Community meetings seldom lead to significant change in urban policies, and have been accused of being sterile, sedative, or manipulative. This book starts from a simple question: why do people then continue to participate in these meetings, sometimes massively, and on a regular basis? Authors from a variety of disciplines explore the multiple roles of these �invited� spaces of participation. From consolidation of individual social status and networks, to the construction and framing of the local �community�, the display of political or group loyalties and maintenance of clientelist exchange, access to information, rumors or gossip but also forms of education on who and what is the state, invited spaces of participation are also, crucially, places of emergence of collective awareness, through shared expressions of frustration, that can lead to political mobilisation and other, less institutionalised forms of participation. This book, unpacking community politics and rethinking the complex articulations between ��invited� and invented� spaces of participation, is of relevance for international and national audiences interested in urban governance and local democracy.

State of the Nation 2018 covers a diversity of perspectives that highlight the interrelationship and intersectionality between structural, economic, cultural and psychosocial dimensions of the South African social experience. Specifically, the authors analyse the complexity of poverty and inequality beyond an over-determination of the economic and the wealth index in South Africa.

The political freedoms ushered in by the post 1994 transition were seen at that time as the basis for redressing long-standing economic deprivations suffered by the majority of the population. The reduction of poverty, in all its dimensions, was the goal.

This directory provides a comprehensive overview of the southern African Development Community's (SADC) development role-players. More than 5 000 organisations are listed including government departments, parastatals, research institutions, business organisations, corporate social investment programmes, NGOs, CBOs, training institutions, local and international donor agencies, United Nations agencies and diplomatic representation in southern Africa.

This compilation analyses South African trends and public opinion between 1999 and 2001 on key policy areas and contributes to the debate around the challenges to, and prospects for, consolidating democracy in South Africa. It provides all stakeholders in South Africa with information and analytic insights.

This book presents case studies of public participation in democratic governance in South Africa. It examines the voluntary activities by which members of the public share in the processes of governance through democratic institutions. Each case study outlines a number of opportunities for, and constraints to, public participation in democratic processes.

This booklet presents a condensed version of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) Audit of 1998-99. It assesses the first democratic South African government's policies, legislation and delivery performance. The booklet focuses on four areas: meeting basic needs; developing our human resources; building the economy; and democratising the state and society.

While the informal sector is the ‘forgotten’ sector in many ways, it provides livelihoods, employment and income for about 2.5 million workers and business owners. One in every six South Africans who work, work in the informal sector. Almost half of these work in firms with employees; these firms provide about 850 000 paid jobs – almost twice direct employment in the mining sector. The annual entry of new enterprises is quite high, as is the number of enterprises that grow their employment. There is no shortage of business initiative and desire to grow.

One of the few authoritative publications on violence in South Africa, this collaborative volume contributes to an understanding of the different forms of violence prevalent in South Africa today and lays the foundation for the formulation of prevention strategies. The significant data it contains makes it a valuable resource.

Leading intellectuals from business, organised labour, community organisations, government structures and academics examine the effects of a whole range of global forces on local forms of identity, coherence and cohesion. This compelling book merits close attention from anyone interested in the wide-ranging effects of globalisation on South Africa.