Challenges and Prospects for Economic Development in Africa

Africa's history of economic development and growth has been characterised by failed experiments, poor planning and impractical orthodoxies. This left the continent at the mercy of states and ruling elites who were unable to meet the challenges of both rising expectations from their citizens and the imperatives of sound policy design and implementation. Difficult existential conditions, including rising levels of poverty and bad governance, have been compounded by the vagaries of the international environment and Africa's peripheral position in its political economy and division of labour. Auspicious growth indicators over the last decade, fuelled mainly by global commodity demand and improved macro-economic management, have recently been undermined by the global financial crisis. The crisis has again exposed the continent to the spectre of depressed growth, with serious implications for state capacity and social welfare. This article examines the main ideological fault-lines, development challenges, and external factors that have characterised Africa's economic development and concludes that the future of the continent will remain one of this century's great challenges.     

China’s environment: Foreign trade and investment and international organizations

Not only is China’s environment in decline, but China’s contribution to global environmental deterioration is significant. Because of the global implications of China’s environmental pollution, international action is needed. Foreign trade and investment should be encouraged to incorporate environmental concerns and technology transfer, especially in the area of energy efficiency. Continued and enhanced international cooperation as well as loans and investment through international and regional organizations should also contribute to improving China’s and the global environment. Finally, China should assist in this process by continuing domestic economic reform and the open door policy. Environmental and economic benefits will result from efforts in these three areas.     

Foreign investment,industrial restructuring and dependent development in Singapore

Singapore's industrial development and restructuring are very much dependent on foreign investment. Despite the apparent benefits of foreign investment and Singapore's success in export-oriented manufacturing, there are worrisome aspects arising from the large and growing dependency on such investment in the manufacturing sector as Singapore moves toward a developed country status. This article explores some of the consequences of such dependency. In terms of industrial pattern, foreign investment has created and maintained a dualistic industrial structure in manufacturing. Foreign firms and government industrial policies have suppressed and marginalized local entrepreneurship. Export-oriented industrialization has opened the employment doors for women in manufacturing. However, women are predominantly found in low pay, dead end jobs in the assembly line of Singapore's new industrial order. With the implementation of a new wave of industrial restructuring strategies, new capital and technological intensive foreign investments are welcomed and solicited. However, the local labour supply is unable to meet the increased demands. Foreign labour has been called in to fill the gaps. This inevitably distorts labour market outcomes and heightens the income inequality index.     

Foreign investment,black economic empowerment and militarised patronage politics in Zimbabwe

This paper seeks to analyse Zimbabwe's economic empowerment policy. It argues that while there is a felt need for Zimbabwe to redress colonially induced injustices and racial imbalances in the ownership of the means of production, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the indigenisation of the economy is fundamentally flawed as it deters investors and may further damage the country's already extremely fragile economy. The implementation of the land reform programme contributed to the decline of Zimbabwe's economy: lessons learnt from the programme and related economic policies of the past 15 years highlight the problems of empowerment policies that are intertwined with patronage politics. The government's negation of basic economic principles and failure to open spaces for critical engagement with all relevant stakeholders epitomises an ill-advised indigenisation and economic empowerment strategy. The policy will not promote and retain foreign investment;nor are there sustainable prospects of internally oriented accumulation strategies on the horizon.     

The prospects for expanded trade and investment between Kenya and South Africa

This paper surveys principally the trade relationship between South Africa and Kenya over the last few years, highlighting the tremendous imbalance in South Africa's favour. It also charts the rise and fall in the Kenyan economy with particular reference to the IMF/World Bank reform packages and the on/off implementation, an experience common to many Third World (and African governments in particular) countries.     

The Challenges for Africa: A Culture of Peace,Good Governance and People-Centered Development

A history of colonialism, armed conflicts, mismanagement, lack of the rule of law and corruption has meant that despite its abundant natural resources, Africa remains underdeveloped and poverty, hunger, natural disasters and endemic diseases are prevalent. In this article, Ambassador Daniel António, Assistant Secretary-General of the OAU, argues that despite these difficulties there is increased hope as the people of Africa begin to take the initiative and reverse the current situation. António believes that this can be achieved if there is genuine commitment by all those concerned, including the international community, to good governance, liberalization, cooperation, peace and democracy.     

Foreign policy options for a new South Africa

Progress towards the creation of a post‐apartheid South Africa raises questions about future foreign policy. In this article a framework for analysis and forecasting is developed. The basic assumption is that a future foreign policy will be driven by the kind of regime which will emerge in a New South Africa. Such a regime will have to develop foreign policy orientations to deal with its regional and global environments and the manifestation of a variety of foreign policy issues in these environments.

A semi‐democracy is foreseen for a New South Africa which will adopt a regional leadership oreitnation towards its neighbours and a consumer orientation towards the global community. The framework makes provision for regime improvements which will lead to fuller international participation or regime decline which will result in international marginalisation.     

从东南亚到非洲:日本对外援助的政治经济学

2006年,日本对非洲的援助开始超过亚洲,非洲成为接受日本对外援助最多的地区。这一变化是长期以来日本对外援助理念、与受援国关系建构以及与主要援助国互动关系变化的反映。本文试图构建一种援助体系的分析框架,并确定了影响对外援助的三组关系:援助国与受援国的关系、对外援助与国内政治的联系、对外援助与国际社会的联系。日本对外援助理念和政策的变化正是这三组关系在不同阶段影响程度不同的反映。通过研究发现,日本的对外援助已经远远超出了经济利益和人道主义考虑的范围,将援助作为外交和战略工具逐渐成为其对外援助的一个重要特征。日本的对外援助是援助研究中比较有代表性的案例,通过这一研究能更好地认识国际援助的发展。另外,日本对外援助过程中的一些经验教训也能为中国提供借鉴。     

Africa and its Diaspora: The principal reciprocal benefits to be derived from the amended Constitutive Act of the African Union

Abstract

Under article 3(q) (Objectives) of the Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union, we read the following: ‘invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our continent, in building the African Union (AU)’. According to the AU, ‘The African Diaspora are peoples of African descent and heritage outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and who remain committed to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union’. Not only is this posture entirely consistent with the African development agenda and Renaissance, but it is also congruent with the recent and first-ever AU African Diaspora Summit which was convened on Friday, 25 May 2012, at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg. This is so because the Summit provided us with an excellent opportunity to continue to reflect on, and engage with, issues relevant to the development of the continent and, by extension, its multilingual and globally dispersed Diaspora. In this public lecture, it is argued that the current Amendment to the Constitutive Act of the AU in which the African Diaspora is now considered the sixth Region of the AU – an Amendment which has not yet been ratified by the requisite number of African states and one which might still be in need of some degree of disambiguation – provides the framework within which some fundamental and reciprocal benefits can be derived from an ongoing interaction between Africa and its Diaspora – especially its Older or Historic Diaspora. In essence, it is my contention that the principal reciprocal benefits that can accrue from this interaction between Africa and its Diaspora might best be captured in the language of pan-Africanisation and re-Africanisation respectively.     

印尼的地方自治:实践与挑战

地方自治是民主治理的重要手段.法制构建、政治参与和地方税收是地方自治是否成功的重要指标.印尼地方自治的发展,一方面遏制了地方分离主义运动,另一方面调动了地方政府的积极性.但政党利益、地方滥权是地方自治面临的挑战.     

Women and AIDS in Africa: The experience of the society for women and AIDS in Africa

Women and girls constitute a growing proportion of those who are HIV positive or living with AIDS, especially in Africa. Various social, economic and cultural realities make women and girls particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection. The Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) is a pan‐Africanist organisation which works in AIDS prevention through various educational programmes targeted at women. The SWAA uses local networks to get its message across, and realises the importance of involving men in the fight against AIDS in Africa.     

Energy investment: quantity or quality

The World Energy Investment Outlook, published by the IEA in November 2003, questions the conditions for financing future energy investments, especially in developing countries for the power sector, and for energy exports to the OECD. Mitchell reviews the role of governments in energy investment in OECD countries. This leads to a conventional wisdom about conditions which OECD investors would like to see, but not much guidance on issues of resource rents or conflicts arising from differences between local costs and national benefits. An "Institutional agenda" of initiatives (WTO, TRIMS, GATS and the Energy Charter Treaty) seeks to export OECD conditions and promote "good governance" in developing countries. There is also a "Behavioral agenda" in which international companies are persuaded to promote a variety of millennium goals, including human rights, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability. These factors have different relevance in different countries in which major energy investments are foreseen. Finally, Mitchell suggests that "acceptability" is an inclusive concept under which the OECD type initiatives can be combined with regard for the circumstances and interests of the different non-OECD countries, to give an operational definition of investment "quality."     

印尼瓦希德政府:挑战与机遇并存

印尼瓦希德政府的诞生标志着印尼政治进入新纪元、印尼社会开始逐步走上民主改革的道路。本文对瓦希德政府所面临的挑战和机遇作了分析 :印尼人民前进的方向是光明的、充满希望的     

Human security and Africa: Polemic opposites

A critique of the lack of transparency in international economic institutions and the impact this has on democracy and development.     

India and South Africa: Shifting priorities

Ties between India and South Africa have grown rapidly over the past few years. But despite close collaboration on a range of issues and growing trade and investment ties, the relationship is a long way from reaching its full potential and there are still areas of difference between the countries. Philip Alves examines how the relationship has evolved historically, particularly since 1994, both politically and economically, and where it might be going.