个大的发展趋势。2020年暴发的新冠肺炎疫情成为继第二次世界大战以来全球最具影响力的事件。突如其来的疫情既是严峻的考验,也为中新双方的合作带来了新的机遇。在后疫情时代,双方在医疗卫生、社会治理、数字经济、金融法律、第三方市场等领域的合作将大有作为。中新两国应当充分发挥"快捷通道"的作用,继续深化跨境电子商务、数字城市建设方面的合作,致力于将新加坡打造成"一带一路"的超级中转站。