The Political Economy of China-US Relations: Digital Futures and African Agency

This book offers a rich perspective on Africa’s agency in the changing global order marked by intense geopolitical contestations. It discusses ways in which the African continent has been on the margins of the global economic system because of the actions of major powers and Africa’s own leaders, and how this legacy can be overcome. The book covers an uncharted ground in analyzing the intersection between geopolitical rivalry, digital futures, and Africa’s place in the world.

This text makes a clarion call for African leaders and citizens to define better development pathways for the continent through insisting on ethical and transformational leadership as well as building credible institutions that are inclusive. This, according to the author, will ensure a sounder basis for Africa’s positive agency. Further, the book makes a strong case for structural transformation that is innovation-led, and that African decision-makers should leverage US-China rivalries to achieve Africa’s own development interests.

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The Fall of the ANC: What Next

This book is a response to the governance crisis in South Africa, which intensified with the administration of President Jacob Zuma. It dissects various dimensions of what constitutes the fall of the ANC. It makes a bold claim that the ANC was not ready to govern at the time it took over the reins of political power. It had not sufficiently prepared itself to preside over a modern economy that was plagued by deep-seated inequalities that were a legacy of the apartheid system. This book explores historical themes that shaped South Africa’s political evolution as well as more contemporary challenges related to state of institutions, the conflicting visions of economic policy, and the onset of the seeds of venality in the governing party. It is not only diagnostic, but also proffers some ideas on what needs to be done to stem institutional decay that poses grave threat to South Africa’s future.

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The Future of the South African Political Economy Post Covid-19

This book examines the COVID-19 pandemic through socioeconomic lens that draw on history, approaches to state-market relations, and public policy perspectives In 2020, the world experienced the worst pandemic since the outbreak of the Spanish Flu of 1918, which continues to have far-reaching implications for the global economy and triggered macroeconomic dislocations that severely affected the most vulnerable countries and segments of society. This book was conceived as a response to the disruptive shifts induced by the pandemic, with a particular focus on South Africa.

International experience has shown that countries and societies that have gone through tough economic times, either as a consequence of wars or economic depressions, have responded to crises by enacting unpopular policy measures based on difficult trade-offs, which often made way for innovation. The authors outline policy responses to the COVID-19 crisis and propose several interventions to mitigate its effects. These include developing innovative approaches to fiscal and monetary policies, labour market policies, industrial policies, as well as social policies. Building state capabilities, improving the governance and performance of state institutions, and managing digital change are some of the clear policy interventions that are laid out in this book.

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UCL IIPP on Building State Capacity
Hosted by UCL IIPP, 21 October 2021

Stakeholder Capitalism and Transformation
Transformation Seminar

Geopolitics, Trade and Domestic Economy