Macro/Micro Dynamics in South Africa: Why the Reconciliation Process Will Not Reduce Violence

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingie Hovland
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Truth Commissions ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Reconciliation Process

The reconciliation process in South Africa has been hailed as an astounding example of a non-violent transition to democracy, and its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has subsequently served as the starting point for reflections on reconciliation, transitional justice and the possibility of truth commissions in other countries. This article suggests that it is necessary to examine South Africa's reconciliation process more critically, focusing on why it has not brought about a reduction in the high levels of violence. It is argued that the reconciliation process has failed in this respect - despite good intentions - because it has not managed to transform the macro/micro dynamic in South Africa, i.e. the interaction between macro-level divisions and micro-level tensions which have fed off each other throughout South Africa's history. Macro-level violence has included - and still includes - economic policies that generate wealth for a minority while perpetuating the production of poverty for the majority. Micro-level violence includes extremely high levels of violent incidents at an interpersonal and local level. The use of the concept ‘reconciliation’ in post-apartheid South Africa may in certain respects have served as opium for the people - opium that has enabled continued accommodation of the interaction between macro and micro-level violence in the country.

Economic Reforms and the People Sector

1998 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-82
Author(s):  
Ela R Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Adjustment Programme ◽  
Structural Adjustment Programme ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The People ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Considerable Discussion

In recent years⁄ there has been considerable discussion in India on Structural Adjustment Programme and its impact on the economy. However⁄ the moot question is whether restructuring efforts have benefited the ‘people sector’ that includes the workers who are informal⁄ unorganized, and selfemployed. Based on years of experience with SEWA, Ela Bhatt argues that most economic policies including the recent economic reforms have largely benefited the large corporate bodies and have completely ignored the poor and the women. According to her⁄ it is possible to benefit from the reforms if the focus of economic reforms is shifted to the micro level.

scholarly journals Developing leaders by supporting their transitions into senior positions

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicky H.D. Terblanche ◽  
Ruth M. Albertyn ◽  
Salome Van Coller-Peter
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Senior Leadership ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Leadership Transitions ◽  
Support Strategies ◽  
Systemic Level ◽  
Micro Level

The need for social transformation in South Africa is intrinsically linked to the transformation of corporate South Africa. Strong senior leadership is required to ensure that organisations remain sustainable during this transformation. There is, however, a shortage of skilled senior leaders, hence the need for leadership development. When leaders transition into senior positions, they face a plethora of personal and systemic challenges. Many fail with resulting disastrous effects on individual (micro) and organisational (macro) levels. This research investigates the challenges faced by newly promoted senior leaders in order to lay the groundwork for designing support strategies for individuals and organisations. The qualitative findings suggest that leadership transitions present unexpected challenges on a personal and systemic level to such individuals and that they do not receive adequate support from their organisations. For transformation to be successful and sustainable on macro level, concurrent and appropriate micro-level support and development are essential.

scholarly journals A glimpse of African identity through the lens of Togolese literature

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Marie Line J. Charles-Galley
Keyword(s):  
Modern World ◽  
Western World ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
African Identity ◽  
The People ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Modern Identity

Togo, this small West African nation, is still relatively unknown, even in today's jet set world. The western world is only now discovering the numerous advances Togo has made in its social and economic policies, but most of all in its political conjectures. After its Independence on April 27, 1960, Togo had barely begun its journey to democracy when the dictatorship of Gnassingbe Eyadema became the yoke of the people for over thirty-one years, on April 14th, 1967. The consequences of the stranglehold exercised by Gnassingbe was to shut the nation's cultural growth and cause the people to close in onto themselves and build a protective barrier between themselves and the rest of the world. Yet, Togo had great beginnings. It was one of the pioneers of Sub-Saharan literature, publishing in 1929 one of the first true African novels still read today. In 1929, native son Felix Couchoro, was among the first Sub-Saharan authors to write a novel which gave agency to an African protagonist in a story set in Africa, with an African-themed plot, and with a conclusion that aimed at rethinking African society. Couchoro was the first to look deeply into his culture and the social identity of his nation. He brought forth suggestions that would help in Togo's growth and insure its successful battle for Independence. In doing so, however, Couchoro also created great controversy around a subject which continues to plague not only Togolese people, but all Africans who feel pulled in two directions: preserving their authentic traditional customs while taking an active part in the modern world, through economic improvements as well as technological advances. In this dissertation, I will first study Couchoro's flagship novel which was the starting point of this quest for a modern identity, then analyze how subsequent Togolese writers have taken up Couchoro's legacy.

scholarly journals The challenge of inadequate achievement in mathematics: Focus on a meta-approach

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-287
Author(s):  
Kobus Maree
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
South African ◽  
The State ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Meso Level ◽  
Mathematics Classrooms ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Achievement In Mathematics

As is the case elsewhere in the world, all stakeholders in South Africa are deeply concerned about the level and scope of underachievement in mathematics, not only at Grade 12 level, but, indeed, at University, University of Technology and Further Education and Training levels. These concerns assume a deeper dimension in light of the fact that inadequate achievement in mathematics inevitably will have a ripple effect on the academic situation in any country: inadequate achievement in mathematics precludes learners from applying for admission to sought-after fi elds of study, which, in turn, prevents numerous learners from realising their true potential and, eventually, from being happy and successful in careers that they might otherwise have been able to execute successfully. It goes without saying that inadequate achievement in mathematics will impact negatively on the overall economic situation in any country (even more so in a developing country such as South Africa). Truth being, achievement in mathematics amounts to equipping oneself with survival skills. In this article, the spotlight shifts from a narrow and outdated focus on problems that are associated with inadequate achievement in mathematics to possible solutions for this disconcerting situation and the implied challenge it raises. The focus is thus on three levels that collectively underpin and impact on achievement in mathematics, viz. the macro level, the meso level and the micro level. The macro level refers mainly to the input by the national government (and, by default, the National Department of Education). In the fi rst instance, it is the responsibility of the state to provide adequate schooling facilities for all learners, irrespective of where they fi nd themselves. Furthermore, it is the duty of the state to ensure that every learner has access to basic facilities, including food, water, sanitation and housing. The state (via the National Department of Education) is also obliged to ensure that the basic philosophy that underpins mathematics education in the country is scrutinised continuously and that changes be made to existing teaching philosophy should these be recommended by the majority of stakeholders. Case in point: the implementation of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) in South African mathematics classrooms has now already been under the spotlight for a number of years and there seems to be general consensus that it is essential to facilitate a number of basic changes to this philosophy and (especially) to the way in which it is implemented in South African classrooms. Teachers, for instance, constantly complain about matters such as an administrative overload, unacceptably high stress levels (brought about by factors broadly associated with OBE-related issues) and the fact that the laudable philosophy underpinning OBE is not consistently realised in practice. At the meso level, the spotlight falls on factors related to teacher training. For example, it seems highly advisable to optimise teacher training in mathematics, to facilitate training in emotional intelligence, to conduct a national audit on the number of mathematics teachers currently teaching mathematics (in terms of how many teachers are currently in the system, where these teachers fi nd themselves, their level of training, etc.) to determine training needs in mathematics and to facilitate a more equitable distribution of teachers across the country. For example, it is proposed that all graduating teachers be compelled to do community service in an effort to facilitate a better understanding of the challenges that teachers in various parts of the country face, thereby breaking down barriers between people. At micro level, the emphasis is on measures that might be taken to provide guidance to parents on how to assist their children in mathematics on the one hand and on practical ways in which to help learners in mathematics perform better in mathematics and leave school better equipped to deal with typical challenges at tertiary level on the other. It is hoped that this article will contribute to an improvement in the disconcerting situation to be found in mathematics classrooms across South Africa. I sincerely hope to have sensitised readers to the need not only to talk about the situation in mathematics in South Africa, but instead to start acting and in so doing to impact on the situation in practical ways.

scholarly journals Transitional Justice in South Africa and Brazil: Introducing a Gendered Approach to Reconciliation

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-107
Author(s):  
G. Nelaeva ◽  
N. Sidorova
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Truth Commissions ◽  
General Question ◽  
Truth Telling ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
The Past ◽  
Formal Procedure ◽  
Post War

The concept of transitional justice has been associated with the periods of political change when a country emerges from a war or turmoil and attempts to address the wrongdoings of the past. Among various instruments of transitional justice, truth commissions stand out as an example of a non-judicial form of addressing the crimes of the past. While their setup and operation can be criticized on different grounds, including excessive politization of hearings and the virtual impossibility of meaningfully assessing their impact, it has been widely acknowledged in the literature that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa can be regarded as a success story due to its relatively strong mandate and widespread coverage and resonance it had in South African society. We would like to compare this commission from the 1990s with a more recent example, the Brazilian National Truth Commission, so as to be able to address the question of incorporation of gendered aspects in transitional justice (including examination of sexual violence cases, representation of women in truth-telling bodies, etc.), since gender often remains an overlooked and silenced aspect in such initiatives. Gendered narratives of transitional justice often do not fit into the wider narratives of post-war reconciliation. A more general question addressed in this research is whether the lack of formal procedure in truth commissions facilitates or hinders examination of sexual crimes in transitional settings.

scholarly journals Ethics in Telehealth: Comparison between Guidelines and Practice-based Experience -the Case for Learning Health Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (01) ◽  
pp. 044-050
Author(s):  
Craig E. Kuziemsky ◽  
Inga Hunter ◽  
Shashi B. Gogia ◽  
Sriram lyenger ◽  
Gumindu Kulatunga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Association ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Example Variability ◽  
Ethics Guidelines

Summary Objectives: To understand ethical issues within the tele-health domain, specifically how well established macro level telehealth guidelines map with micro level practitioner perspectives. Methods: We developed four overarching issues to use as a starting point for developing an ethical framework for telehealth. We then reviewed telemedicine ethics guidelines elaborated by the American Medical Association (AMA), the World Medical Association (WMA), and the telehealth component of the Health Professions council of South Africa (HPCSA). We then compared these guidelines with practitioner perspectives to identify the similarities and differences between them. Finally, we generated suggestions to bridge the gap between ethics guidelines and the micro level use of telehealth. Results: Clear differences emerged between the ethics guidelines and the practitioner perspectives. The main reason for the differences were the different contexts where telehealth was used, for example, variability in international practice and variations in the complexity of patient-provider interactions. Overall, published guidelines largely focus on macro level issues related to technology and maintaining data security in patient-provider interactions while practitioner concern is focused on applying the guidelines to specific micro level contexts. Conclusions: Ethics guidelines on telehealth have a macro level focus in contrast to the micro level needs of practitioners. Work is needed to close this gap. We recommend that both telehealth practitioners and ethics guideline developers better understand healthcare systems and adopt a learning health system approach that draws upon different contexts of clinical practice, innovative models of care delivery, emergent data and evidence-based outcomes. This would help develop a clearer set of priorities and guidelines for the ethical conduct of telehealth.

ICERD in the post-conflict landscape: towards a transitional justice role

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia A. Nkansah
Keyword(s):  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Truth Commissions ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Reconciliation Process

The chapter highlights the potential of ICERD to contribute to the process of transitional justice in post-conflict societies. In particular it identifies truth commissions as having largely ignored the potential for ICERD as a transitional tool, and calls on CERD, States Parties and other actors to better understand and carve out a role for ICERD in the truth and reconciliation process.

Macro-Level policy and Micro-Level planning

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3.1-3.18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Barkhuizen ◽  
Ute Knoch
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
South African ◽  
National Language ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Linguistic Context ◽  
Language Practices ◽  
Micro Level

This article reports on a study which investigated the language lives of Afrikaans-speaking South African immigrants in New Zealand. Particularly, it focuses on their awareness of and attitudes to language policy in both South Africa and New Zealand, and how these influence their own and their family’s language practices. Narrative interviews with 28 participants living in towns and cities across New Zealand reveal that while living in South Africa they were generally aware of macro-level language policies in the country, and were able to articulate how these policies influenced language practices at work and within their families. The absence of an explicit national language policy in New Zealand means that these immigrants, on arrival in New Zealand, base their understanding of the linguistic context in the country on the language practices that they observe in their day-to-day lives. It is these observations which guide their decision-making with regard to their own and their family’s language practices.

scholarly journals Predicting fear and perceived health during the COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning: A cross-national longitudinal study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247997
Author(s):  
Stephanie Josephine Eder ◽  
David Steyrl ◽  
Michal Mikolaj Stefanczyk ◽  
Michał Pieniak ◽  
Judit Martínez Molina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability To Disease

During medical pandemics, protective behaviors need to be motivated by effective communication, where finding predictors of fear and perceived health is of critical importance. The varying trajectories of the COVID-19 pandemic in different countries afford the opportunity to assess the unique influence of ‘macro-level’ environmental factors and ‘micro-level’ psychological variables on both fear and perceived health. Here, we investigate predictors of fear and perceived health using machine learning as lockdown restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were introduced in Austria, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic. Over a seven-week period, 533 participants completed weekly self-report surveys which measured the target variables subjective fear of the virus and perceived health, in addition to potential predictive variables related to psychological factors, social factors, perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD), and economic circumstances. Viral spread, mortality and governmental responses were further included in the analysis as potential environmental predictors. Results revealed that our models could accurately predict fear of the virus (accounting for approximately 23% of the variance) using predictive factors such as worrying about shortages in food supplies and perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD), where interestingly, environmental factors such as spread of the virus and governmental restrictions did not contribute to this prediction. Furthermore, our results revealed that perceived health could be predicted using PVD, physical exercise, attachment anxiety and age as input features, albeit with smaller effect sizes. Taken together, our results emphasize the importance of ‘micro-level’ psychological factors, as opposed to ‘macro-level’ environmental factors, when predicting fear and perceived health, and offer a starting point for more extensive research on the influences of pathogen threat and governmental restrictions on the psychology of fear and health.

scholarly journals The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: The Promise and Reality of Reconciliation in Croatia

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Parker
Keyword(s):  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Local Level ◽  
International Criminal Tribunal ◽  
International Community ◽  
Former Yugoslavia ◽  
Truth Commissions ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
State And Local

The international community is increasingly interested in promoting post-conflict reconciliation in a variety of forms, with trials and truth commissions featured most prominently. The contemporary academic discussion over transitional justice (and the practice of transitional justice itself) is largely focused on whether and how these types of large-scale national transitional justice mechanisms contribute to reconciliation. This article examines the promise and reality of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to contribute to national reconciliation. Ultimately, the ability of state-wide policies to contribute to reconciliation rests on the active participation of local level actors. This requires political backing at the state and local level beyond that of just the international community. More attention needs to be paid to domestic cultural factors in the initial decision to implement state-wide transitional justice procedures, and bottom-up mechanisms must be built into any large scale approach to reconciliation.

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