Archive
Title: Roundtable Discussion on the South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA)
Date: 14 July 2011
Venue: UNISA Building, Pretoria
The recent joint FES/IGD Roundtable Discussion on the South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA) – an agency still in the construction phase within government which, when launched, will coordinate South Africa’s development assistance. Issues discussed were SADPA in the context of emerging South-South Cooperation; contemporary International Development Cooperation and emerging actors, as well as options for the creation of SADPA. Guest speakers included Dr Sven Grimm of the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University, Ms Elizabeth Sidiropoulos of the South African Institute for International Affairs and Ms Lyndsey Duff of the Institute for Global Dialogue.
Title: COP17: South Africa and the road to Durban 2011
Date: 4-5 July 2011
Venue: Burgers Park Hotel, Pretoria
FES South Africa and the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD) co-hosted this event in the run-up to the upcoming UNFCCC Negotiations to be hosted in Durban, South Africa from 28 November to 9 December 2011. This international conference provided an overview of the challenges facing the multilateral environmental negotiations and the challenges facing South Africa in hosting the COP17 talks in late 2011. Finally, the conference also considered the prospects for a future agreement arising out of the talks and the development of a new climate change regime against the backdrop of the contemporary geo-political order.
FES/WTO Regional Dialogue on "Current and Future Challenges for the Multilateral Trading System - Perspectives from Southern Africa" Cape Town, 15-18 November 2010
South Africa & Emerging Power Alliances: IBSA, BRIC, BASIC Hosted by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD), Burgers Park Hotel - Pretoria, 5 November 2010 See programme
The Misunderstanding between the Media and Civil Society
Axel Schmidt, Resident Representative of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Office in South Africa, speaking about the misunderstanding between the media and civil society in his opening remarks at a roundtable discussion, which sought to probe how the South African media reports on the economy.
Schmidt explained that there is an increasing need for fresh discussion and for organisations to identify shared interests.
At a recent gathering regarding the 2010 Media Barometer that is developed with the Media Institute of Southern Africa, he had noted the excellent quality of the contributions of civil society and media practitioners.
But, it appears that there is a lack of common understanding between the print media and civil society, in a context where the political landscape has become more difficult for the media, and there is a commonly acknowledged tendency to restrict media freedom. There has been an unprecedented attack on the Constitution and the media appears to have taken for granted that the historic civil society allies would be supportive, when in fact this has proved not to be the case, and often those allies have been the strongest critics. This has to do with lack of proximity to specific audiences and not civil society at large.
Schmidt made these remarks at the event held in mid September and co-hosted by SACSIS and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa Office.
Media representatives that spoke at the event included Nic Dawes (Editor in Chief of the Mail and Guardian), Alide Dasnois (Editor of the Cape Times), Mondli Makhanya (Editor in Chief of Avusa Media and Chairman of SANEF) as well as Reg Rumney (Head of the Centre for Economics Journalism in Africa, Rhodes University).
"The Future of social democracy" conference in Cape Town: Currently the concept of social democracy seems to be in crisis. Even in its historical centre Europe social democratic movements are loosing constantly electoral support. The discussion group therefore sought to discuss the reasons for this crisis... Read more
Transformation of state seminar V "Sourcing finance for development": Contrary to South Africa Brazil was very successful in creating high growth of GDP and of employment and expects an even increasing growth in the next years. Thus it seems fruitful...Read more
"The future of social democracy" conference in Cape Town |
Currently the concept of social democracy seems to be in crisis. Even in its historical centre Europe social democratic movements are loosing constantly electoral support. The discussion group, consisting of European experts on the issue of Social Demoacray, South African scholars and ANC politicians therefore sought to discuss the reasons for this crisis, necessary adjustments for the future and how a concept of social democracy still could guideline South African political actors to resolve the countries social and economic problems. The objective of was not so much to reach clear conclusions and consensus, but to initiate a public debate about Social Democracy in South Africa.
The first task was to understand the development of a social democratic framework and movement out of the revolutionary ideas of Socialism. As the british historian Donald Sassoon stated, social democratic parties moved quickly away from the socialist goal to bring an end to capitalism after they took over government. Instead of abolishing capitalism they were more focused on running and improving it. Social democratic regulation of capitalism and the invention of the welfare state created long phases of economic growth but went to a crisis as the growth rate slowed down and unemployment rose. Social Democrats therefore adapted some of the market faiths in order to regain in their "Third Way" political significance. Although partially successful it now becomes more obvious that they also adapted some neoclassical fallacies, which need to be reviewed in the future. Particularly the weakening of the tax-state put many "Third Way" governments on to a neoliberal path dependence. Today the goals of social democracy of regulating capitalism and promoting equality are in a period of unstable financial markets and growing inequality even more important, urging social democrats to pursue their original goal, to find new and innovative ways to run capitalism.
The second task was to transfer and to apply these experiences to the South African case. The ANC is historically a product of the third phase of resistance against white domination and black marginalization in South Africa, focusing instead of a renaissance of traditionalist societies on colonialisms achievements and on an expansion of the right of the Black majority within the modern institutions, being decisively influenced by European socialism and the thoughts of Karl Marx. Anyway a programatic understanding of Social Democracy was never developed by the ANC. Nevertheless ANC's responses too the high degree of unemployment in South Africa clearly follows a social democratic rationale. The crucial question however is, whether social democratic responses are going far enough to really initiate a change and to resolve the deep structural problems of South Africa. Social democratic ideas as a reaction to South Africa’s structural problems fall therefore in and often compete with the current discussion around the necessity of a South African developmental state. After serious discussions the participants reached increasing agreement that the country has specific problems and need to find technically adequate solutions to it.
Social democracy can in this sense inform South African policy about necessary adjustments but is just partially applicable to the South African context. As for Europe the central goal of social democracy to reduce inequality and the notion that an active state is required for its implementation remains relevant for South Africa. But the concrete process of policy formulation and implementation must go beyond these labels and concepts.