Local economic development in South Africa: A useful tool for sustainable development

Statistically significant Pareto-like log-log rank-size distributions were recorded for population and enterprise agglomeration in the towns of three different regions of South Africa, and are indicative of skewed distributions of population and enterprise numbers in regional towns. There were no distinct differences between groups of towns of regions from different parts of the country. However, the regional agglomerations differed from those of groups of towns randomly selected from a database. Regions, therefore, appear to have some uniqueness regarding such agglomerations. The identification of Zipf-like links between population and enterprise growth in regional towns still does not fully explain why some towns grow large and others stay small and there is a need to further explore these issues. The extreme skewness in population and enterprise numbers of different towns’ distributions should, however, be considered in local economic development planning and execution.

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Law and Economic Development in South Africa: An Assessment through the General Theory of Law and Development

The Law and Development Review ◽

10.1515/ldr-2018-0062 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 377-401 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

T. K. Pooe

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Economic Development ◽

Human Rights ◽

Social Justice ◽

General Theory ◽

Local Governments ◽

Local Economic Development ◽

African National Congress ◽

Law And Development ◽

Theory Of Law

Abstract The ascension of the African National Congress into formal politics through its electoral victory in 1994 resulted in South Africa adopting one of the world’s most heralded social justice and human rights-based documents, the 1996 Constitution. Yet, two-decades of ANC governance this paper argues has not led to the types of economic development needed to advance the formerly oppressed African majority, Colored and Indian populations. This lackluster economic development is even more troubling when one considers the giant economic development steps Asian developmental states have made, without a human rights and social justice approach. It is the contention of this paper that the newly presented General Theory of Law and Development allows for a new type of analysis exploring the reasons why South Africa’s economic development trajectory has been so lackluster, when so many authorities praise the South African legal framework. In making this argument using the General Theory South Africa’s local governments sphere and local economic development will be the subject of analysis.

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Research on Shallow Groundwater Recharge and Control in Taihang Mountain Area of North China

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.113-116.1572 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 113-116 ◽

pp. 1572-1576 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jian Sheng Cao ◽

Wan Jun Zhang

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Economic Development ◽

Water Resources ◽

Local Economic Development ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Shallow Groundwater ◽

Mountain Area ◽

River Valleys ◽

Taihang Mountain

In the 21st century, diminishing water resources have become a global concern. The Taihang Mountain area plays an important role in the sustainable development of the Bohai coastal area in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei because of its special geographical location and features; but due to drought and deficiency of water, the Taihang Mountain area is faced with the dual problems of poverty and ecological vulnerability. It seems particularly important to develop and utilize the water resources in a sustainable manner as water is one of the key factors in promoting local economic development and improving the ecological environment. This paper investigates, from the perspective of water cycle and water transformation, the seepage recharge mechanism in slopes and river valleys, taking into account the hydrological features of the Taihang Mountain area and the hydro-geological features of slopes and river valleys in the area. Based on analysis of the formation process and characteristics of shallow groundwater resources, this paper puts forth the idea of “weak water consolidation” for sustainable development of water resources, and three groundwater development and utilization techniques in respect of seepage through rock-soil interfaces and weathered rock fissures in slopes and seepage in river valleys, offering a powerful support to the economic development and environmental improvement in the Taihang Mountain area.

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